II. ESSAY. Read and answer the question brielly. (
IS)
1. How did Peter and John show courage when they were arrested? How did Christian community she
courage? What was the source of their courage?
Answers
Answer:
We’re rounding third base and heading for home on our ELEVATE series. How has it been to evaluate your VISION, your INTEGRITY, your FAITH, your MONEY, your GODLINESS, and your RELATIONSHIPS?? If you’re a bit behind, read through the story of Joseph’s life in Genesis 37-50 and you’ll see why we’ve chosen to focus on the life of this godly man. As you read through this portion of scripture and see all that Joseph faced, ask yourself how your life compares to the teachings of scripture. Ask how you can better emulate godly greats like Joseph (and Jesus, of course). If we’re careful to evaluate our lives (even in the tough areas) and emulate godly greats, we can elevate the level of our living as we work to become more like Christ.
It takes courage to make changes in those areas of our life that need changing. At some point in our lives, every one of us will need to demonstrate faith and courage – but they’re not the same thing. The Bible commands us to have faith; it also challenges us to have courage. These are not synonymous. Joseph was a man of faith and he also exemplified great courage. As we have for the past 7 weeks, let’s dive in and take a look at the lessons we can learn from his life.
COURAGE vs. FAITH
We don’t have to look far to see the many examples of courage all around us:
Single moms
The elderly person living all alone
Cancer patients
First Responders
Soldiers
The person valiantly working to overcome addiction
A young person not succumbing to peer pressure
A married couple working through some major issues
Let’s look at courage and faith defined:
COURAGE is the ability to do something that frightens you; strength in the face of pain or grief.
FAITH is having complete trust or confidence in someone or something; strong belief.
One way to differentiate between courage and faith is to consider their polar opposites:
The opposite of COURAGE is FEAR.
COURAGE (stepping forward and doing the very thing that fear says you can’t do) vs. FEAR
Deuteronomy 31:6 — “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Josh 1:6 — “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.”
Fear discourages and debilitates, it robs you. Joshua 1:9 reminds us to “be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Hellen Keller said, “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run that outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
The opposite of FAITH is not fear, but DOUBT.
FAITH (a strong belief and complete trust in God) vs. DOUBT
James 1:3-8 — “…the testing of your faith develops perseverance… If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
The testing of your faith develops perseverance.
The key to developing faith is to believe and not doubt.
Everyone has fears to overcome. What do you fear? Job security? Family security? Health security? Most fear is bad, but certain types of fear can be good: the fear of God, being hyper-alert when we drive, etc. As a recent University of Minnesota study outlined though, fear can literally be harmful to your health. Fear can lead to:
A breakdown in physical health
Memory loss
A breakdown in how the brain processes and reacts
Mental health issues
Ulcers
Depression
Headaches
Anxiety
Paranoia
Anger
Addiction
Here’s a recent “Top 10” list of fears people have:
Death
Sharks
Spiders
Snakes
Dark
Wasps
Vampire Bats
Being alone
Heights
Dogs
And receiving honorable mention are: snakes in the toilet, rats, zombies, citrus fruit, clowns, jelly fish, vegetables.
Answer:
yes
Explanation:
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