The Great Experiment - Day 7

Thursday, March 7, 2019 - Day 7

Day 7 of the Great Experiment! Thank you for your partnership in seeking God! To seek the Lord is to believe His Scriptures and to know they are absolutely trustworthy in every regard. They indeed are powerful, full of wisdom and true in every way.

Some in the past have tried to discredit the Bible by suggesting that the Bible endorses slavery, but this is flatly not true. Some have tried to undermine the authority of the Scriptures with the argument that if the Bible can’t be trusted on the slavery issue, it cannot be trusted at all. However, 1 Timothy 1:10 explicitly condemns slavery in the New Testament as does the Old Testament.

Confusion comes because in other parts of the New Testament, the relationship between bondservants and their masters is regulated, and therefore it’s assumed that slavery was permitted. However, bondservants (Greek word is doulos) were people who were prisoners of war or people who owed money. They worked for a number of years as bondservants, and almost always bought their way out of the role before the age of 30. This is very different from kidnapping someone to make them a lifelong slave which is why 1 Timothy 1:10 condemns the practice.

Bondservants are not a way current cultures handle prisoners of war or those who owe debts, but it’s not an intrinsically morally wrong working relationship. However, slavery has always been wrong which is why Christianity has always condemned it, and why the pioneers in the abolitionist movement were devout Christians.

The Scriptures are worthy of our trust because they are the very words of God! His amazing promises in the Bible are wholly true and we can always depend on them.

May the Lord continue to bless you as you seek Him with your whole heart.

Yours in Christ,
Matt Bennett
Founder and CEO, Christian Union

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Watch today's video (3:32)

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Here is today’s guide for the “Five Rs” of The Great Experiment, March 1-10, 2019.

1. Read and Pray
Matthew 18:20 - “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Read Matthew 18:10-20 for more context.

Today’s Prayer Points

• Worship God for His presence with us.
• Pray that Christians will value the presence of Jesus in our midst.
• Pray that we would constantly be filled with the Holy Spirit.
  

2. Repent.
What sins do I need to repent of today? What hindrances to my devotion to Christ can I remove today?

3. Respond to the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, what is the one thing you most want me to do today? (Write it down, and do it today).

4. Represent Christ. 
How will I bear witness to Christ today? With whom shall I share the Gospel today?

5. Raise Your Faith.
God, give me the strength and courage to complete my Joshua Faith Challenge.