Commissioned

Nebuchadnezzar sum up their faith and commitment in verse 28, he said: "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." I am willing to disobey a command or law to be faithful to God, because I know that all thins will work together for my good. By His grace I would be willing to lay down my life to be faithful to God.

The deliverance of the three Hebrew young men cause the other government officials to be startled out of their minds. They must have questioned themselves and their reasons for wanting to bring harm to these men. The king on the other hand was curious about the God that indeed was able to save the men in the midst of a fiery furnace. God received all glory as the Hebrews worshiped Him and testified to the King, and all others of the greatness of the God that they serve.

The Jews answered Nebuchadnezzar with faith in God. Their attitude was that God was able to deliver them out of the furnace. Their confidence in God was so complete that they told the King even if God did not deliver them out of the fire, they still will not serve the king's god or worship the image that was erected. Taking this stance I am sure they kept the confidence that the outcome was entirely in God's hands, whether death or further wrath of the king.

The government officials reported Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to Nebuchadnezzar because they did not like the Jews and the fact that they held higher positions made it worse still. The king got angry because he felt disrespected by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they refused to bow down before the image. The king's motivation for the people to bow to the image is not being thrown into the fire and losing their life.

Verse 44 teaches that this will be the final kingdom. The kingdom will never be destroyed. No longer will there be successive governments to rule and reign. Instead this kingdom will obliterate all other kingdoms. God himself will be the King of the Kingdom and will reign for ever.

Daniel showed humility in this situation by not taking credit for interpreting the dream. Instead he uses the opportunity to witness before the king his faith in the God of heaven who alone can give the interpretation of dreams. According to 1 Peter 5:5-6, we should never try to exalt ourselves. When we humble ourselves God, in due time, will lift us up.

Daniel enlisted his friends to "plead for mercy" because it is God alone who can touch the heart of man, it is God alone who can give them the dream and the interpretation. So they interceded. According to Scripture, intercessory prayer is important. Jesus taught in Matthew 18:20, " For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Jesus' presence always brings a blessing. The apostle James admonished to call the elders to pray for the sick. They will intercede for the sick and he shall recover. Intercessory praying is scriptural and it is effective. As the church follows the teachings of the Scriptures they will enter into and maintain Intercessory praying as a part of the ministry.

Daniel's approach to eating a different diet was to show that it is not the king' food that will sustain their health. When the guard refused to allow them to eat as they desire Daniel did not give up but respectfully insisted by asking for a few days to show that they will survive and look better, in health, than the others. Because Daniel stood his ground and invoked the name of the Lord, God indeed gave them a prosperous healthy looking and better nourished countenance.

Daniel was very adamant about not participating in the rituals and culture of this nation and refuse the King's food and wine. A defilement of Daniel's conscience would be in thinking that God could not keep them in an healthy state unless they participated in the King's food and wine. I think Daniel and his friends chose to use this time to show the King and the Babylonians that there God can sustain and keep them on the very basic of foods.

Daniel and his friends experience changes in the culture. The people of Babylon did not worship the God of Daniel and his friends, Their diet was different and wanted Daniel and his friends to adopt to their customary dining. Their names were changed from the Hebrews names to reflect the gods that the Babylonians worshiped. In Jerusalem and his friends were from royal families or nobility, in Babylon they were servants to the king; notwithstanding the place they held in the palace. Having their name changed from the Hebrew name to the Babylonian name did not have any great effect on Daniel and his friends as they were completely sold on serving the true God regardless of the circumstance they may find themselves. To be made eunuchs in Babylon would be in their agreement so that they need not be required to take on a Babylonian wife. As children of the Most High God, Daniel and his friends did not make compromises, because of their faith in God to deliver them.

I have not had the opportunity to transition to a dissimilar culture that would have caused me to be hesitant in practicing my faith openly.

According to this passage, we should be willing to associate with those who would be willing to respond to the message of the gospel. The distinction between unbelievers and believers because the unbeliever needs to hear the gospel message and know of God's love and that he is welcomed to the body. The dangers of associating with unbelievers when you are not giving them the message of the gospel which the Holy Spirit will use to convict of sin. The dangers of associating with unrepentant believers and not telling them of their sinning is to enable them in their sin and you will be held responsible for not telling them that they have sinned and need to repent.

The presence of openly sinning members affect others in the body because they adopt the attitude that the behavior is acceptable. Paul’s background as a Jew, gave him the experience of what happens when yeast is used in bread, it spreads. His analogy shows that sin contaminates when left unaddressed.

