Harvest Ministries and Pastor Greg Laurie recommend a new book by Max Lucado called "Unbreakable Courage." He explains, "Unbreakable carries the implication of steadfastness. That when the waves crash against a rock, it is the waves that come apart, and not the rock." That's right. Max Lucado discusses these insights and a whole lot more in his brand new book, "Unbreakable Courage." Yours for a gift of any amount at. Harvest.org. We're in a spiritual battle, so use the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
Pastor Greg Laurie has pointed out before: the Christian life isn't a playground, but a battleground, and we need to be equipped and ready for the warfare that surrounds us. The devil whispers in your ear, "You're not going to have it," and you come back and you say, "It is written." These things we write to you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that. You have eternal life. Boom! If there's a war raging and someone mistakenly stumbles into the middle of it, the warriors don't suddenly stop and say, "Hey, hey, hey!
Wait a minute, fellas! This guy isn't part of it. Let's wait till he gets out of the way." No, people who stumble into battle unaware often get caught in the crossfire. Today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie wants to make sure that doesn't happen to us. He points out that we're surrounded by spiritual warfare, and we need to be prepared to fight and fight victoriously.
This is a new series that we're doing called Faith One and One. A crash course on the basics of the Christian life—things that sometimes we lose sight of.
So, grab your Bible and turn to two passages with me, if you would. Acts chapter two and Psalm nineteen. Acts chapter two, verses forty-two to forty-seven.
So, I'd like you to read those with me, if you would, right now.
Now, by the way, before I read them. This happened on the heels of the birth of the church. This is what happened after the Day of Pentecost when the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out on believers. The Bible tells us, and now this is what the church did in the aftermath of that.
And this is what the church should be doing today to stay strong spiritually. Acts two forty two. Those that gladly received this word were baptized, and that day three thousand souls were added to them, and they. Continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and the breaking of bread and in doctrine and fellowship and prayers.
Now drop down to verse forty-six.
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved.
So I've. Sum this up in an acronym: W E L L. W for they were a worshiping church. E they were an evangelizing church. L number one they were a learning church, and L number two they were a loving church.
I'll deal with those other principles later. Let me just focus on this one. They were a learning church. Verse forty-two. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and the breaking of bread and prayers.
This phrase continued steadfastly speaks of a passion. It speaks of people that were really engaged. You know, we need anointed preaching today for sure, but I think we also need anointed listening. Giving your attention with intention, paying attention. Jesus would often say, "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." If we were to update that, it might go along these lines: "Listen up, pay attention, because we're sharing with you the word of God." So, if you want to be a growing Christian, number one, you must read, love, study.
Memorize the Word of God. Principle number two: If you want to be a growing Christian, you need to read the Bible as if your life depended on it, because it does. Again, you need to read the Bible as if your life depended upon it, because it does. Years ago, Kathy and I were back in Florida speaking, and we flew back to LA.
So we got on the plane, and you know how they go through the safety protocols in case of an emergency landing. There's a seat cushion under your seat, and here's your little whistle that you blow, which never gave me a lot of comfort. And here's the. Doors and they could gesture like that. They're here and they're here.
Okay, so I didn't really pay attention. I I was reading a magazine, I think, until the flight took off. We're about forty five minutes out of LAX, and suddenly the voice of the pilot comes on the intercom, and I couldn't believe what he was saying. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have to make an emergency landing, and the flight attendants are going to come back and go through the safety drill again." Trust me. This time I listened.
As it turned out, our landing gear wasn't working, but thankfully everything worked in the end, and we landed safely. But the point was, when they went over the protocols again, where our cushion was, even our little whistle, and certainly where the exit doors were, I was listening. Why? My life depended on it. When we hear the word of God, listen as though your life depends upon it, because it does your spiritual life.
Jesus, in his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, made this statement in Matthew seven twenty four: Whoever hears these sayings of mine will be a wise man who built his house on the rock. Then Jesus went on to say, The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. And then Jesus said, really bringing an application: Whoever hears these sayings of mine and does not put them into practice, they are like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. And the rains came down, and the streams rose, and it fell with a great crash. But whoever hears these sayings of mine will be like a wise man to build his house on the rock.
