MEANING OF MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
Welcome to our Christianity Oasis My Brother's Keeper study program. This is our Meaning of My Brother's Keeper study. The truth within this SON-derful Meaning of My Brother's Keeper study will truly enhance your be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.
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Click the link below if you would like to read this study from the beginning. |
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This My Brother's Keeper Bible study program was designed specifically for Christian teens.
If you are adult, you can check out the Many Called Few Chosen program by clicking the link below:
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MEANING OF MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
PEER PRESSURE
WELCOME BACK MY FRIEND
I trust you're choosing to take only one step a day,
which shows your heartfelt desire to be successful in your program.
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Psalms 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I
hope. |
Everyone who has friends, has experienced something
that is called peer pressure. It's when a friend or friends, pressure
you to do something that they want you to do. Most of the time, young
people want to please their friends so badly, that they give in to the
pressure, no matter what their own choice would have been without
their friends' influence or opinion.
When we hear the words 'peer pressure', people
usually think of the usual things that people try and talk their
friends into, like relationships, smoking, drinking, lying, drugs,
gangs, theft ... These kinds of things, which I don't have to tell you
aren't on the Christian path. Recently ... Even more dangers have been
added to the list of things that young people pressure their friends
into doing. Cutting, tattooing, holding your breath until you lose
consciousness, sex, homosexuality and even murder.
Most of these things are obvious as to why
you shouldn't do them, because they are harmful to you and
others, and I believe as one called to REPRESENT that you're
aware of the dangers of them, so we won't be discussing them in
detail, but I'd like to talk with you about a couple of these because
they may seem harmless at first, but they deserve more careful thought
from you.
The two that you may think are different than the others
because they seem 'safe' are tattooing (as to become part of a group,
gang or to REPRESENT something) and relationships.
As most have heard ... God said:
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Leviticus 19:28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the
dead,
nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. |
That's pretty clear. This would obviously include
piercing too, but it says cuttings of the flesh FOR THE DEAD, so that
is a matter open to interpretation.
Remember the reason God did not want these body markings and cuts of
the flesh is because these marks represented something just as the
tattoos do when one joins a gang or what have you.
So it is what the marking represents ...
Look, BEFORE you go off worrying ... If you didn't know these
rules, and have already gotten tattoos representing a gang or
something you no longer believe in
or some type of piercing don't be upset with yourself, or feel
yourself unworthy, because the
Bible says:
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James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is sin. |
That means, if you didn't know it was a sin, then
you weren't sinning.
Also, never ever ever forget that God sacrificed
His son Jesus because we are sinners and when we are sincerely sorry
for something we have done, He forgives us.
NOW ... Something else to consider:
All rules do not apply to all situations.
Jesus said something that we
all need to HEAR and UNDERSTAND ...
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Matthew 19:11
All men cannot
receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. |
In other words ... All laws
do not apply to all people, under all circumstances.
The law is not,
was not and can not ever be ...
"One size fits all"
unless it can adapt and conform to a variety of situations.
Just a few possible examples concerning
tattoos and piercings would be:
What about our parents and grandparents that got
a tattoo when in the military?
What about all of the women in the world who wear ear rings?
Are they all sentenced to
the lake of fire despite their belief in and love for Jesus?
To better understand ...
See this study
Also see this study
God's
Grace reveals that if you TRULY
believe in Jesus and the TRUTH that He was willing to die for
you,
and did, that you would know that He loves you so much
that you will want to do what He wants you to do
because you would know that He is looking out for your best
interests. You will try hard not to do things that would make
Him ashamed or disappointed in you. You may fall, but always
remember that only a worm is free from the worry of stumble and
the real test is to see if you will get up, dust yourself off,
carry on and never surrender.
SAINTS ... ARE JUST THE
SINNERS
THAT FALL DOWN AND GET UP !!!
As time passes, you will find that
you begin to make the right choices, out of love
...
Not fear of punishment.
Now, lets talk about the relationships issue. Most
young people think it's necessary to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
A lot of times it's not even because a friend pressured them into
feeling this way, but the world has made young people believe that if
they don't, there's something wrong with them, or they're missing out
on something. Some people think it makes them popular too.
BUT IS THAT TRUTH?
Did you know that whether you are a young woman or a
young man, you are the bride of Jesus Christ? I'd like to show you
something that you'll find very interesting.
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Revelation 19:7-9
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself
ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which
are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God. |
The saints are the believers who REPRESENTED Jesus.
They are the ones who have made themselves ready. Blessed are they!
Let me explain further, that this doesn't mean that
people should never get married. God intended for most people to get
married and have families to fill the earth. But there is ONE person
who is your soul mate on this earth, and to risk your honor and your
purity in other relationships until you're united with them because of
loneliness, peer pressure, weakness, impatience, or any other reason
is wrong no matter how many others are doing it.
