Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need
to live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good
morning. It is Tuesday, April nine, twenty twenty four. Hello,
my name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Great
Controversy. Yes, our caption for today is Faithful a mid Persecution, Faithful
amid Persecution. We will get into that in just a moment, but for
inst I like to say welcome to you and ask you to please go over
to your Daily Portion dot com. Please please go ahead and join our online
community, pick up the Your Daily Portion book and let us know where you
are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com. This is a way
that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray,
and then we will get underway. Father and Heaven. Thank you for this
Tuesday morning, for the privilege you have given us to enter into another worship
experience. Father, Please give us understanding and not just understanding. Help us
to trust you with everything that we have, everything that we are, and
then help others to do the same until Jesus comes in Jesus nay I pray
Amen and a men again. Faithful amid persecution. Now, of course I
wrote in my notes that we should be faithful, and we have the privilege
of being faithful no matter or what happens or does not happen. May I
say that just one more time. We have the privilege of being faithful,
no matter what does happen or what does not happen, Faithful amid persecutions.
From the Lesson writer. Throughout the early centuries of Christianity, the church grew
rapidly despite here comes one imprisonment. People were imprisoned for their faith. By
the way, despite torture and persecution. You remember I said that we're talking
about being being faithful no matter what happens or doesn't happen, no matter if
I'm being persecuted or imprisoned or tortured for my faith, or whether or not
God delivers me from that earthly trial. Hmm. This is something serious,
y'all. Listen. God is able to make us holy and to make us
faithful no matter what happens or does not happen. But the question is are
we willing, ready and available for God to do that kind of work in
our lives? That's the question. Let me continue from the lesson. Faithful
believers totally committed to Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed His word
with power. Lives were changed, and tens of thousands were converted. And
let me just say, the faith, the people of God, the community
of Believers, grew rapidly. The lesson writer says despite imprisonment, torture,
and persecution. And I agree. But I want to just add a little
bonus layer to this. I would say that the people of God, like
the community of faith, grew because of these challenges. May I say it
just one more time? The fellowship of Believers grew because of the challenges.
You have people at work right now, people in your home community, where
you live. There are people even in your family or in your social media
contacts list, who are watching you go through certain challenges in life and seeing
that you have chosen to remain faithful to God, and because of God's faithfulness
in your life, people are saying, you know, I want to be
like this person, right, I want to be like fill in your name
here, not because you're the one, but because when you are connected to
God and He is able to make you like this a shining light in this
wicked and perverse generation. When people see that God is able to keep you
through all of this, they can't help. But to be meant, some
people cannot help to be drawn to the same God who was doing that for
you, because, after all, if he can do it for you,
then he can do it for me. You see where we're going with this.
And so the question really is will I choose? Will you choose to
keep underscore underscore underscore, keep the faith? You choose to keep the faith
or will you throw it away? That's the question. Will you choose to
keep the faith? Now, let me tell you from the Bible some of
the things that happened when people kept the faith. The Bible reads in Acts
chapter two and verse forty one. So those who accepted God's message were baptized.
And that day, just on one particular day, the day of Pentecost,
that infamous day of Pentecost, right after Jesus went back to heaven following
his resurrection. That day of Pentecost, about three thousand people were added to
the people of God. Did you hear that there were three thousand people added
to the Fellowship of faith in one day? Here was another one in Acts
chapter four, verses four and thirty one, and the Bible reads, But
many of those who had listened to the message believed, And the number of
men, it just says men. You're not talking about women included. Thus
men, just the males came out about five thousand, verse thirty one.
When they had prayed, the place where they assembled together was shaken, and
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak the word of
God courageously. You see, this is what happens when people are choosing to
be unified under the power of the Holy Ghost and to keep the faith that
God puts in our bosoms, no matter what does or does not happen in
our lives, whether the month is longer than the money, or the money
is longer than the month. Huh. Whether I am feeling well or I
am sick or feeling near unto death. Yes, whatever is happening or not
happening in my life. If I keep the faith, there are other people
who will be encouraged to keep the faith too. There will be people who
will be welcomed into the fellowship of believers because they see what God is doing
in our lives. Now. Verse thirty two of Acts chapter four reads,
the group of those who believed were in one heart and one mind. No
one said that any of his possessions was his own. Oh wait a minute,
now, the people of God, under the power of the Holy Spirit
did not use mine or mine in a sentence. I need that to settle
in. If you're listening on the radio, the broadcast was not cut.
I am just pausing deliberately. Selah like God gave them such a power that
all of their possessions were in common. But the Bible says everything was held
in common. In verse forty two of Acts chapter five, the Bible reads,
and every day, both in the temple courts and from house to house,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the
Christ. You see, this is what happens when we have the kind of
faith that pleases God, like we have the kind of faith that Jesus is
the author and finisher of It transforms God, excuse me, transforms us.
Our faith doesn't transform us a the power of God transforms us. Faith is
how we lay hold of the power of God, and so God transforms us
to the degree that so many people from around the world, people may be
even listening on this broadcast or watching on the television, or listening on watching
on social media or YouTube stink, are starting to think, Wait a minute,
are you saying that this could be me? Yes? Are you saying
that this can be my life? Or I can be faithful no matter what
trial I'm going through, whether I triumph or am going through tribulations, I
can be faithful. Absolutely. And then I said again, just to reiterate
the point that persecution at that time time the Early Church, the time of
the Early Church, persecution was the seed of spiritual growth. And so spiritual
persecution can act as seed and spiritual growth because it deepens our faith, it
refines our character. Huh encourages reliance on God. It strengthens community bonds.
It promotes witness and testimony. It fosters spiritual discipline. It clarifies our priorities.
And this is how the people of God were able to continue no matter
what did or did not happen in their lives. God is faithful amid persecution.
Have a wonderful day, peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends.
Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with el
David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah.