The Domino Effect 2013

Geelong, Victoria

GETTING READY TO SHARE

Matt Parra

Introduction
We cannot share what we do not have. We cannot effectively preach what we have not
experienced. Every person who intends to effectively communicate the messages of Christ
must have an experience with Christ. This class is geared to inspire you to develop a
meaningful devotional life which in turn will prepare you to share.

What Happens If You Fail To Connect With Christ

1 Mt 17:24-27
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Our Heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing.
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DA pg. 330

2 Mt 26:36-46
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Mt 26:47-54

Mt 26:55-56

Mt. 26:69-75

3.
Not all who take hold of the work will be of the same temperament They will not be men of
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the same education or training and they will just as surely work at cross purposes as they are
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different in character, unless they are daily converted men Ev p100

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4 Acts 19:13-16
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Jesus the Bread of Life

The Scriptures are the Word of God given to men through the Holy Spirit. They reveal the
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character of God and testify of Jesus Christ Jesus is the Word of God personified and
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Scripture is Jesus Christ articulated. When a man or woman makes the Word of God their
mental and emotional food they are actually imbibing the person of Christ in written form This
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is why Jesus in John 6:51 says I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If
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anyone eats of this bread he will live forever..." How do we eat of this bread? Verse 63; "..the
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words that I speak they are spirit and they are life The life giving power of Jesus Christ is
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infused in the Word and this is why Peter says "being born again not of corruptible seed but
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through the incorruptible Word of God which lives and abides forever .
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About Devotions...?
1 . Should I have a devotion every day? Deut 33:25 (Rom 8:13, Eph 6:17, Lk 9:23)

2 .
How long should devotional time be?

3 .
What time of day is best for having a devotion?

Psalm 143:8, Psalm 88:13

Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer
be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Yours. I lay all my plans at Your feet. Use me today in Your
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service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee. This is a daily matter. Each
morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried
out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life
into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.
STC d70

In Exodus 16:11-21 we find the answers to these questions as well.

Devotional Books And Tapes? (A Lesson From The Well)

John 4:39-42.
Lk 24:39, Acts 4:20
The disciples died for the Christ they knew, not the one they heard about.

Audio sermon? Devotional Book? Listening to Music? All of these things are a blessing and a
benefit to us as Christians and are not wrong to use in our devotional time but they are not in
themselves the ideal. If we do not actually have direct communication with God through His
Word, if we need another medium then we will eventually become crippled.

Factors That Hinder Devotion

1 . Impatience
Mt 13:44, Mt 13:19, Prov 2:3-5

2 . Expecting it to be immediately enjoyable Luke 5:36-39

3 . Not doing what the Word says Js 1:22, John 7:17

4 .
Irregular schedule

Tools
1 . Bible(s)
2 Concordance
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3 . Bible Commentary
4 Notebook
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5 . Pens, Pencil, Ruler

6 Instrument
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7. Devotional Guide
8. Private Place

Prayer is Essential
1 The Bible should never be studied without prayer. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us to feel
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the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from wresting truths
difficult of comprehension. It is the office of heavenly angels to prepare the heart so to
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comprehend God s word that we shall be charmed with its beauty, admonished by its
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warnings, or animated and strengthened by its promises. We should make the psalmist s
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petition our own: Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."
Psalm 119:18 GC pa 600 / 1 Cor 2:14. 15

2 .
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of
grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved* GW p254
3 . The men of prayer are the men of power. PP pa 509

4 . Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. GW pa 35

True prayer involves honest communication. Hos 7:14, Ez 14:1-4, Ps 66:18 (Balaam)

5 .
Silence is your friend. Isaiah 30:15
Fundamentals of Christian Education pp 307. 308 .

It is proper and right to read the Bible; but your duty does not end there; for you are to search its pages for yourselves .
The
knowledge of God Is not to be gained without mental effort without prayer for wisdom in order that you may separate from the
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pure grain of truth the chaff with which men and Satan have misrepresented the doctrines of truth.

Satan and his confederacy of human agents have endeavored to mix the chaff of error with the wheat of truth We should diligently
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seek for the hidden treasure, and seek wisdom from heaven in order to separate human inventions from the divine
commands. The Holy Spirit will aid the seeker for great and precious truths which relate to the plan of redemption I would impress
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upon all the fact that a casual reading of the Scriptures is not enough .
We must search
, and this means the doing of all the
word implies. As the miner eagerly explores the earth to discover its veins of gold so you are to explore the word of God for the
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hidden treasure that Satan has so long sought to hide from man The Lord says, "If any man wills to do His will he shall know of the
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teaching." John 7:17 (R. V.)

The word of God is truth and light and is to be a lamp unto your feet, to guide you every step of the way to the gates of the city of
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God. It is for this reason that Satan has made such desperate efforts to obstruct the path that has been cast up for the ransomed of
the Lord to walk in. You are not to take your ideas to the Bible and make your opinions a center around which truth is to revolve.
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You are to lay aside your ideas at the door of investigation and with humble, subdued hearts, with self hid in Christ, with earnest
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prayer, you are to seek wisdom from God. You should feel that you must know the revealed will of God, because it concerns
your personal, eternal welfare. The Bible is a directory by which you may know the way to eternal life. You should desire
above all things that you may know the will and ways of the Lord. You should not search for the purpose of finding texts of Scripture
that you can construe to prove your theories; for the word of God declares that this is wresting the Scriptures to your own
destruction. You must empty yourselves of every prejudice and come in the spirit of prayer to the investigation of the word of God.
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Education pg. 189

In daily study the verse-by-verse method is often most helpful. Let the student take one verse and concentrate the,

mind on ascertaining the thought that God has put into that verse for him and then dwell upon the thought until it
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becomes his own. One passage thus studied until its significance is clear is of more value than the perusal of many
chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained.

Fundamentals of Christian Education Pg 58

The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people.
The great truths necessary for salvation are made as clear as noonday; and none will mistake and lose their way
except those who follow their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God.
We should not take the testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should study the word of
God ourselves. If we allow others to do our thinking, we shall have crippled energies and contracted abilities.
The noble powers of the mind may be so dwarfed by lack of exercise on themes worthy of their concentration as to
lose their ability to grasp the deep meaning of the word of God. The mind will enlarge if it is employed in tracing out
the subjects of the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture, and spiritual things with spiritual. There is nothing
more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to
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elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God s word were
studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose
that is rarely seen in these times. But there is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One
may read the whole Bible through, and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One
passage studied until its significance is clear to the mind, and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is
of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction
gained. Keep your Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it; fix the texts in your memory. Even while you are
walking the streets, you may read a passage, and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in the mind.
We cannot obtain wisdom without earnest attention and prayerful study. Some portions of Scripture are indeed
too plain to be misunderstood; but there are others whose meaning does not lie on the surface, to be seen at a
glance. Scripture must be compared with scripture. There must be careful research and prayerful reflection. And
such study will be richly repaid. As the miner discovers veins of precious metal concealed beneath the surface of the
earth, so will he who perseveringly searches the word of God as for hid treasure, find truths of the greatest value,
which are concealed from the view of the careless seeker. The words of inspiration, pondered in the heart, will be as
streams flowing from the fountain of life.

Testimonies to the Church Volume 5 pg. 331

The Bible with its precious gems of truth was not written for the scholar alone. On the contrary, it was designed for
the common people; and the interpretation given by the common people, when aided by the Holy Spirit, accords
best with the truth as it is in Jesus.