Faithmarkers

Believe it or not, we are living in the last days. So what is meant by last days? It is the era (period) in which major disruptions occur upon Earth and in the cosmos. Jesus said that in these last days, there will be earthquakes in various places (where they are not normally) as well as famines (Matthew 24:7). He also mentions that deception will be at an all-time high, with many coming in His Name (v. 5). He stipulates that these happenings are the tip of the iceberg, just the beginning signs into the last days, the end of this world as we know it (v. 8). Most importantly, Jesus prophesies about true believers, those who follow Him: Persecution, death, and hatred from the world; many who will turn from the faith (Jesus the Christ), betraying and hating each other as a result; the appearance of a multiplicity of false prophets, telling people what they want to hear (yes, in the church!) thus deceiving many into following them while they believe they are following Jesus; an increase in wickedness; and love turning into hate (vv. 9-12). Cosmically, there will be changes in the weather patterns (seasons), accompanied by great signs, such as "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly powers will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). In addition to the cosmic chaos, the anxiety of the nations will be perplexity at the sound of the sea and its surf--typhoons, raging hurricanes reaching unheard of levels of intensity, and tsunamis (Luke 21:25). Calamities will come as natural events intensify, thus causing greater epidemic and pandemic outbreaks of diseases as well as an economic meltdown like never before experienced throughout the world. If your level of faith cannot get through the circumstances of life now, how will you cope with the escalation of those circumstances that are guaranteed to come? Sit back and take a long hard look at your faith and what it means. FaithMarkers, before jumping into the lives of specific exemplars of faith, first and foremost explains the true meaning of "faith," according to the Word of God (the Bible). The word "faith" in the Bible (New Testament) is accompanied most often with a preceding preposition that explains the depth of faith--"by faith," "in faith," "into faith," "from/out of faith," and "through faith." Each of these "faith" phrases are explained thoroughly. Faith does not stand alone, but is connected to hope, salvation, righteousness, justification, and love; these connections help you to understand even better the true meaning and depth of what it means to have faith in Jesus the Christ. Each exemplar experiences unique facets and perspectives of faith, thus giving you a more complete and exhaustive understanding of what it means to have faith--that complete trust in God. Only two of these faithmarkers actually experienced Jesus the Christ in a rather dramatic way. The other eight exemplified deep faith in relationship with the totality of the Godhead, having never had the experience of who Jesus is and the Holy Spirit indwelling them. At the end of each discussion of the exemplars is a Faith Lesson that stresses the "faith" perspective of that exemplar, whether it be "obedience," "relationship," "walking with God," "suffering," "standing with God," or "standing with each other." This book reveals all that is required to have the truest sense of faith that is required to follow Jesus, walk with God, and stand firm in that faith throughout your lifetime.

Dettagli