You know the old saying ... If you saw everyone jumping off a cliff,
would you? I have a better question for you ... Do your friends that
follow worldly trends constantly have problems because of their choice
to join the crowd? Do they get hurt in these relationships? Do they
get used and abused? Do they cry when this happens? Are they REALLY
happy?
WHAT IS A SOUL MATE?
Most of us have heard the theory that each of
us has a
Soul Mate out there
somewhere. The theory suggests that ONE soul was divided and the two
souls from this division were placed on earth as to see if the two
souls could become ONE again, by overcoming the world with true love.
It is obvious that overcoming the world is the hard part. Kind of like
when the moon asked the sun "Why is it that I oft times sit in
darkness" ... The sun responded, "It is because you let the world
come between us" ... But, finding our Soul Mate in this world filled
with deception, is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
How will you know who your soul mate is? Only ONE
way my friend. Trust in
God ... He will bring them to you at just the perfect time. Be
patient. God will let you know who your soul mate is. Do NOT trust
Man's world trends as a way to find LOVE. What they are doing is NOT
love, it is being used. Most jump into that scene because they are
"bored" or lonely. There are plenty
of things to do in the meantime ... Like representing Jesus and
glorifying Him!
IF you choose to serve God and REPRESENT Him ... He
will give you your hearts desire IF and WHEN He knows it is RIGHT. He
is looking out for YOUR best interest.
Oooookay ... Now that we've talked about the obvious
and a couple of the not so obvious things that people pressure their
'friends' about, let's talk about an EXTREMELY important thing that
people WILL disagree with you about and try and pressure you into
changing your mind about.
That is ... Your faith.
Sooner or later, every
Christian will find themselves in a situation where they have to
defend their faith. Friends, family, co-workers and even strangers may
attack the beliefs that make up who and what you are ... Christian. This
isn't a new trick of the devil's. He's been using this one since the
beginning of man. But, we have a hero, named Jesus Christ, and a
manual called the Holy Bible, that can guide us in TRUTH, whenever our
beliefs are questioned by other people.
The tests and troubles that we face in our Christian
walk of faith are all tests of the devotion we have to our Savior.
It's our faith that gets us through, and dedication to our faith is
what guarantees us the eternal life we hope for. The most important
thing to remember is that there's only One that you have to answer to,
and that is GOD! That's the bottom line.
I will tell you this TRUTH ... People may end their friendship with you because of your
faith.
You'll find however, that the deeper your commitment is to Jesus
Christ, the more peace of mind you'll have with the outcome of the
conflicts you'll have with those people who disagree with you.
Stand by your beliefs. I mean ...
Think about it. What are the alternatives? Follow the world? The
problem with that is the world doesn't have a very good track record.
(The news proves that every day.) The world is being slowly-poisoned
in mind and heart, by evil and wickedness. You don't
have to believe what everyone else does. That's why Jesus is calling
you. Keep your feet firmly planted in faith and remember the TRUTH
that you learned, (James
4:4) that a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Here's
another GREAT scripture that proves this:
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1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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The things in the world are temporal.
That means they only SEEM exciting for a short time and they don't last. You come into the world with nothing and
you leave with nothing. All the things that peers try and talk you
into, which in your heart you know aren't right, are temporal. The
Christian walk is eternal.
Again, this doesn't mean to hate the
world that God created, and to have hatred in your heart for
everything and everyone. God doesn't want that at all. God LOVES the
world.
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John 3:16-17
For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might
be saved. |
It's the WAY of the world that God
wants you to hate. LOVE all, and LOVE the life that God gave you, but
beware of the evil and hate the evil.
Stay as far away from it as you can, because you become
as what you surround yourself with, so
surround yourself with
things that remind you
of God and your walk
with Him. Your
eyes are the portal to the soul, so wouldn't it be a good idea to
influence your soul with holy things? We are greatly influenced by
what our eyes are exposed to. How true and Biblically sound is this?
Jacob influenced his father-in-law Laban's flocks to bear striped,
speckled, and spotted offspring by facing the animals toward tree
branches that he peeled in striped, speckled and spotted patterns (Genesis
30:37-39). If you want to be conformed to the image of God,
surround yourself with Godly things.
Know in your heart that following
Christ is the right way to go. I know it's a tough thing when your own
friends don't understand your faith, because hey, they're your friends and you have a natural emotional connection to
them called LOVE, and most people don't want to endanger the LOVE of
their friends and family for anything.
So, how do you deal with this? Ask
yourself what the TRUTH is. What's most important to you? Your friends
and the world, or your faith in Christ? That doesn't mean you have to
disown your friends, but you do have to change your attitude. In (Matthew
5:43-46), Jesus said to pray for those who are against you,
because if you only bless those who LOVE you, wow, big deal, that is
easy for anyone. But to
pray for strangers ... Well now THAT is an accomplishment.