So I determine what man I'm going to be, what woman you're going to be, because in every Life, trust me, the rain will come down and the streams will rise. In fact, one of the things that happens to a new believer is they're hit with doubt. Remember Adam and Eve in the garden after the Lord had placed them in this paradise. The devil comes to them and says, "Did God really say what you thought you heard Him say? Is it really true?
You can't eat of this tree if you want to." And He lied to them. And when you're a new believer, you sometimes are hit with doubt. Wow, what if this is not true? What if this is all made up? What if I just psych myself into it?
So, what do you do when doubt hits?
Well, listen to this. You believe your beliefs, and you doubt your doubts, and you come back to the Word of God. Take Jesus as the example. You remember Christ was in the wilderness being tested by the devil for forty days and forty nights, and the devil came to him and showed him a rock and said, "Take this rock and turn it into a piece of bread." And of course, Jesus was hungry because he had been fasting. And Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" Then Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and he said, "All of this I will give you if you will worship me." Again, Christ comes back with, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord God only; in Him only shall you serve.'" Then Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the top of the temple, says, "Why don't you throw yourself down from here?" And then the devil quotes the Bible.
For it is written, says the devil, he will give his angels charge over you. By the way, the devil only quoted part of the Bible, and then Jesus comes back with the scripture in context and says, "It is written, you shall not." Tempt the Lord your God. Think of it this way: we're in a spiritual battle, and you fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. I've got a replica of a Roman sword right here. Pull it out of its sheath, and so think of this now.
In spiritual battle, think of this as your Bible. Basically, the sword and the Bible are one in the same. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
So, the devil comes with a temptation, and you come back with the sword. It is written.
So, the devil whispers in your ear, "You are not really a Christian. God hasn't forgiven you." You are not going to heaven, and you come back, and you say, "It is written, these things we write to you, the believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." Boom. You use the sword of the spirit. Use the word of God. Memorize the word of God.
It'll help you in times of trial. It'll help you in times of temptation. The Bible says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Know the word of God. Years ago, a young man named Billy Sunday received Jesus Christ. He went to an older Christian and asked for some advice.
On how to grow spiritually, and this older gentleman said to young Billy Sunday, he said, "William, there are three simple rules. I hope that you will practice, and if you do, no one will ever write the word backslider after your name." Number one, take fifteen minutes each day to let God talk to you. Take fifteen minutes every day to talk to God, and then spend. And fifteen minutes every day talking to others about God—pretty good advice. Fifteen minutes to let God speak to you.
Fifteen minutes to talk to God through prayer. Fifteen minutes to tell others about God. How does God speak to us? He speaks to us primarily through the Word of God.
So, a successful Christian will be a Bible-studying Christian, and a failing Christian will be one that does not. Open the Word of God, and this is the problem. A lot of people are not opening their Bibles today. Instead, we're looking at social media. I read a series of stats the other day about what a lot of Christians do each and every day, and I can tell you a lot more people are looking at social media than their Bible.
For instance, every day, sixty-six percent of evangelical believers are looking at Facebook, thirty-nine percent are looking at YouTube, and thirty-two percent are opening their Bible. Houston, we have a problem. We've got to open the book up and hear what the book has to say. I remember the first time I started to read the Bible. I could not believe.
And I'd finally found the user's manual of life. I could not believe that these words were so relevant to what I was facing as a 17-year-old kid, and now what I'm facing as a 67-year-old kid. I found the Word of God is relevant for every phase of my life, and you will find the same. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Have you downloaded the Harvest Plus app yet?
This is something you need to get on your phone or your tablet or even on your television set. It's full of messages that I've given and others. It has all the movies that we have done over the years, like Johnny Cash's Redemption of an American Icon, Steve McQueen's Salvation of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, and many more, as well as my sermons, as well as Our brand new podcast and our radio show, while the list just goes on and on. And the best thing of all, it's free. Download it now for your device and start enjoying this library of spiritual resources right there at your fingertips to watch or listen to on demand.
