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7 Behaviors of Highly Effective Believers

 

By GF Herrin

 

 

Several years ago Stephen Covey wrote a book called “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, a self-help book that impacted many in the business community. In the 1990’s as an enterprising individual, I needed to do a project for my career development at the training consultant job had at the time. I remember reading that book and thinking oh, that’s nice. Nothing too amazing but helpful nonetheless. Well, about a week ago or so, a Christian brother and I did an informal discussion of the first few verses of 1st Thessalonians chapter 5, while encouraging each other to keep looking for the Lord Jesus’ return. As I read the rest of the chapter, though, it occurred to me that Paul was urging us believers on to live out certain behaviors while we look for the King. In living for God, looking for the Messiah’s return, and also in being a highly effective Christian, there are 7 key actions that we as born again believers can perform in our daily lives:

 

16 Rejoice always, Notice that Paul doesn’t say, rejoice when you feel like it or rejoice when you are in the mood, or rejoice on Fridays! He says to the Thessalonians (and us) Rejoice always! We see an example of this rejoicing in Acts 16:24-30 when Paul and Silas are thrown into prison. Verse 25 says, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. “ Paul and Silas, locked into bondage in a dreary prison, and nearly naked, were (against all worldly logic) rejoicing and praising the Lord. Their behavior got attention from the fellow prisoners and the jailer who clearly wanted what they had. The same applies to us in the workplace, on the street, in the mission field, at school, and anywhere else. If you rejoice, especially during tough times you are going to get noticed by people who want what you have: Living water given to you by the eternal resurrected Christ.

 

17 Pray without ceasing

We as Christians should not limit our prayer life to when we are at home. Pray in your car on the way to work, on the phone when you are consoling a friend, with your kids when you begin a vacation, at your desk when you begin your work day, or during a crisis when you don’t know how to handle a challenge in your job. Pray continuously and tell the Lord that you are totally dependent on Him. He already knows that but you need to know it, too.

 

18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This is the toughest one, I think because we get so deep into our own stuff that we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s face it, people are suffering. Financial troubles, health challenges, marital issues, or anything at all can drag us down. The unbelieving world would have you believe that all of the stuff happening to you is completely random and there is no purpose for your day to day life. But remember Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This means that the tough job assignment your boss just gave you was not random. God has a purpose behind it. So, be thankful. As a matter of fact be thankful in all things. I had a friend who is a web developer who would frequently get angry at work when he would have to wait for some kind of web or database process to complete. He would wait wishing that it would run faster until he realized that even in these moments God had a purpose. His attitude was changed when he asked the Lord to help him understand what the Lord would have him learn from the situation and would be directed to solve another issue or do something else that had God’s touch behind it. So, we can be thankful even if we don’t quite understand why we are going through something.

 

 

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

Are you responding to what you feel God’s Spirit has put on your heart? Are you doing things you should not do? Are you not doing things that you should? If you responded “yes” to this then you may be in danger of quenching the Spirit. If you are a born again child of God then the Holy Spirit has set up in residence in you. Paul writes, “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). There are numerous passages in Scripture associating the Spirit with fire (Isa. 4:4; Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:23-4). The traits demonstrated by a person filled with the Holy Spirit are boldness, courage, and prophecy. These traits tend to be high energy or fiery acts. Certainly, Peter acted in the power of the Holy Spirit when he preached at the Temple in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-36) and healed the crippled man (Acts 3:1-8). As Christians, we are called to live in the power of God’s Spirit by doing things that He has for us to accomplish. If a believer is not responding to the Holy Spirit by obeying what He wants him to do, then he can be in danger of quenching the Spirit. Are you called to preach? Teach? Or are you just called to reach out to the person down the street with some unique task that God wants you to help with? Do it somehow and live out the power of the Spirit.

 

20 Do not despise prophecies.

A lot of Christians, especially ones in mainline churches and even in mainline seminaries, tend to discount or not emphasize the many prophetic passages of the Bible. Specific types of prophecy that come to mind are passages having to do with the Lord’s Second Coming or the Rapture of the Church. For example, some preachers may say that we cannot understand the Book of Revelation because it is so hard to understand. Or they may advise you (regarding the Rapture or Second Coming) that since “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven” (Matt. 24:36) we should not be expecting Christ’s return during our lifetime. But that is biblically incorrect since Paul himself exhorted the believers of his day to “say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13). In short, understanding prophecy and applying it to our daily lives in a fashion that encourages us to live more holy is of great value.

 

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

This passage goes hand in hand with not despising prophecy. We should value prophecy: both what is written in the Bible and what a Spirit filled godly preacher declares from the pulpit. However, we need to test everything against the Holy Scriptures. We must make sure that whatever teaching we expose ourselves to, whether it comes from a Bible study teacher, a theology book, or a gifted evangelist, lines up with the Sacred Writ. The Christian faith holds to Sola Scriptura: that is that the biblical text is authoritative and “is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Further, “the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). Whatever teaching we place value on must be consistent with what is written in the New and Old Testaments.