Levels of correction and discipline short of excommunication are found in confronting the individual, showing him his erroneous ways. If that does not cause a change in him you are to bring one or two others to speak to him. When these two attempts fail then you can take the matter to the church and if he persist and refuse correction then excommunication may be considered. That kind of correction should be exercised by a person who is more matured in the faith with the authority to discipline. When a sinning member repents we are to restore them to the fellowship, continuing with them and discipling them to study areas in the Bible that speaks to the particular sin. Excommunication is sometimes necessary when the person refuses to repent and continue in the sin. We are so unwilling to exercise it in our day because we think that we are showing some form of grace.

The Corinthians were proud of their tolerance of immorality in ignorance. They were growing in faith but there were some of the old customs still being practiced. This they did until Paul opened their eyes and they learned that what they were allowing is a sin. I think that once they were instructed they abstained and begin to teach others of the need for sexual purity.

Paul saw in Timothy one who was faithful in service to God and to Paul as his elder. I pray that I faithfully complete all the assignments that God calls me to and that I do them with excellence whether its to a neighbor or across the world; I want to faithfully serve my Father.

I think Paul lists the abuse he has to take to encourage the church. After listing these perils Paul hoped that his readers would understand what it costs to be fully committed to the gospel. Indeed, Paul's experience is and encouragement for me as I have not had any way near his experience and if he trust God to strengthen him and take him through and come out victorious; so too can I. I will continue to trust God through every persecution and hardship. I do avoid ministry that comes with abuse. Mostly from within.

Paul doesn't care how others judge him because he was more concerned about what his Master, our Lord and Savior thought of his works. He doesn't judge himself, again, because he knew that God will have the final judgment. Our motives are important in God’s judgment process because God knows the heart of man. God knows the motive behind every action. God is not a harsh judge. He is a just and loving judge and will judge man according to his labor.

A Christian worker is a “steward” because God has entrusted him with assets of the Kingdom of God. He is given the noble task of caring for God's sheep until He returns for them. There are Christian workers who proved not to be faithful and their lack of faithfulness has put additional burdens on others who are faithful to the work of the Kingdom as they carry out their own assignments and also that of another unfaithful servant. The unfaithful Christian is seen as unreliable and irresponsible. We are sometimes unfaithful in our area of ministry when we don't appreciate the assignment that God has give to us. When we understand that each of us have a very unique part to play in the body of Christ and realize that when we are unfaithful, we're in fact robbing the body of a gift that God has placed among us; then we will perform to glorify God.

There is such a harsh punishment for those involved in hurting Christ’s church because the Church is sacred. The church is Jesus Christ's gift to His Father, and when He presents the Church it must be spotless. Jesus Himself told the Church how to deal with differences in the church and that is the pattern that the Church should follow.

In terms of building congregations in our day, in my opinion the quality of material and methods used is in need of constant testing to see if it holds up to the fire of God. Our ministry skills should be aligned with proper biblical and ethically training. Our Christian journey must be one of prayer, fasting, diligence to faithful study and practice of godly living in an attitude of humility. Our openness to the Holy Spirit working in and through us by the manifestation of spiritual gifts will help us build firm foundations and strong congregations.

Denominations encourage Christian unity when they join in ecumenical fellowship with other denominations. They foster disunity when they shut themselves off from other churches, even those within their organization. Belonging to a non-denominational church will make no difference regarding unity throughout the body because unity must come from the heart and if the leadership is divisive then the body will be also. We can tear down the barriers that divide by truly living a Spirit-led, Christlike life; loving each other and sharing among ourselves and they did in the early church.

In behavioral terms according to these verses, I would classify myself as being a babe on solid food as I love the Word of God and the revelations that the Holy Spirit brings. In terms of jealousy and quarreling, I would consider myself to be a young adult, still falling for the bait. A constant diet of the Word of God and resting in the presence of God will move me to the next stage of growth.

We can “have the mind of Christ” as we allow the Spirit of God to lead us in our daily lives. The Spirit of God reveals to us the mind of God. Having the Holy Spirit “circulating” through our minds manifests the gifts of knowledge, of wisdom, of tongues and interpretation, of righteousness and holiness. It is the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and guide us by the mind of God.

Paul did not conform to the rhetorical standards of his day because he relied on the power of God. Paul was full persuaded that the power of the Holy Spirit was all that was needed to move the hearts of the people to conviction. If the message of the gospel is repackaged there is a danger of losing those receiving the message because the power of the Holy Spirit who convicts will be absent. Persuasive words without the Spirit's power don't transform people's lives. It is the power of God's Spirit that brings people to salvation.