February 4, 2014

From Gary... Sometimes, things just get better with age...

Deeper Study
The picture above is of Steve Singleton, my Greek professor from Northeast School of Biblical Studies (1977-1979) .  This is a current picture taken from his facebook page, but I will always remember him as a much younger man.  His vast Bible knowledge coupled with a brilliant mind was obvious, even then!!!  So, when I saw the above video for his website, deeperstudy.com.. I was not a bit surprised!  My only question (to him on Face book) was to ask if he did this himself or if it was made by a professional.  It is THAT GOOD!!!!!  Do yourself a favor- see the video and go the the website!!!!! Both the video and the website reflect the life of a man who fulfils the following verse from Paul's second letter to Timothy...

2 Timothy, Chapter 2
  15  Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth. 

Why do I go on like this?  Well, once in a very great while you meet someone who is so far above you both spiritually and intellectually that you just have to thank God for the honor of having known them. This man is that person.  Check out what I say; you will find yourself going back to his website, again and again.
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From Gary.... Bible Reading February 4


Bible Reading   
February 4

The World English Bible



Feb. 4
Genesis 35

Gen 35:1 God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
Gen 35:2 Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.
Gen 35:3 Let us arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."
Gen 35:4 They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Gen 35:5 They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn't pursue the sons of Jacob.
Gen 35:6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
Gen 35:7 He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
Gen 35:8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
Gen 35:9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
Gen 35:10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel." He named him Israel.
Gen 35:11 God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.
Gen 35:12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you will I give the land."
Gen 35:13 God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.
Gen 35:14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.
Gen 35:15 Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him "Bethel."
Gen 35:16 They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.
Gen 35:17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for now you will have another son."
Gen 35:18 It happened, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
Gen 35:19 Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).
Gen 35:20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
Gen 35:21 Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
Gen 35:22 It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
Gen 35:23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Gen 35:24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
Gen 35:25 The sons of Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid): Dan and Naphtali.
Gen 35:26 The sons of Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
Gen 35:27 Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.
Gen 35:28 The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.
Gen 35:29 Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

 
Feb. 4, 5
Matthew 18

Mat 18:1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
Mat 18:2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
Mat 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.
Mat 18:7 "Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
Mat 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Mat 18:9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
Mat 18:10 See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?
Mat 18:13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Mat 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
Mat 18:18 Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."
Mat 18:21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"
Mat 18:22 Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.
Mat 18:24 When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'
Mat 18:27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
Mat 18:29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!'
Mat 18:30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
Mat 18:33 Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'
Mat 18:34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
Mat 18:35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."
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From Mark Copeland... The Work Of An Evangelist ( 2 Timothy 4:5) 

                    "THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY"

                    The Work Of An Evangelist (4:5)

INTRODUCTION

1. In our text (2Ti 4:5), we find Paul commanding Timothy...
   a. "do the work of an evangelist"
   b. "fulfill your ministry"
   -- Thus Timothy was to continue his service for the Lord as an
      evangelist

2. The word "evangelist" often conveys different ideas to people...
   a. Some envision an Elmer Gantry figure, an itinerant preacher who
      travels from place to place
   b. Others equate the word with pastor, expecting one to provide
      similar service

3. The function of an "evangelist" is a gift from Christ to His
   church...
   a. Given along with the functions of apostle, prophet, pastor,
      teacher - Ep 4:8,11
   b. Contributing to the equipping of the saints and edification of the
      body - Ep 4:12

[Such a 'gift' should be properly understood and appreciated.  Toward
that end, let's consider...]

I. THE DEFINITION OF AN EVANGELIST

   A. THE WORD DEFINED...
      1. The Greek word is euanggelistes
         a. Lit., a bringer of good tidings - ISBE
         b. A form of the word euanggelion, normally translated "gospel"
            (good news)
      2. As explained by Barnes in his commentary:
         a. "This word properly means one who announces good news."
         b. "In the NT it is a applied to a preacher of the gospel, or
            one who declares the glad tidings of salvation."
      3. It occurs in only three places in the NT
         a. In our text - 2Ti 4:5
         b. In the passage we noted earlier - Ep 4:11
         c. In the place where we are told that Philip was an evangelist
            - Ac 21:8
            1) He who preached Christ to the Samaritans - Ac 8:4-5,12
            2) He who preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch - Ac 8:35
      4. It is commonly equated with the term 'missionary', for
         evangelists often traveled
         a. Yet evangelists sometimes stayed in one place for extended
            periods
            1) Philip appears to have stayed in Caesarea about 20 years
               - cf. Ac 8:40; 21:8
            2) Timothy remained for some time at Ephesus - 1Ti 1:3
         b. Thus the word does not demand one be an itinerant preacher

