Q3. Holding Fast the Word of Life

[jacquie7]

We are to hold fast to the Word and not lose it; we are to proclaim the Word to the world so that all will hear the good news, which establishes one’s faith in God. We should proclaim the word to the world because it is the only hope they have for eternal life. It relates to the purpose of the church because the church should be developing disciples to go out into the world and recruit new members for God’s Kingdom.

[WinstonY]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church? 

 

The ESV study Bible suggests that holding fast to the word of life implies to functions, believing God's word and also following. This follows closely the message of Paul of both hearing the word and doing the work of God. It also follows Jesus commandment "“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself" This is the word of life as Jesus placed it in a nutshell.

 

This is the purpose of the church.

 

 

[WinstonY]

Q

[Aleezah]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense  are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (KJV) – states, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good [the Word of Life]. Also, 2 Timothy 1:13 (KJV) – states we should hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”  Lastly, Titus 1:9 (KJV) -  states, “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
2. The purpose of the church should be based on God’s Word only. 

[Old Jerry]

We are to “hold fast” in all that we do. We should not compromise on the things that we are to do for the Lord. So if we follow Jesus commands that we are holding fast to the word. This relates to the purpose of the church by being like a star that shines. People will see that we have God in us if we do the things that the bible leads us to do.

[DebLam3teach]

Christians need to "hold fast" the Word of Life, meaning that we cling to the Biblical teaching and doctines of the Bible.  We don't add to it or try to make it say what we want in order to fit into modern ways of thinking. "Holding forth the Word of Life," on the other hand, means that we are faithful to proclaim the Gospel message to the lost, whether directly or indirectly.  If no one proclaims the way of salvation, unbelievers will not know how to find God.  This is such a sobering responsibility for the church, and we better not neglect such an important task!

[Commissioned]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?                              

 

As Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life when we allow our life to be one of being Spirit led.  We “hold fast” when we are walking in obedience to the word of life.  The purpose of the church is to reflect the life of the “born again”, no longer conformed to the world but walking in accordance to the new life, which is develop in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

[charisbarak]

Don't settle for anything less than the Word of God. Make sure it is preached in the church by the pastor and in loving works to others. The purpose of the church is to grow disciples to become disciplers--always growing nearer and nearer to Jesus.

[RD35]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

 

 

Holding fast to the Word of Life means, giving the first place or the very foundation of our churches should be the Word of God.  Jesus is the Word and therefore the Word of God and Jesus Christ are inseparable.  Preaching Jesus should always be the priority of Christians, and the Word should be preached undiluted.

 

we are also to hold the word out or forth to the world. Our proclamation of the Word is the unbelievers only hope of eternal life.

 

 

 

[blezed]

(2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

We are to "hold fast" to the Word of Life by keeping a grasp on it  so we won't lose it. We are to 'hold forth" the Word of Life to the world.  Any other words, proclaim the Good News to the world so they may obtain eternal life.  The purpose of the church is to teach the word of God as written in scripture and not become Unitarians and Universalists rather than Christians.

[solomon befikadu]

To sick to the word of God the bible, which is the word of life, no other word which interpreted it by ourselves is word of life. To pray to God to make us hold fast to His words, nothing but His words. So that we do not loose it.

When the church hold fast to the word of life, she can call the ones which have not believed. When the true word of life is preached, it will be good news to those who have not believed, faith comes from the good news message and the message is heard through the word of Christ. People will be cleaned from their sins and be born again.

[ducminh]

When Christ Jesus states that His disciples are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, He has defined their role on earth and in the world.  They are to be a peculiar people living in the world but not blended with the world.  Their way of life must be an example for the world to see and they are the witnesses of the truth of God; they are also the preachers of the Good News to the world.

 

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

The world of life is the word of God; it is meant firstly for the current life, then secondly, the hope of eternal life.  God is the “God of the living”, hence He must be true to the current life.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

God must be the important source of life, the support of life, the light of life and the way of life.  The living man must be able to find the truth of God in his current life before he can look up to the eternal life, which only comes after his death.  The word of God must be true in all aspects of life for the living man, before he can believe in the promise of eternal life.

 

If the living man is unable to find satisfaction with his current life, he will not believe in the message of hope of eternal life.  The sad truth of Christians in the world is, though professing their faith in Christ Jesus, they do not abide to the word of God and His commandments.  Instead of following God, they are following different ways directed by false teachers and false prophets that come in the name of Jesus Christ.  Those individuals preach many different gospels and lead people astray from the truth of God.