It's called Harvest Plus.
So download it now. You'll love it.
Well, Pastor Greg is offering important insights from his study of the basics called Faith One Hundred and One. We're seeing the importance of God's Word; it's foundational. The Bible is the most amazing book ever written. It's literally God's message to you.
Now, technically speaking, it's not one book. It's actually sixty-six books written over a fifteen-hundred-year span. The words of Scripture were written by forty authors from every walk of life. Ranging from kings to peasants to philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars. Yet all of the authors of the Bible write about one theme, which is God's redemption of mankind.
And every one of these individuals that wrote Scripture were inspired by God. Second Peter one twenty says, "Understand that no prophecy in Scripture came from the prophets themselves, because they wanted to." Prophesy. It was from the Holy Spirit who moved these prophets to speak for God. Point number three: the Word of God is perfect and completely trustworthy. The Word of God is perfect and completely trustworthy.
Know that when you open this book up, Psalm 19 verse seven says, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." And when that phrase "the law of the Lord" is used, it's interchangeable with the word of the Lord. God's word is perfect; it never goes out of style. You ever look at a yearbook, maybe your yearbook from high school? And I think we're always amazed at what our hairstyles were. A lot of strange hairstyles come and go.
You know what? What were we thinking when we were all wearing mullets? And by the way, I see the mullets are coming back again. I saw a guy the other day, young kid. At some hipster coffee shop with a mullet, and I have to say, it looked as bad as they used to look back when we had them.
So I don't know. We should bring that back, but the point is, things come and go, trends come and go, musical styles come and go.
So many things come and go, but the Word of God is always the same, and Jesus Christ is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And to me, it's amazing that even though the newspaper Is outdated in a day or so. The word of God is always fresh and relevant to what we're facing. The Bible says His mercies are new every morning. Listen to this: The Bible says in Second Timothy three, all Scripture is inspired by God, or literally breathed by God.
That means that the Bible is God's infallible Word. The original autographs, that is, the first copies, are without error. There are no mistakes in the Bible; it's perfect. You can trust it, even with a recent archaeological discovery like the Dead Sea Scrolls. It only confirms what the Bible has said all along.
Point number four: the Word of God transforms us. The Word of God transforms us.
So, if you want to be a growing Christian, You need to spend time in the Word of God. Why? Because it will transform you. Going back to Psalm 19 again, it says, "The Word of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." This phrase that is used here for converting means reviving, restoring, and transforming.
So, listen when you read God's Word. You're revived when you read God's word. You're restored when you read God's word. You're transformed.
Now listen, if you don't want to be transformed. If you don't want to be restored, then don't read the Bible. The Bible is for people that have a sense of desperation about where they are in life. It's for people who don't know the purpose of life and they want to know what that purpose should be. The Bible is for people who are not really sure where they came from and they're not really sure where they are going.
The Bible is for people that want to change. The Bible is for people that wish they could control their passions. For people that don't want to be mere victims of circumstances. For people that wish there was not so much pain in life. The Bible is for people who want relationships with others that will be better.
That's who it's for.
Now, if you have it all worked out, then I guess you don't need the Bible. But of course, you are also delusional, because all of us need the Word of God. This is the user's manual that you've been looking for. As it has been said, B I B L E, basic instructions before leaving Earth.
So read what this word has to say.
Now let me say one thing in conclusion. Let me tell you now what the Bible says about your soul. First of all, you've been made in the image of God. You're not. A member of the animal kingdom, you're a human being made by God Himself, and you are loved by God Himself.
And God longs for a relationship and a friendship with you. But here's what the Bible also says: You and I are separated from God by our sin. The Bible says, "All of sin have fallen short of the glory of God." And to sin means to cross a line, to break a commandment, and the word sin also means to fall short of a goal, which is perfection. Jesus said, "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." Well, who's perfect? Not me, not you.
There's only one perfect person that ever walked this planet, and his name was Jesus. We all fall short. We've all broken God's commandments. We've all sinned. But the Bible also tells us what the solution is.
