Eat the chicken , throw the bones | Lessons from Stephen's Speech Part 7

 This message was preached by  Sunith N via zoom  Word of Grace Church, on September 15th 2020. For the audio please click here. 

Introduction

Today, we will look into the stories of Abraham, Sarai and Hagar

There is something we learn about them that we need to follow and something we omit.

Last but not the least we will see God’s bigger plan.

1.      Sarai’s unwise decision.

Let’s read from Gen 16:1-4

 

We clearly see that Sarai makes a decision based on human intellect.

So firstly, we will try understanding what made her take this decision.

 

Gen 11:30 tells us that she cannot conceive (it is the truth about her at that instant)

This is the grief she has in her heart.

Therefore, there could be public shame/disgrace she might have faced.

How long was she in this phase after the first promise of God about children to Abraham?

It is 10 years, that is a long duration that she is carrying this burden.

How long?

She started doubting the promises of God.

Now, lets see what dangers does doubting the word of God lead to?

It leads to deceptive thought of the evil one and eventually we end up taking decision based on that thought.

 

What does the word tell us?

We are told that we need to take every thought captive to word of God.

Satan is just waiting for an opportunity to attack with lies, the way he deceived Eve.

Lastly, trust in the Lord and do not lean on your own understanding.

Reflect on your life

2.      Now we will see how Abram (the Man of God) is carried away by her decision.

Let’s read Gen 16:2

Abraham agrees with Sarai’s decision.

We also see in Gen 3:6. A similar situation where Adam agrees to eat the fruit Eve offered.

So Abraham also fell into the trap of choosing an unwise human decision rather than standing up and telling Sarai that we need to trust in God and hold on to his promise.

 

We also can end up in similar situations in life.

What does the word of God tell us?

Carefully examine and test the decision based on the word of God.

Hagar’s trust and obedience to God’s word.

From Gen 16:1-6 we can understand how hopeless the situation is for Hagar.

Sometime earlier, when there was a famine in Canaan, Abe goes to Egypt. He becomes wealthy, acquires men and maidservants.

Hagar is one of the slave girls that he acquired for Sarai.

Being a slave means no choices, no freedom.

She also needs to live the consequence caused by an unwise decision of her mistress.

 Sarai also treated her very harshly.

Crushed in her spirit, she ran away. She thought that there is no one who can understand her condition.

Then we see from Gen 16:7-15,

That God meets with her and calls her by name and makes a conversation.

He comforts her by saying that he saw and heard her cry of affliction.

This is the first time in biblical history that an angel appeared to a human and she is the first woman ever who named god.

She drew strength from God’s comfort.

He also said her to go back and submit to the same authority.

He also promised innumerous descendants to her through Ishmael.

We see how she trusts in God and quickly obeys his word. She goes back.

Introducing Jesus

Dear friends, we have a God who sees and hears our cries. In addition, we have a God who is an Overcomer.

John 16:33 tells us about what Jesus has done for us.

God sent his only son Jesus to die for our sins. He was insulted, persecuted, blamed, died but he also resurrected and ascended to the right hand of God, the father.

He overcame the world.

I encourage all of us that we can submit our painful situations to Jesus and trust and obey him and he will give us the strength to overcome.

Just as Abraham was promised the land of inheritance, God also promised an eternal inheritance in heaven.

1pet 1 : 4-7

All we have to do is to trust him and obey him and he shields us with his power, strengthens us, and reward us.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.

The Impossible Grace of God | Lessons form Stephens's speech Part 6

 

This message was preached by Lasya D via zoom  Word of Grace Church, on September 15th 2020. For the audio please click here.  

The Impossible Grace of God

How many of you know how to swim? When you’re underwater, how do you breathe?

How many of you would say that you have had at least one major crisis in your life? I think being in a crisis – the death of a family member, sickness, accidents, depression, loneliness, a pandemic,- these are crises and I find that it feels like your underwater. It forces us to behave in ways that we wouldn’t under normal circumstances. What we do in a crisis will determine whether we progress and become strong, or we sink.

Today we will look at the story of 3 people who were in a major crisis of faith, we will look at their conflicts and through it all, we will look at the compassion of God. I want to talk to you all about Abram, Sarai and Hagar. I entitled this message the impossible Grace of God.