 

22 Abstain from every form of evil.

This passage really speaks for itself. In view are basic moral laws taught in the Bible such as not stealing, not committing murder, not lying, not committing idolatry, and not coveting. The early direction of the disciples, and elders of the Church emphasized to the new Gentile believers that they “abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:29; 20:25). It is interesting that of these specific instructions given, the most applicable one is the warning against sexual immorality. How does one stay away from such things? James writes, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your heart, you double-minded” (James 3:6-7). In essence, it is only by humbling ourselves before God and seeking His help that we can overcome our tendency to sin. If we humble ourselves and “confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:16). So, we know that “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).

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Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy – The Coming of Israel’s Chosen King – Part 6

Conclusion

By GF Herrin

                Given the late dating of the book of Revelation, which correlates with prophecies in the book of Daniel, and also given that history lacks any single figure that has fulfilled the prophecies of Daniel 9:2-27, it is reasonable to expect a future fulfillment of Daniel’s predictions. Also, to fully understand the events of the Seventy Weeks revelation of Daniel, it must be fully understood for whom the prophecy was originally written: Daniel, his people, Israel, and their holy city, Jerusalem. The preterist view (which Mauro holds to) of the activities of God toward His covenant people, Israel, is one that is short sighted in scope. The preterist view seems to emphasize the judgment of Israel as the final decision of God, without any future chance for redemption or reconciliation for His chosen people. The preterists seem to underestimate God’s ability to forgive and woo Israel back to Him through the working of His ultimate plan for reconciliation.

Mauro claims:

The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is manifestly an account, given beforehand of the second period of the national existence of the Jewish people. They were to last as a nation only long enough to fulfill the Scriptures, and to accomplish the supreme purpose of God, in bringing forth the Messiah, and putting Him to death. The time allotted for this was 490 years. This being accomplished, God had no further use for Israel (Mauro, 21).

Mauro’s statement is careless in that it seems to discard all of the promises of God that reveal His faithfulness to Israel and His intentions to deliver them for His name’s sake.

Ezekiel states the reason that God will deliver Israel from the enemy in the end times:

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sake. O house of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes (Ezek. 36:22-23).

Gabriel’s revelation to Daniel is given as an answer to his fervent, longing, and pleading prayer. God esteemed Daniel and in His grace revealed His plan for Israel’s reconciliation to Him. God has a covenant relationship with Israel that is not dependent on Israel’s faithfulness, but His own faithfulness. His sovereign power to bring forth Israel’s chosen King is the great Guiding force through the ages. To summarize, the seventy weeks are about God working through the age of the Gentiles to bring about His desired purpose: The end of the rebellion and transgression of the nation of Israel, the sealing up of sin, reconciliation to Yahweh, the fulfillment of prophecies, and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness to Israel when Jesus is anointed as King at the beginning of His millennial reign in Jerusalem. His program for accomplishing these things occur inside and outside of the seventy weeks. The decree to rebuild Jerusalem, given by King Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. to Nehemiah, marks the beginning of the Seventy Weeks. The finishing of the first seven weeks marks the restoral of Jerusalem as a re-built city.

The entrance into Jerusalem of Messiah, King Jesus, on April 6th, A.D. 32 marks 483 prophetic years (each consisting of 360 days), or sixty-nine weeks, after the decree is given (Anderson, 128). Then, outside of the sixty-nine weeks, but before the seventieth week begins, the Messiah is cut off, the people of the Roman prince who will come in the future, destroy Jerusalem, and the temple and the beautiful land lie desolate from the onslaught of war. Then, in the final week, the Roman prince, who is the antichrist, makes a covenant with Israel, but in the middle of the seven year period stops sacrifices and grain offerings from taking place at the third temple. Finally, after the antichrist commits abominations that desecrate the holy temple and offend God, the Lord pours out destruction on him. It is understood from the text of Daniel 12:3 and 12:12 that the millennial reign will begin shortly after.

Application

The truths of the Seventy Weeks prophecies of Daniel have a broad application today. They can be applied in leading a Bible study or delivered in a sermon to Christians anywhere. In knowing that many of the prophecies of Daniel 9:25-26 have been fulfilled as Gabriel’s message said they would be, we can stand firm on the promises of 9:27, which foretell the end of the Gentile age and the beginning of the Messianic kingdom. The message of Daniel focuses on the faithfulness and sovereign ability of God to work His plan and guide mankind to His desired conclusion. Specifically, God’s plan for Israel is in focus for the seventy weeks. The reader must remember that God’s promises remain in effect today. To conclude that God is finished with Israel and discard His covenant promises is to discard His sacred Word, itself.

Paul writes:

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).

Christians everywhere should be encouraged by Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy to live holy lives in anticipation of living one day under the rein of the Lord Jesus Chris. Ultimately, God’s purposes will be fulfilled and the Messiah will come again to restore Israel and usher them into the millennial age in righteousness and faithfulness.