Part 2: Standing Firm In Hope Even When Things Are Hard

Sometimes the thing holding us back is fear of failure or struggling with adversity or facing times that are simply hard.  If you look at church history you will find that it is when the church faced persecution or adversity or struggled that is when it grew the most. Now I could write a blog article on how the early church flourished during a time of persecution but someone already write that article.

I will leave it to you to look at the stats on persecution in the 2020s but Forbes magazine determined that One In Eight Christians Worldwide Live In Countries Where They May Face Persecution. If you look at the USA where there is minimal persecution for faith you see the decline now look at the countries facing persecution to see the stats on number of Christians there.

More recently we are seeing the tide turning in North America regarding Christian Persecution right now we are not really seeing much persecution but you can see the trend coming.  We are seeing adversity and hard times. We are seeing people struggle with job loss, lack of food and housing.  We are seeing limitations placed on sharing faith in certain areas or buildings. Some accounts are people creating the hype but other times it is indeed limitation in sharing. 

Through these times we need to stand firm in hope. We need to continue to build up in the faith and continue to share our faith and more importantly reach out to others struggling whether they are believers or not and love them, feed them, heal them in Jesus name. On Sept 17 at Life Together the pastors wife Tanya shared Galatians 6:7-9. It talks about reaping what you sow. This refers to all aspects of our walk including our gifts, our finances, our time. We will see this is a common theme in this set of videos as well.  

Right now in my life I feel trapped. I feel the adversity and hardship and everywhere I look I see no exit.  On Sept 17 at church Pastor John read Jonah 2. This is when he was trapped in the fish in the physical world but in the depths of Hell in the spiritual world. Just when he felt trapped, God provided a way. I feel this will be a common theme as we go through this set of videos. You may be feeling the same way as me and are awaiting God to provide the exit.

1. This video is on 1 Peter which is right after the loss of Paul. The message digs deep into Standing Firm In Hope Even When Things Are Hard The verse that always stood out to me in 1 Peter is "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9 KJV This verse emphasizes what we learn in Matthew 25 that we need to reach out to others struggling whether they are believers or not and love them, feed them, heal them in Jesus name. In 1 Peter 1 it is clear that test will refine you like gold is refined when heated however he is clear that we are not to use hardships and testing as an excuse to be disobedient we are called to be holy as he is holy. We need to continue to be obedient to him. 

2. This video is called Wheels Off and it starts with the story in Exodus 14. If you fast forward to 2:46 in this you will hear a very important line that matches our theme. "It is possible that God has led you and is setting you up for his glory and you think you are trapped and its on purpose and there is no way out."  This is where we get in trouble God tells us what to do and we do not do so and we wonder why there is a problem.  Does that not feel like Deja vu? That was also part of Jonah 2. Now when you reach the 32 minute mark you get the story in Acts about Paul and the demon possessed girl where the demon is following them around and claiming the truth of who they are. At that point Paul exercises the demon and they are brought to the town square and singled out as troublemakers for their business.  Right after that you will hear reference of the coming persecution and how we know its coming. We need to be obedient to God and and stand firm in our beliefs.

3. The next video is How To Lose A Battle. The first cause is not having a strong leader instead the leader panics and makes rash decisions or runs away. The second cause was location. They allowed the enemy to place the battle in a location. The third cause was listening to the wrong voices. Through this sermon we hear the same thing that the leader refused to obey what the lord had said and refused to stand firm in their beliefs. The common denominator was pride instead of being humble and trusting in God. Proverbs 16:18 "pride goes before destruction"

 4. In this video is from FLC Columbus on September 17, 2023 and contains much on using our gifts for the good of the kingdom and being obedient to what god has called us to. A key theme is "You reap what you sow". If you fast forward to the 4 minute mark you will hear how we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The thing that stands out is how others in need are willing to help others with rides home with the groceries. At 6:43 mark it references 1 Peter 4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." which means each of us should use the gifts we have received to serve others. At 10:30 it talks about how the church is taking care of ALL gods people that they did all they could to make the church accessible to those with various special needs.  At 33:40 it talks about how God is awesome telling all the parts of the body to work together and perform their tasks. The prior sermon which you can watch by going back one day in the channel is from 2 Kings 4:1-7 about a poor widow and the olive oil. She freely gave what little she had. She was obedient to the prophet and obeyed what she was instructed. All her debt ended up being paid. This one is on 2 Kings 4:8-18 and about a rich woman. She freely gave what she had and she was blessed with a son so she would be taken care of. We are given an example of not doing this as well.  

5. The lesson we learn in the previous video was: "You reap what you sow" regardless of whether it is time, money, our gifts or whatever God has provided to us.  Our focus should be on helping others.  It reminds me of that hymn "Freely, freely you have received. Freely, freely give" so this will be video 5.

6.  God Time. This is specific time daily that you sow into time with God. It doesn't matter how much time you give but is ALL about being intentional and consistent. One way to do this is schedule the time in your calendar as a repeated appointment with God for that set period of time then when someone wants you to do something you explain to them that you have an appointment with God during that time and you can do the other task later. The key point is mentioned at 49:38 "God time is a priority and a necessity"

There will be more added to this playlist over the course of the year. As I add videos they will be referenced in additional blog posts.  I look forward to growing together from Only Fans to True Followers of Jesus together. 

This post is part of a series that compliments the Only Fans To True Follower Of Jesus YouTube Playlist of the same name. If you have not already we recommend you go to Part 1: From Only Fans To True Follow Of Jesus to experience the first part of the playlist.

