“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”- Philippians 1:27
   The church at Philippi was a truly great church.  Paul’s epistle to them reveals his strong love for this congregation.  In the Scripture before us, he is urging them towards being a strong and unified body of believers.  He uses the words, “one spirit,” one mind,” and “striving together” to describe the harmony and unity they were to experience.  This message is as relevant today as it has ever been.  The emphasis of this Scripture is not as much an attempt to get all professing believers to be unified, as it is a call for members of the local church to pull together for the sake of God’s work.
   We have seen firsthand in numerous congregations, and in conversations with pastors or church members, the destructive power of division.  The world, no matter how wicked it might become, cannot destroy the church that Jesus founded.  Persecution has never been able to silence the Lord’s churches.  As a matter of fact, persecution often results in the church being strengthened for God’s glory.  The devil hates the church and will do everything he can to hinder its work, but his power alone cannot stop the New Testament church.  Matthew 16:18 says, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  
   Inevitably, the thing that weakens and destroys churches is problems within.  And usually, it is not over some major point of doctrine or something of Biblical concern.  It is usually over something relatively minor that is allowed to escalate to a place of strong contention because personal interests take precedence over the Word of God.  The church should be “striving together” not striving against one another.  The word “striving” implies laboring.  Unity takes effort.  We should be cooperating for the greater cause of the promotion of the Gospel and the work of God.  
   This is what suffers when God’s people cannot get along and fail to dwell in unity.  The work of God is hurt.  We need to take this admonition from the Scripture seriously and personally, always keeping our eyes on the big picture.  It is not about having our way, but it is about His way and His work.(Thomas Smith)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”” (Matt. 12:30)

 The Lord Jesus spoke these words concerning the Pharisees. They had just committed the unpardonable sin, attributing His miracles to Beelzebub, the prince of the demons, when actually they were done in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was now evident that they would not accept Him as the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Because they did not take a decided stand for Christ, they were necessarily against Him. Because they didn’t serve on His side they worked against Him.

 When it comes to the Person and work of Christ, there can be no neutrality. There is no way of straddling this fence. A man is either for Christ or he is against Him. Anyone who says he cannot decide has already decided.

 When it comes to the truth concerning Christ, there can be no compromise. In biblical Christianity there are some areas where there can be a reasonable difference of opinion but this is not one of them. As A. W. Tozer has reminded us, “Some things are not negotiable.” We must adhere steadfastly to the absolute deity of the Lord Jesus, His virgin birth, His true humanity, His sinless nature, His substitutionary death for sinners, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to God’s right hand and His coming again. When men start to hedge on these cardinal doctrines they are left with a demi (half)-Savior, who is no Savior at all.

 The poet laid it on the line when he wrote:

 “‘What think ye of Christ?” is the test
 To try both your state and your scheme;
 You cannot be right in the rest
 Unless you think rightly of Him:
 As Jesus appears to your view,
 As He is beloved or not,
 So God is disposed to you,
 And mercy or wrath is your lot.

— By William MacDonald
 
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”– Peter 5:8

   A Japanese attack on Hawaii is regarded as the most unlikely thing in the world, with one chance in a million of being successful. Besides having more powerful defenses than any other post under the American flag, it is protected by distance. —Journalist Clarke Beach, September 6, 1941

   Looking back on history, these words must be considered some of the most foolish ever written. Yet they go to show simply how unaware many people in the United States were about the possibility for the kind of attack carried out by the Japanese just two months later. For many, it seemed next to impossible that such a thing could ever happen.

   But the risk became a reality on the morning of December 7, 1941, when America’s vulnerability was exposed in a sneak attack on the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

   Like some people in those days, many Christians live their lives almost completely unaware of the danger of spiritual attacks that looms each and every day. But the reality is that our enemy, Satan, lurks around and waits for a chance to attack us spiritually. And if we aren’t on our guard, we risk being caught unready to fend off those attacks.

So when it comes to spiritual warfare, be ready to go to battle at any time. Remain steadfast in prayer and resist the temptation to fall into sin. When you do that, you’ll be ready for the enemy’s attacks whenever they come!

   Pray that God would help you remain steadfast in prayer and avoid sin in order to be ready for the enemy’s attacks! ( Senior Living)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”- 1 John 2:15–17
Lot should never have been in Sodom in the first place, and the only reason he survived God’s righteous fury at that sinful city was because of Abraham’s intercession and God’s mercy. In the end, the angels took Lot, his wife, and their two unmarried daughters out of the town before the brimstone fell. But though their physical bodies may have changed locations, that did not change the things they loved and valued. Lot’s wife left only with the greatest reluctance, because she loved what she was leaving behind, sinful though it was—and it cost her everything. “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). 
The world attempts to draw our attention and allure our hearts away from God. It is filled with temptations that draw us toward sin and appeal to our fallen appetites. Yet even though we know this is true, it is hard for us to not be drawn into evil. Too many Christians sin because they are in love with the things of the world, so they rationalize bad behavior and cling to evil when they should instead be clinging to God and what is right and good. Someone said, “Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.” The snares placed around us have no power if we love our Father in Heaven and focus on what is eternal instead. Because this world is temporary, falling for the lies of sin leads to destruction rather than lasting joy.— Daily in the Word

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”– Heb. 12:2

Bro. Samuel Mak recently posted this interesting story: A small town chamber of commerce invited a speaker to address its annual dinner. The community’s economy was bad, people were discouraged, and they wanted this motivational speaker to give them a boost.
 During her presentation, the speaker took a large piece of white paper and made a small black dot at the center with a marking pen. Then she held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw.
 One person quickly replied, “I see a black dot.”
 “Okay, what else do you see?”
 Others joined in agreement: “A black dot.”
 “Don’t you see anything besides the dot?” – she asked.
 A resounding “No” came from the audience.
 “What about the sheet of paper?” – asked the speaker. “I am sure you have all seen it”, she said, “But you have chosen to overlook it.”
 “In life, we also tend to overlook and take for granted many wonderful things that we have or happen around us and focus our attention and energy on small, dotlike failures and disappointments. The so called ‘problems’ that we have are usually like the black dot on the paper. They are small and insignificant if we can widen our horizon and look at the whole picture.”
 Are you one of the person who focus your attention and energy on dot-like problems?
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346