Gen 16: 1- 16

1.     The Crisis of faith:

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. ² And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go into my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. ⁴ And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.

a.     What was the cause of the Crisis? Having to wait – the impossibility of performance.  Abram received a promise that he will be the father of nations. It was customary at this time that the man would inseminate the servant if the woman is barren and the servant’s child will be considered his heir. So you could say that Sarai was making the best of a bad situation. She was bringing into reality the promise of God.  But God’s promises require God’s process.

b.     When we see and perceive with our natural eyes, what seems to be the obvious answer is not necessarily God’s will. Rely on what God says v. our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.” Isaiah 1:18 – ““Come now, let us reason[a] together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

c.      Here is the hope - God’s promises supersede biological timelines and impossibilities. His word over you releases grace to go against natural timelines and impossibilities. Psalm 27:13 – 14 says I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

d.     Application: How are spending your time during the current crisis we are in? Are you still believing God and relying on Him to bring about his promises or are you simply coping?

 

2.     The conflict of man:

And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

1.     What we give birth to in the time of crisis, will go on to cause conflict.  Whatever we sow we reap. The story progresses and tells us about the enmity between Ishmael and Isaac and that Isaac was persecuted by Ishmael until Hagar was once again driven out of the house.

2.     Conflict between Abram and Sarai – He made Hagar Sarai’s responsibility instead of taking responsibility for the woman he just inseminated. Abram not only shirked his responsibility but he did not consult God on what to do with this situation. 

3.     Conflict between Hagar and Sarai - Despise/contempt in Hebrew a slight, to dishonour, to look down upon. And Sarai in return dealt with her harshly – to the extent that Hagar ran away. How many times have we seen people leave the church because they’ve been treated badly? It is for us to realise that our destiny is fulfilled in connection with people who are placed in our life.

4.     Why do we have conflicts? James 4:1 -2 (TPT)- What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfil your own desires? 2 You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it!

5.     Application - do we maintain the standards of honour and respect when you are in conflict with someone. Do you look down upon them – consider the posture of your heart. How do you maintain honour?

a.     We remember who they are – they are made in the image of God, they are favoured and loved by God etc. We need to see them the way God sees them. Sometimes people act outside of their identity and we cannot treat them based on what they do but who they are. 

b.     We stay connected -  not to stay in an abusive situation, but in conflict we stay connected because in your connection is the covenant. 

c.      We stay humble. – humility means we consider others more significant than ourselves. Phil 2:3 – “in humility consider others more significant than yourselves”

3.     The compassion of God:

Gen 16: 7-16

The angel of the Lord (Jesus) for the first time visits this Egyptian slave pregnant woman who was running away from her abusers and He asks her the question that he asks Adam in the garden of Eden – where are you. She says I’m running away.

Hagar has an encounter with God, repents and believes God. That is faith. She saw the God who sees and gives sight and listened to the voice of Him who listens. She had a revelation of the nature of God that is unchanging. She received His promise and obeyed his voice. She had hope to return to.

Once we encounter God we never go back to a bad situation in the same way.  I know that God has a plan for the descendants of Ishmael because he’s the God of compassion. He is the God who redeems our mistakes and misdeeds. He is the God of Nineveh, the God of Ahab, the God of Paul, the God you and I. He is the God who sees and has compassion.

Matthew 9:36 - When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 14:14 - When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Luke 7:13 - And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep (This is where he raises the widow’s son)

If we want to see miracles, healings and resurrections, there is a revival coming, but it will be fuelled by compassion. A Compassion revival – where the hearts of believers will be made tender towards one another and towards those who have been afflicted. We are called to see and have compassion for those who are disenfranchised, lost – sheep without a shepherd and people without hope.

Let’s pray.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

What Kind Of Christian Are You | Lessons from Stephens Speech Part 5

 This message was preached by  Colin D via zoom  Word of Grace Church, on September 6th 2020. For the audio please click here.  For the worship please click here

Genesis 4

Promises of blessing were given to Abraham and it was Lot who tagged along.

The problem was it was a problem of “ too much”. The Land could not support them. Last week we saw how Abraham and Lot separated.