 

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

 

The New Age movement that has been introduced into Christian churches, is leading followers to search for enlightenment and wellbeing through spiritualism and mysticism.  Christians are led away from God because of their lack of knowledge of the word of God.  The false teachers and the false prophets are preying on those ignorant living souls for their financial benefits, and to achieve their ambition of political power in the world.  When Christians are not abiding to the word of God and His commandments, they are unsatisfied with their current life; they find no rest and have no peace; therefore, it is easy for them to believe in spiritualism and mysticism of pagan religions.  This is the actual state of Christianity in the world.

 

The Old Testament has said:

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hos 4:7  As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

 

Jesus has also said:

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

 

Will God intervene to stop the fall away Christians?  The answer is “NO”.  Just like the way God has left Adam and Eve by themselves in the garden of Eden, God also leave mankind free to choose between obeying to His commandments, and believing in the word of Satan (the master of this world).

 

Today, Christian churches instead of calling believers of Christ to abide to the word of God and His commandments, they are preaching about love, harmony and unity for building a new world where all faiths will be tolerated and accepted, so mankind can have PEACE and SAFETY.  This is the ecumenism of Christianity and pagan religions.  Paul has told us:

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and Safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

 

The only way for Christians to hold fast, or hold forth, or hold out the word of life, is to learn the word of God for themselves, and abide to God’s commandments.  If they remain ignorant, they would be caught out in surprise and be deceived with the rest of the world.

 

Paul told us:

1Th 5:4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

 

Anyone who is following the way of the ecumenism, should repent and return to God, learn His word and abide to His commandments.  Let’s stay alert and be vigilant to rebuke any sweet lies of Satan that are pumped into Christian Churches through the mouth of false teachers and false prophets.

[van]

Christians are to hold fast to the Word by submitting themselves to listening hearing the Word, and to hold the Word in their heart, spirit, and mind. We are also to hold the word out to the world. The Word is our way to eternity. This relates to the church because the preacher bring forth the Word the we are to live by.

[JanMary]

Q3 Phil 2:16  In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life?

 

​Jesus is the Word made flesh. We hold fast to Him through our relationship with Him...in prayer, both speaking and listening, in fellowship with Him, and through reading His Word, allowing Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds...to become who we are now in Christ.

​

In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life?

 

​We hold forth the Word of Life, as we live each day, and when we have opportunity to share His love and life with others. Others observe how we live...whether we talk a "good talk" or walk the talk we speak about. There are opportunities every day with every one we encounter to represent the Word of Life.

 

How does this relate to the purpose of the Church?

 

​The purpose of the Church is to encourage, and equip each one to fulfill the Great Commission....to GO and make disciples of all nations. As we both hold fast and hold forth the Word of Life, the church becomes that welcoming place to the lost to come in out of the dark and the cold.  His light in us if not obscured with the junk of the world will attract others to want to know Him.

[Nikka]

We need to hold on for dear life (literally) to the Word of God, the LIVING word.

It is very sad to see that so few people don't seem to understand how important it is to keep a hold on the living truth. If we don't don't, eventually it will all water down and nothing much will be left of it.

 

Paul is concerned about this fact already in the first century. Let us all help to keep the truth in front of us, to hold on fast and bring it forth into the world.

 

We better understand this as a Church. Jesus wants to come back, His second coming, to a strong church, His bride, not a wimpy one, or a weak church, one without a backbone. 

We have to keep up the fight of the living Word, lest we forget even more of it, than what has been lost already in the past few decades.

 

It looks like things are going downhill, but we need to keep the Word alive, and hold onto it with a strong fist.

[haar]

Q3.

 

Q. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life?

 

A. It means to cling to the word of God and not to let it slip away from us because it the bread of life that sustains tour spiritual lives. It is the word that when heard, leads to salvation of souls.

 

Q. In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life?

 

A. This means that we should not only hold tide the word of God, we should also pass it on to others to hear and be saved.

 

Q. How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

 

A. The Church is to preach the word of God to the unsaved and send other people out to the  uttermost parts of the world.
 

 

[forgivenforgivenforgiven]

Shalom to the Saints by Faith in Messiah.

GREETINGS,

1. We as believers are to hold fast to the Word of Truth.We are not to let the enemy or people steal the truth from what we believe according to the final authority of Scriptures.

2. We are to hold it forth out to the world. Be that example live it in action, word, deed and lifestyle. In that example we represent the image of the Word of life. It is their only hope for eternal life.

3.Some churches are not holding onto the Words of Life, because,

1. Liberalism

2. New Ageism

3. If the church has a 301© 3 they are considered married to the government. They cannot preach any hate literature including the Scripture that Talks against homosexual/lesbianism, etc please look up this code on internet.