   B. OTHER TERMS DESCRIBING THE EVANGELIST...
      1. Preacher (Grk., kerux) - cf. Ro 10:14-15
         a. "to be a herald; to publish, proclaim openly; used of the
            proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it"
            - Thayer
         b. Used in the Scriptures to describe the work of:
            1) John the Baptist - Mt 3:1
            2) Jesus - Mt 4:17,23
            3) The apostles - Mt 10:7
            4) Philip the evangelist - Ac 8:5
            5) The apostle Paul - Ac 28:31; 2Ti 1:11
            6) Even Noah, a preacher of righteousness - cf. 2Pe 2:5
      2. Minister (Grk., diakonos) - cf. 1Th 3:2
         a. Translated variously as deacon, minister, servant
            1) It is not limited to preachers or evangelists
            2) It is used of other servants, such as deacons - cf. 1 Ti 3:8,12
         b. Yet is often used to describe those who preach and teach
            1) Paul - Ac 26:16; Ro 15:16; Col 1:23
            2) Epaphras - Col 1:7
            3) Timothy - 1Th 3:2; 1Ti 4:6
         c. The preacher is not the only minister of a church, for all
            Christians are truly ministers - cf. 1Pe 4:10

   C. TERMS NOT USED TO DESCRIBE THE EVANGELIST...
      1. Pastor
         a. Used of overseers (bishops) or elders (presbyters) - Ep 4:11; cf. 1Pe 5:2; Ac 20:28
         b. In some cases an evangelist might also serve as a pastor,
            provided...
            1) He meets the qualifications required - 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:
               5-9
            2) He serves with other pastors, for there was always a
               plurality of elders - Ac 20:17
            3) In which he is not the pastor, but only one of the
               pastors
      2. Reverend, Father
         a. Such terms were never used as titles in the Lord's church
         b. The use of such titles were condemned by Jesus - Mt 23:8-12

[The very definition of the word evangelist, along with other words
often used (preacher, minister), provides insight into the work of an
evangelist.  Yet let's take a closer at what is and what is not...]

II. THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST

   A. WHAT IT IS...
      1. To preach the word of God - 2Ti 4:1-2
         a. Especially the gospel of Jesus Christ - cf. Ro 10:14-15
         b. As did Philip, the evangelist - Ac 8:5,35
      2. To instruct the brethren of their responsibilities - 1Ti 4:6
         a. In such matters as prayer, modesty, the role of women and
            men - cf. 1Ti 2:1-12
         b. In such matters as personal and family obligations, business
            duties - cf. Tit 2:1-10
         c. To reprove those that sin, even elders if need be - cf. 1 Ti 5:19-21
      3. To set in order things needed
         a. Encouraging the appointment of elders - Tit 1:5
         b. Training teachers, equipping the saints for ministry - 2 Ti 2:2; cf. Ep 4:11-12
         c. Teaching against false teachers and false doctrine - 1Ti 1:
            3-4; Tit 1:10-11,13
      4. To set an example for the brethren
         a. In word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity - 1 Ti 4:12
         b. A pattern of good works, in doctrine showing integrity,
            reverence - Tit 2:7
      5. To be devoted to the Word of God
         a. Giving attention to reading, exhortation and teaching - 1 Ti 4:13
         b. Being careful to handle the Word of God properly - 2Ti 2:15
      6. In contrast to the work of elders (i.e., pastors, bishops)...
         a. Elders are to take heed to themselves and to the flock of
            God - Ac 20:28
         b. Evangelists are to take heed to themselves and to the
            doctrine (teaching) - 1Ti 4:16
      -- This list adapted from The Early Church, Ferrell Jenkins,
         p.45-46

   B. WHAT IT IS NOT...
      1. To do the work of elders, deacons, or other members
         a. The evangelist is to do 'his' work
         b. He is not 'hired' to do the work of other members
      2. To be the 'official'...
         a. Visitor for the congregation
         b. Leader of prayer at public functions
         c. An evangelist is honored to do such, but the honor should
            not be reserved for him alone
      3. To be expected to take care of:
         a. All the benevolence; all the personal evangelism
         b. All problems that arise in the church; all physical chores
         c. Members have different functions; each should do their part
            - cf. Ro 12:4-8; Ep 4:16
      4. The evangelist is to teach and preach the Word, not to "run the
         church"
         a. He is not the leader, the elders are to be the spiritual
            overseers and leaders
         b. He encourages and guides through teaching the Word, but he
            is not the pastor
      -- This list also adapted from The Early Church, Ferrell Jenkins,
         p.46