 

In the world, we have Christ-followers and those who do not follow Christ. What about the church? We have two types of Believers and those who have not yet put their faith in Christ. We pray that God will work in our lives.

 

We also have two kinds of believers that are represented in Abraham and Lot and all the shades in-between.

 

1 Cor 10:6-13 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did

 

Paul says to them things are examples and warnings for us. We all need to read all of Scripture. The Old Testament is full of examples and warnings.

 

Lot - Was Lot a believer? He chose to live in Sodom and Gomorrah and lives with wicked people (Genesis 19) There is not much evidence about this till we read Peter

 

2 Peter 2: 6-8 -

6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;[a] 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

 

 

He rescued Lot a “righteous man”. Three times Peter calls Lot a righteous man. However, his being a believer - in regards to his lifestyle was not great.

 

Abraham - the Father of the faithful, Lot as one scarcely saved.

 

Both are righteous. Who is more righteous, you or Jesus?

-        We are AS righteous as Jesus.

Lot chose to live next to Sodom and has to leave when the City had to be destroyed.

 

Lot missed a glorious legacy. Lot’s descendants became Ammonites and Moabites that were a thorn in the flesh and the Israelites.

 

In the church you have spiritual believers and sensual believers. The bible calls them Carnal Christians. Which one are you?

 

1 Cor 3:1 - But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

 

Mere infants in Christ, Lot lived with his physical eyes but Abraham; he flowed in the promises of God.

 

How did Lot make such a bad decision? Why did he continue to live there? Perhaps it was his wife’s influence. She turned back and turned into a pillar of salt that is perhaps an indicator. What can we learn about Lot? Was he Spiritual or Carnal?

 

1 Cor 3:1

 

Saved through the skin of their teeth. Lot is an example of this. Everything was burnt up.

We have these in Word Of Grace as well, people who want to get by with as little as possible.

 

In your marriage - one could be spiritual and one could be carnal. Who is influencing whom? You do what is right and your spouse will follow you...?

 

As a single, who are your friends?

 

1 Cor 15:33 - 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.

 

You are known by the company you keep. We are in the world but not of it.

 

Luke 17:32 -

32 Remember Lot's wife.

 

Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Is there evidence that you are a Christ-follower? Without Peter telling us, we would have not considered Lot righteous.

 

Characteristics of a Carnal Christian:

1. Live out of convenience and not a conviction.
2. Are you allowing your fleshly desires to influence you or will you live by faith?

Samantha asked us earlier, “Are you happy with your life?” What legacy will you leave behind? You have to make a choice on how you want to live your life.

 

Genesis 14:1-13 , Ezekiel 16:49-50

 

Ezekiel tells us about Sodom - they were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. Did not help the poor and needy and were proud.

 

We need to walk in humility. 4 kings defeated 5 kings.

v13 - Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.

 

King Keddo captured Lot and family. Abraham took 318 trained men and went to Dan. He went in the night - it speaks of conviction, and attacked the King and rescued Lot.

 

Abraham - had 318 born and trained in his family. We need men and women trained in spiritual warfare to do mighty exploits on our knees. We need to push back evil with prayer, proclaiming the word and doing good.

 

Abraham went on to rescue Lot. Abraham is a picture of Jesus. Lot chose the wrong paths but God did not desert him. He rescued him.

 

So what kind of believer are you? If you have not believed, put your faith in Jesus today. Are you Spiritual or a Carnal believer? Examine yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight your heart.

 

Am I interested in studying God’s word? In Christian fellowship? Unity in the church? Praying, fasting and giving?

 

To the spiritual believers - well done!

To the carnal Christians - repent and come back.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Lessons From Stephen's Speech | Abraham & Lot - Live By Faith And Not By Sight

 

This message was preached by  Asha Matthew via zoom  Word of Grace Church, on August  30th 2020. For the audio please click here.  

We are looking at the life of Abram. 

Today what we are going to see is Abram is tested again and how he is going to respond to that. 

-Two roads diverged in a wood...Poem

These are words by Robert Frost in his poem The Road Less Traveled.

- In Genesis 13,  we have two men and a fork in the road. Where before these two men had travelled together and they now choose to take separate and different paths. One ends up losing his possessions and family. The other gains blessing and honour. The two men are Abram and his nephew Lot.