4. Some preachers mock and jest from the pulpit.

Have a blessed week.

Love in Messiah

FAITH

[van]

Christians are to hold fast to the Word. We are also to hold the word out to the world. The Word is our way to eternity. This relates to the church because the preacher bring forth the Word the we are to live by.

I

[lighthouse2014]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

The sense that we Christians hold fast to the word of Life is that we follow the Lord's commands and  reveal Christ words to our society we live in, the words of life and eternal salvation.

We are to hold fast to the word of life by living it and revealing it to our neighbors.

This relates to the purpose of the church because we believe, declare and live by the word of the Lord and of the church. 

[Debra Grant]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" 

the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this

Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

 

1. "Hold out" (NIV), "holding forth" (KJV), and "holding fast to" (NRSV) 

is the Greek verb epechō, "to maintain a grasp on someone or something, 

hold fast."[118] It involves holding the word fast so that we don't lose it.

 

2. But we are also to hold the word out or forth to the world. Let our

light shine according to the word of God.

 

3. The church shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word 

of life...." (2:15b-16a) We should live the word and follow God's truth.

[IvoryEagle]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

 

 

WE AS CHRIST DISCIPLES MUST RECEIVE THE WORD, LIVE THE WORD AND SHARE THE WORD, FERVENTLY.  WELL STATED BELOW:  To ourselves as we look in the mirror; the question is: "If not me,  then who?...
 

 

 

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' ... Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:14-15, 17)

[Rose22]

The Word of life is God's word...Truth...Love...salvation....all bring life, give life and words to live life by and ways to honour life... We must Hold fast to His word in order to find sustanence for our Journey with Him.so that we may draw ever closer to Him and through it ...become who He wants us to be.. Our most valuable lessons are taught to us through His word...it is everything...

Holding out requires us to take His word out into the world...all four corners...It requires us to embody Christ in order to become a light in the world for others to step into when faced with darkness of any kind...

This is fulfilling the word of God and is our duty as Christians.

This is incredibly important when relating it to the purpose of the Church because we are part of His body...part of the whole..We must stay together..committed...to holding fast to Gods word and delivering that to the congregation...being mindful of the very heart of Gods word which in essence is Love...

[Stanley Tavaziva]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church? 

Our life should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will “shine brightly” in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word. Is your life shining brightly, or is it clouded by complaining and arguing? Shine out for God.

 

 

Evidently the believers were complaining (to God and each other) and arguing (with each other). As a result they were not without fault among the unregenerate; they were not shining like stars in their world . The Philippians assembly needed to show themselves as united and as one in Christ. Non-Christians were not being attracted to Him by the saints' strifes and contentions.

 

 

The world today, like theirs, is unscrupulous and perverted. Most people have turned their backs on God and truth. In this kind of world God's people are to "shine like stars". They are to be children of God without fault. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word. Our lives should shine brightly for Jesus.

[hanks]

Q3. (2:16) 

In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? 

In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? 

How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

As believers and churches we ‘hold fast’ the Word of Life, and our lights shine in this dark world.

This Word is the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, and not any ‘feel good message.’

We are warned (Rev 22:18-19) not to purposely distort this message - we are to handle this Word of Life with care and great respect.

We are not only to ‘hold fast’, but we are also to ‘hold forth’ the Word of Life by proclaiming the gospel to the lost world. 

Our message is a living message - those who hear and believe it, are made alive. 

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)”.

Jesus said in John 5:24: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life”.

“He who hears My Word, crosses from death to life”, means not only to listen to it, but also to receive it, to believe it, and to obey it.

Many people hear the gospel preached, but do nothing about it. 

It is up to us as believers and churches to convince the world, in love, that Jesus is indeed the Saviour of the world. 

 

[angelbaby]

Q3. (2:16) In what sense are we Christians to "hold fast" the Word of Life? In what sense are we to "hold forth" this Word of Life? How does this relate to the purpose of the church?

By stating that we are to "hold fast" to the Word of Life means to study Gods Word ... The Bible and to follow all the instructions of Christ/ God and thereby be Imitators of Christ and keep the Word close to our heart all the time in all circumstances living by the Word of God

Whereas "hold forth " the Word of Life implies that we are to proclaim the Gospel to all we come in contact with and also to the uttermost parts of the world.

The purpose of the church is to imbibe all that Jesus has taught us and REFLECT Him and more than affecting ourselves we are to affect the world at large I.e preach the word to all those we come in contact with as well as make an effort to reach friends/ peopele / people groups at your home town or in distant lands by a specific programme.