And Jesus Himself said in John three sixteen, For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. The Bible tells us Christ died for our sins. The Apostle Paul said in Scripture, He loved me and gave Himself for me. Listen, Jesus died for you. Because he loves you, and he wants to forgive you, and he wants to enter into a relationship with you.
He says, "Well, Greg, how does that happen? You need to admit you're a sinner.
Now, make excuses for your sin, not blame other people for your sins. Own it, admit it, and ask God to forgive you. And He will right here, right now." Let me close with a series of questions. Would you like your sins to be forgiven? Would you like a fresh start in life?
Would you like that big hole in your heart filled? Would you like to know with confidence that you will go to heaven when you die? If so, you need to ask Christ to come and live inside of you. Being a Christian is not becoming a religious person. I don't want to be a religious person.
I've never been a religious person. This has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with relationship with you and God. Wouldn't you like to have that? Jesus is ready to come into your life.
He's ready to forgive you of your sin. Jesus says, "I I stand at the door and I knock." And if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in. That's right here in the Bible. Would you like Him to come in? Only you can open the door of your heart, so to speak.
You say, but Greg, how does one do that? Through prayer. The Bible says, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Hey, if you were drowning and you saw a lifeguard and you wanted them to rescue you, you have to cry out for help, right? If you want God to save you from your sin, if you want God to give you hope and purpose in life, you need to call out to Him, and you can do that right here, right now through prayer. In a moment, I'm going to lead you in the simplest of prayers—a prayer so simple that a child could pray it, and many do pray with us.
But you can be an adult and pray this prayer. Doesn't matter what your age is. It's a simple prayer where you're saying, "Jesus, come into my life." If you would like your sin forgiven, if you'd like to know that you will go to heaven when you die, if you would like your guilt taken away, or maybe you've fallen away from the Lord, if you would like to come back to Him. I want you to stop whatever you're doing and pray with me right now. Listen, God Almighty will hear your prayer and He will answer your prayer, but you must call out to Him.
I'm going to pray a simple prayer, and I'm going to ask you if you want Christ to come into your life to pray this prayer. Even after me, as I pray it, you pray it, and this is a prayer. We are asking Christ to come into your life, so you can find the meaning and purpose of life.
So, if you want Jesus in your life right now, pray this prayer with me, if you would. Just pray these words, Lord Jesus. I know that I am a sinner, but I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now. And I choose to follow you, Jesus.
From this moment forward, be my Savior and my Lord, be my God and my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer here on a new beginning for those making the decision to follow Jesus today. And listen, if you've just prayed that prayer, we want to welcome you into the family of God, and we'd like to help you as you begin to walk with the Lord. Let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It's free of charge. If you prayed with Pastor Mr.
Gregg, for the first time today, it'll answer many of your questions and help you get started off right. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call one eight hundred eight two one three three hundred. That's one eight hundred eight two one three three zero zero, or go online to harvest dot org. You know, Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives.
So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching. That's right, and we hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue. Yeah, it's really true, Dave. You know, and even a little bit helps. You know, people need to hear the gospel so badly; they need to hear the teaching of the Word of God.
It changes. Changes everything because it changes us, and I am so passionate about it, and I am called to do it, and I am thankful for it. But I can't do it alone, so I am going to ask folks that are listening: if you think more people need to hear the gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the Word of God, then. Preferably, consider investing in Harvest Ministries, and maybe even become a Harvest Partner, which means you're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving, and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us.
So. Thanks for that. Yeah, that's right. And we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us any time, day or night, at one eight hundred eight two one thirty three hundred.
That's one eight hundred eight two one three three zero zero, or just go online to harvest dot org. Did you know that we put our services that we do on Sundays online? It's called Harvest at Home, and you can be a part of our extended congregation no matter where you are. And people watch from literally all around the world.
So if you want to watch Harvest at Home or view it later if you like, just download the Harvest Plus app and then join us for Harvest at Home.
Well, next time, Pastor Greg continues his series Faith One Hundred and One with a look at how personal evangelism can keep our own faith strong and vibrant. Join us here on a new beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.