- Context:  Abram and Lot are returning with their families from Egypt to the land of Canaan.  In chapter 12 we can see an Abram who  cares about himself and who is willing to send his wife to Pharoh to save himself, but in chapter 13 we see him as a person who cares about others more than anything. How did Abram get his priorities right?

1)Worship realigns our priorities :

-This chapter begins and ends with Abram praying at an altar he built.

-  The location of Abram’s altar in Bethel is later the location where Jacob met the Lord in a dream (Gen. 28:10-22), and later built an altar to the Lord (Gen. 35:1).

- Abram goes back to where he last left off his worship. In a land of idol worshippers, he is worshipping a true and living God.

-Alter means a place of surrender. In spite of his mistakes, God is treating him well. He blessed Abram even in Egypt. And at the beginning of 13, Abram is seeking God's presence and is worshipping him. 

-God is faithful and his grace is always there for us. We must always go back to the altar, we have to seek his presence. Worship restores our relationship with the Lord.

- Abram makes better decisions when his worship is right with the Lord. It is never how bad or how often you fall in your life, but it is all about but how fast you return to the Lord.

- A good sign of how you know you are growing in grace is how fast you return to the Lord. When we worship, rather than focusing on our faults we need to focus on His goodness. Worship puts life back in order!

-  We need to seek his presence daily. When the first things are put first, the priorities align and the rest will fall into place. Worship is to say that God is first. 

-  Worship is being in his presence abiding in him. In the GYM groups we are learning about Abiding in his presence and last week we learned that Being in his presence is more important than doing. And our fruitfulness in life is all about the degree to which we are abiding.

-When we set our priorities right we start making the right choices. 

 

2)Our  Choices reveal our Character:

-Verse 5-14 Their possessions were soo much that the land could not support them.  There is a strife between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. Abram is taking the initiative to resolve this issue. 

- How Abram responded when conflict and disagreement arose in his family. Abram lets  Lot take the decision. 

-Abraham is elder and the Lord promised the land to Abraham, not to Lot.

-  Abram is a peacemaker.  Being a peacemaker means you have to place others’ interests above our own.

 -Lot lifted up his eyes and selects the Jordan valley.  And for his physical eyes, that was satisfying. On the other hand, Abram saw the promised land and he makes a choice to go there.

- Lot looked in self-sufficiency; Abram looked in perfect trust. Both of them make their choices and separates them from each other. 

-Lot's choices had a lot of consequences. His choice would prove disastrous because over time it would draw him into Sodom’s ways. 

-In verse 12 we see that Lot pitched his tent near Sodom and in Chapter 14: 12 we can see that Lot is a resident of Sodom. 

- Lot saw things with his natural eyes and disregarded the fact that his choice is dangerous. 

 All choices have implications beyond the moment.

- Sin always begins with compromise and ends up costing us way more than we wanted to pay and take us further way far than we ever expected to go and keep us way longer than we expected to stay. 

In Genesis chapter 19 we can see that Lot is a businessman in Sodom.

- Learning from  Lot's Life -  Life is full of choices and the decision we make decides our destiny. We must learn to make wise choices. 

- We have choices to make in life may be regarding our career, or regarding our job or about marriage, or about our children. Some choices may look good but they may be spirituality bad. Especially about marriage-  we need to choose the person according to the  Word not according to the World. ( 2 Corinthians 6:14)

-  Lot's story gives us a warning about the choices we make. 

- Be separated from anyone or anything that hinders our being right with Jesus, especially we need to be separated from Sin.2 Corin7:1.

- God will bless a separated life.

- Abram and Lot now choose to take separate and different paths.

3) Rest in God's promises and in  his provision

Verse 14-18

-The Lord’s restate his promises. He is not only reassuring Abram about his promises He is expanding his promises.  

- Hebrews 11:10.Abram was looking at the Promise-giver more than the promises.

-  Lord is saying to Abram,   lift up your eyes, arise, walk through the land and Abram obeys the voice of the Lord. The look of faith leads to the walk of faith.

- The Lord’s restatement of the Promise in chapter 13 indicates that despite Abram’s failure in chapter 12, God’s grace continues through His Covenant.