Every Christian
faces this problem, whether it be with their family or friends. You
have God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all your Christian brothers and
sisters who support you in choosing Christ. Instead of feeling like
you have to end your relationship with your friends, perhaps one day,
maybe one, some, or all of them may follow you! You must stand firm,
and whenever they oppose your Christian beliefs, take that as an
opportunity to enlighten them. Defend the faith! And don't forget how
the Apostles rejoiced because they were beaten and suffered shame in
the name of Jesus!
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Acts 5:40-42
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles,
and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in
the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in
every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. |
Now, speaking of this new attitude in
defending your faith, it won't be easy at first, but as Christians,
we've all gotten a taste of how unkind people can be in trying to
embarrass us about our faith, or try to prove it wrong. Most people think
that Christians are too "extreme." Tell me, if you were in love with
someone would you want them to say wow, you love me too much or vice
versa?
There is no such thing
as being too devoted to God. Not only can you adopt a new attitude of
REPRESENTING,
but you can enhance your faith in a number of ways. As your faith
grows, defending it becomes easier. A person can read the Bible word
for word from cover to cover, and not understand most of it. If you
don't understand what you're defending, it will be more difficult.
There are some things that you can do that will help.
There's a term that people use when
they feel like people don't understand their Christian beliefs . . .
'The lonely road of faith.' Friends, you don't have time to feel alone,
or lonely, because this website alone, has more than 5,000 pages about
Christianity. If you're unimpressed by man's world now, wait until you
learn more about God's world and see just how ugly the world's ways
really are!
The more you
learn, the easier it will become for you to walk the walk of faith and
fight the good fight, and your feeling of being alone on your journey
will be replaced with eagerness to do God's will in whatever way He
has planned for you to glorify Him through the gifts that He has given
you.
What about Christian friends? You
can always go to the Oasis chat room here and share your thoughts with
others who are going through the same things that you are. It's
always comforting to know you're not the only one who has ever gone
through this.
Don't be fooled by people who want
you to prove things about your faith to them. Faith is belief in
something that is unseen! If something can be proven, it takes no
faith to believe in it. But I tell you a TRUTH ... People believe in
the unseen every day. From the invisible waves that come from some
radio station tower and put music on your radio to the invisible
diseases that go from one person to another to LOVE itself which is
invisible but if you ever catch it you will KNOW it is REAL.
What about LOVE? Most people believe in LOVE
... Don't they know that God is LOVE (1
John 4:8)? How then, can a person believe in LOVE, and not in
God? That's a great question to ask the faithless.
Can you expect everything to go
perfectly as you begin to REPRESENT? Heaven's no. Nothing's perfect, except Jesus. You will
fall. EVERYBODY does. The difference is whether you choose to wallow
in pools of self pity when you fall, or whether you get back up on your feet
and keep going! Pick up where you left off. Make a mental note of what
caused your stumbling as to avoid allowing it to happen again and try, try again.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you
and strengthen you. If you're a Christian soldier, He supplies your
ammunition and your armor. He is your offense and your defense. Trust
in Him. He will provide you with TRUTH. Jesus said:
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Matthew 10:19-20
But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye
shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye
shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your
Father which speaketh in you. |
That means, don't
worry about what to say when people disagree with you about your
faith, just pray and in that same hour, the Holy Spirit will tell you
what to say.
The emotions you're feeling if and
when someone disagrees with your beliefs are very common. They're also
a part of the trials and tribulations that you read about in the
Bible. Fight those emotions with TRUTH, like the scriptures that
you've been reading in this program. If you ever find yourself skating
through your life as a Christian and things are going just perfectly
in every way, that's when you should be alarmed.
Satan doesn't just give up on
Christians who pass certain requirements. No, the closer they get to
God, the more the devil turns up the heat (through temptations and
trials). That's why you hear those "crazy" Christians in the Bible
(the apostles) talk about rejoicing in tribulation.
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James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love Him. |
STAND FIRM!
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Philippians 1:27-28
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of
Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I
may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with
one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in
nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an
evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of
God. |
Each time that you resist the
pressure that your peers put on you, you're planting seeds
of TRUTH in them. People admire others who do things that are
challenging, and little do they know that ANYONE can live the way the
world lives ... But it takes a person of REAL conviction and passion
and substance to stand up and REPRESENT
Jesus. You
don't need to do anything but continue to stand up for your faith ... Now that's cool.
God Bless, and may you find the
strength of Jesus in your heart to remain true to our Savior and
glorify Him in all you do.
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STEP #4
To complete this Meaning of My Brother's
Keeper step you must CHOOSE to
learn more about the faith that you're defending in this study.
Remember my friend, that without faith ... You will never be able to
REPRESENT.
Continuing in EACH step daily
is so very important.
Go back over each step often to
be sure you have not missed anything. |
To continue our program, you can return tomorrow and
select:
STEP #5
I'll meet you there!
BE SURE TO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE AS TO BE ABLE TO
RETURN TO IT DAILY
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MY
BROTHER'S KEEPER STEPS |
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