CONCLUSION

1. The Lord has blessed His church with the role of evangelists...
   a. To proclaim the good news of salvation to the lost
   b. To preach the Word to Christians that they might grow in grace

2. Remember the principle established in Ac 6:1-4...
   a. Those devoted to the Word and prayer should not be distracted from
      their work
   b. Thus evangelists should encouraged and supported to do what is
      their responsibility
   c. They should not be hindered by responsibilities that properly
      belong to others

While all Christians are 'evangelists' in some measure (as they share
the good news of Christ with others), some are blessed by providence and
preparation to serve a special role as 'evangelists' in the Lord's
church.  May they be encouraged and supported to be faithful to their
gift, to do "The Work Of An Evangelist"...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Jim McGuiggan... Why faith and not baptism?


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From Ben Fronczek... Daniel 6 – Daniel in the Lion’s Den


Daniel 6  – Daniel in the Lion’s Den     
By: Ben Fronczek
Read: 2 Kings 6:15-17 
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
THE story has been told of how the first Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was instructed by Soviet premier Khrushchev to watch out for angels when he went into space in April, 1962. On his return he reported that he had seen no angels. Khrushchev is said to have replied, “Good, I knew you wouldn’t. There are no such things!”
It is all too easy to assume that what we do not see does not exist!  Over and over the Bible  teaches us that Spirit beings and angels are present whether we want to accept their presence or not.
I don’t know about you but sometimes that kind freaks me out knowing there could be someone even more than one present in our midst seeing all that we do and hearing all that we say.
I guess it would not bother me so much if I could live a perfect life, where I never said or did anything wrong. But if you think about it that’s why the Holy Father sent Jesus into the world to take care of the sin He knew that we would commit… and that’s why Jesus sent His Spirit into His followers to help them grow and mature and not sin. And I personally believe God sends His angels to help us whether we recognize or acknowledge that help or not.
Many ask if there are personal “guardian” angels. When Peter was released from prison by an angel (Acts 12:7-15) and he arrived at the door of the house where the brethren were staying, they did not believe it was Peter but said, “It is his angel”, assuming Peter was still locked away or dead.
In Matthew 18:10, Jesus had told His followers 
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”  
These are indications of how much personal care and comfort God is prepared to provide for those who truly fear Him and we see that in our story today in Daniel 6.
Let’s look at the story: 
Read Daniel 6:1-3      
“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”                                             
This will be my final sermon from Daniel because of the rest of the book  deals with visions and prophecies that Daniel receives from the Lord concerning the fulfillment of the first dream that Nebuchadnezzar had concerning the rise and fall of nations, people and power over the Jews until Jesus comes on the scene and becomes Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  
This chapter is full of practical lessons which we can learn from.
Here in these first few verses we read that Darius the Mede, who has now been placed in charge of Babylon under the supreme leader, Cyrus, almost immediately saw something special in Daniel. Out of all these Satraps (or governors) he could have chosen from to lead, he recognized how special Daniel was. In verse 3 we read:  
“3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. (NIV)
The NLT puts it this way:  
“3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.”
The NAS which is probably has the most accurate translation says that; 
“he possessed an extraordinary spirit”
Now you need to remember, at this point in time Daniel is now in his 80’s, and I think we see here one quality that made him so special, and why all the rulers liked him, and why God blesses him so.
The man had a good spirit, and/or a good attitude. It didn’t matter that he was deported from his homeland and was an alien in the service of pagan kings. The man had a good attitude, he was wise, he had a good work ethic, he didn’t go around grumbling or complaining. He seems to have spent his life in Babylon with a positive, humble, teachable, honest spirit and attitude. And because of that attitude Darius was ready to promote him to the highest position in Babylon under himself.
Personal application: 
Do you have a good spirit? How well do you carry yourself and what kind of attitude do you have as you deal with those at work, or at home?  
Are you a complainer, or someone who undermines others or someone who cuts corners? Do you hold grudges or are you envious of others.   
I believe that the Lord would prefer it if we had an excellent attitude at our job at home or at whatever we do throughout our life. You will not only please our Lord, others will also take notice as well.  Darius did; but unfortunately so too did some of the other satraps or governors.
Read Daniel 6:4-5  
“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
These guys are jealous and envious of Daniel so they want to destroy him by digging up some dirt on him. They begin by searching for some kind of fault in the way he was doing his job. But no matter how much they searched and checked out his job performance, they could not find any faults or corruption, or any skimming, or any negligence on his part.
How would you fair up under such scrutiny? If someone examined every aspect of how you do your job or how you conduct yourself in every area of your life? Daniel was a model servant and employee.   You know what’s good about doing things right the first time and all the time? You don’t have to worry when someone looks over your shoulder to see what you are doing. If there is nothing hidden or covered up there is nothing to be found!
So these guys come up with a plan ‘B’.   
Read: Daniel 6:6-9  
“So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.”                     
Many scholars believe that this story is just as much about Darius as it is Daniel. These Satraps not only have it in for Daniel, here we see them set the king up by using flowery words of praise to accomplish their diabolical plan.
Here lies another lesson for us: 
We have to be careful when people come to us with flowery words of praise.  
It initially may sound and feel good, but be careful. Wait and see if a request is made in the next breath. These men were praising the king and figuratively patting him on the back and his ego swelled along with his head. He had been set up and was coaxed into making an arrogant and stupid law. Really how could you ever possible know if someone else was silently praying to another God if a person chose to do so secretly?
But these men knew Daniel well enough and knew what he did each day.
 