- Abram pitched his tent near Mamre close to Hebron. Mamre means "Fatness" and Hebron means "Fellowship". There again he builds an altar to the Lord. Abram has settled down in a place of blessing and closeness to the Lord. He is living a life of close fellowship.

- God has promised us a life of glory through his son Jesus. Joy unspeakable and peace that passes human understanding.The supply of all your needs.Wisdom and guidance of His Spirit. (Philippines 4:7, Philippines 4:19, Ephesians 1: 13-14, Ephesians 3:12, 1Peter 1: 8)

- God’s promises for his children aren’t yours until you personally possess them, apply them to your life.

 -  We are called to worship Him, and to choose what is right and reveal his nature to others and to rest in his promises and provision.

-   Do we trust God as our provider?  Where are we in our relationship and walk with God this morning? Are we as close as we should be?  Is worship the number one priority in y

our life? Do we trust his promises over our life? 

- Examine our heart and pray that like Abram, our life and choices will be characterized by our faith and by our obedience to the voice of God. Let's decide that from today like Abram, above everything and every circumstance we will walk and live by faith not by sight.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Lessons from Stephens Speech Part 3 | A Godly Response To Conflict

 

This message was preached by Shoma Peter via zoom  Word of Grace Church, on August  30th 2020. For the audio please click here.  

a godly response to a conflict

We face different kinds of conflict in our life. As a Christian how are we supposed to respond to these conflicts? In today’s scripture, we will see how Abraham got into a conflict situation with Lot and how Abraham and Lot responded to this conflict. Let us thereby learn from Abraham’s godly response and mistakes of Lot.

 Scripture for today - Genesis 13:1-18.

A. RESPONSE OF ABRAHAM

1. Abraham pursued peace

Genesis 13:8

So, Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 

Abraham was blessed by God abundantly, but those possessions didn’t possess him. Being the eldest and having a promise from God concerning the land, Abraham could have taken the decision of throwing out Lot and his herdsmen from the land. However, he chose to pursue peace over prosperity.

Hebrew 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

 

Whenever we are in a strife always, pursue peace.

 

2. Abraham trusted in the Lord  

Genesis 13:9

Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

 Abraham knew that the source of his blessing is God and not the land where he dwells. He walked by faith and not by sight. He believed God can bless him anywhere.

Proverbs 3:5-6

          5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

         6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 Always trust in the Lord in every circumstance.

 

BLESSINGS

Abraham already had a promise from God. But after Lot left, God reaffirmed His promise to Abraham in detail.

Genesis 13: 14-17

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.

B. RESPONSE OF LOT

It is good to learn from the godly responses of our spiritual fathers. But it is also good to learn from the mistakes of others. Let us look into the mistakes that Lot did.

                                                                  

1.Lot walked by sight and not by faith.

Genesis 13:10-11

10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company.

 Lot chose what he saw with his physical eyes instead of humbling himself and asking his uncle to have the first choice. Abraham was there for him when his father died and took care of him all this while. Lot immediately grabbed the opportunity to take the land that looked green and well-watered, for himself. He could only see the financial blessing he would get by choosing that green land. If he had walked by faith trusting in the Lord, God would have given him a better place.

We should always trust in God and walk by faith in every situation.

2. Lot chose to dwell near the ungodly

Genesis 13:12-13

12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

 Lot pursued prosperity and he pitched his tent near the ungodly. There is nothing wrong in talking to the ungodly. In fact, we should always seek for an opportunity to share the gospel with them. The way we got saved, others should also be saved. But the bible says we should not dwell in the company of ungodly. Lot had a choice but he chose to settle in Sodom, as it would lead him to financial growth. In Genesis 19, we read that Lot, later on, got settled in Sodom with the wicked people. He only saw the financial blessing from that place but never thought how bad it could impact his family spiritually. He compromised his spiritual well-being for prosperity.

 

DOWNFALL

 

The end result of this response was a downfall. Sodom was destroyed due to their great sin and Lot while running away from that place lost his wife and had to hide in cave with his daughters.

 

What do we learn from this message?

 In a conflict situation we should always

 Pursue peace.

·        Trust God.

·        Never compromise spiritual well-being.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.