Read:   Daniel 6:10-15     (Click on Verse to read)
 
I see a few lessons here in these verses: 
First of all I believe here-in-lies the secret of Daniel’s wisdom, extra ordinary spirit or attitude, and success, and that was his ongoing relationship with God. Right from the beginning of this book we read about how Daniel and his companions turned to God in prayer. I believe that praying was more than a habit for Daniel; rather it was just part of an ongoing relation rather than a ritual. Daniel had a relationship with God and wanted to talk with Him, and so he did three times a day. And he wasn’t going to give that up for anyone. Its how he stayed plugged into the Lord, this is a lesson we all need to learn. How do you stay plugged in to the Lord?
Well these Satraps rat on Daniel, probably running and skipping to the king like children anxious to tattle-tail on someone. But the king was sad and in great distress, and probably realized that he and Daniel were set up. The text goes on to say that Darius did everything he could do to rescue Daniel, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do. He had allowed these men to talk him into making a rash decision and law that could not be changed.
We likewise need to be careful about making rash decisions. All the decisions we make have consequences; and some are not so good. I believe it’s important to think more about the decisions we make. Ask yourself if is contrary to God’s will or not or if someone is pushing me into making a rash decision. Even ask God to bless your decision so you can have peace with what you decided.
Read:  
Daniel 6:16-18     
“So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.”
After having Daniel placed in the lion’s den we have an interesting statement made by Darius in verse 16 he said  
“Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”                          
Is this a statement of faith from this pagan king?   I think so!         
In the text we see how much Darius cared for Daniel. The man could not eat or sleep. Darius was really upset about all this. I think we see a good example of friendship evangelism having been done here.
I think we really see the king’s faith demonstrated in the next section.  
Read:  6:19-22
21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
If Darius though Daniel was dead he wouldn’t have bothered going back to the lion’s Den the next morning and call out to Daniel.
How many times do you face what may seem like an impossible situation and just give up and walk away? 
Here we see Darius’s faith in God’s deliverance of Daniel from an impossible situation. Here we see an example of hope and faith walking hand in hand.  
Maybe the lesson for us here is that we should not give up (even give up on God) in what may seem like an impossible situation.
It also had to be a pretty trying experience for Daniel as well, but his convictions stood strong, and the Lord sent an angel to deal with the lions. Was it his guardian angel? I’d like to think so. God wanted him around a little longer and we see why in the final verses of this chapter
 
Read: 6:23-28   (Click on the verse to read)
So here again we read a proclamation of faith from a pagan king to the world; those who other-wise may have never heard about our God and the God of Daniel, of His majesty and awesomeness.
Imagine the leader of China or another world leader doing something like this today because of one man’s faith and integrity. You personally may not have the opportunity to meet or have an effect on a world leader in this manner, but what about those you come in contact with at work, or with family members, or your acquaintances. One good life can make a difference in their life.
So what are some lessons we have we learned from this man Daniel?
One’s situation in life does not necessarily have to Hinder one’s SUCCESS.    
Daniel and his companions were promoted over and over and experienced God’s favor in this foreign land because they were men of integrity. They did not compromise when it came to matters of faith and their walk with God. They were brave and trusted Father God when all seemed bleak.
They were men of prayer and their lives Glorified our Heavenly Father. Those that knew these men knew that they were men of God by their actions as well as their words.
I challenge each one of you to become like Daniel; men and women of faith.   If you do this I believe you will also experience God’s favor like never before. And never forget there is always someone watching over you…whether you see them or not.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
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