Part 1: From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus

Starting on Sept 10, 2023 I feel God has been pushing me to create this new series based on my original content and other YouTube content that will push Christians to go From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus. From examining myself I realized that I became a follower when I was a teenager but waited 2 decades to be baptized when my son had a dream that we were baptized together so we did.  Now another 2 decades later God is pushing me towards the book of Acts and from follower to true follower of Jesus.  

This journey started during my tech fast when God put on my heart to study the book of Acts.  Then throughout 2023 that kept coming up as a common theme in the videos I was watching and helping others with. Other videos kept coming up and some of those will make it into the playlist as well. 

The week of August 20th on Neighborhood someone told me about this church called Life Together in a post.  It was like the church in Acts they said.  I was intrigued especially since I was aware of the book Life Together and thought how it may be related.  It turns out the pastor was inspired by God to create the church from the book of Acts and given the name. He was unaware of the book at the time but later found out about the book and realized God was actually doing similar with him as when he inspired the book author. Just like the early church spent life together not just 20 minutes on a Sunday so does Life Together church.  They take care of each other and build each other up, they focus on unity in the body understanding that others have different beliefs but as long as the core beliefs of the gospel as Saved By Grace Alone is there then the other stuff is disputable matters.  Sunday August 27 I attended the church and realize it embodied those beliefs. They did service together and then lunch followed then a group went downtown and spoke to the community sharing love and the gospel with those who were interested.  Monday nights they do bible study. On Wednesdays they spent from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm preparing things together for the food bank which opened at 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm where they shared food with the community to take home but also shared a hot meal with them for dinner and listened to their struggles and offered prayer and an ear to hear.  At 6:00 pm they then had a bible study as a church as well as those who wished to stay that came for the food bank if they wanted.  Saturday they had practice for the music worship and then Sunday together again. I only did the Sunday to start getting my feet wet.  

The next Sunday I went by the church but remembered they were moving to a new building for service. I saw the sign and glanced to quickly at it. I ended up at the new building and Elim church was holding their service. I stayed to listen and they spoke the same things about unity and the church working together confirming the same message that it is what we do outside the walls of the church that matter most.  Interestingly enough back in June God had me stumble over a sign for Hope Bible Church in St Catharines and the message of that service was about unity in the body and the importance of what we do outside the walls of the church that matters that we are being trained inside the church to go out and do the Great Commission.

Now on September 10th at the new building there were 3 churches all attending the same service together in unity: Elim Church, Life Together and Faith One.  Each with their own beliefs but now connected in fellowship together.  Next week Faith One will be back in Niagara Falls but going forward Elim and Life Together are going to be one church called Life Together.  The message was the same about being followers and about unity in the body.  This Sunday I took part in the entire process.  We did service together, celebrated how Life Together was now 12 years old with lunch and cake and then walked out to Pelham Road and Hwy 81 and carried signs but also spoke to those around about how Jesus loves them, that he love everyone.  We were standing in front of a Spanish church that happens to be on that corner. Curious on whether their attendance will increase next week.

Now onto the From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus. You can access the full playlist and watch in order. I will explain the videos here as well and you can click the links below to watch each video as well.

1. Earlier this week I had met a fellow Christian that introduced me to the Three Circles method of sharing the gospel.  I had heard the term before but was not aware how it worked.  I found a video on it and this is the first in this playlist. It is short and will be very valuable in sharing for those struggling with that.
2. On the way home God inspired me to create a video that was short and simple.  God loves you regardless of whether you love him or not. 
3. When I got home I was relaxing and playing games on my phone and listening to music when the Reunion Church message came up about Only Fans.  I just had to watch it intrigued by the title and a big fan of the pastor.  
4. Next I went to the Wellspring Community Church service as this is one of the service I watch every week. It turns out it too was about True Followers. They have been going through the book of Mark for about a year now and this week aligned to the crucifixion of Jesus and the woman taking him to the tomb to be buried. All the disciples had fallen away and Peter had denied him 3 times but the women stayed at the cross with Jesus at risk of their own personal safety. In fact Rachel Starr Thompson who was preaching mentioned the earliest secular source about Jesus is a letter from Roman soldiers about women they tortured and then they told him about Jesus.  It is amazing how God places these things together to make them stand out. 
5. I was then onto the next service I watch on a Sunday only to find that Hope Church Niagara was starting a new series called The 5G Life.  Guess what it is about?  Well it is about how as Christians we start off as babies but many never graduate from those early stages to becoming true followers that go out and share to gospel with others. 
   
   
   
   

   Note how point 1 is about clarity and how 3 Circles is about clarity in sharing the gospel. Not how point 2 is about unity and that earlier in this post the focus was unity in the body.  Consistency is about living it out in our life outside church. Maturity was discussed in Only Fans and in the Wellspring sermon where he talked about being followers but when the pressure was on some stayed and others reverted back. Urgency has to do with the fact that you could die at any moment or Jesus could return and if you didn't accept Jesus gift of salvation you would end up saying What The Hell instead of Praise the Lord.  Oh wait I forgot that part.  The message on Sept 10th at Life Together by Jonathan Hodgins was entitled "What the Hell or Praise the Lord". The premise was that there was a sense of urgency in spreading the gospel or people would end up after dying saying What the Hell because they would be judged and be surprised by its severity or end up in Heaven by grace not anything we deserved and say Praise the Lord. The Hope Church series will be ongoing so the other parts will appear later in the playlist.
6.  As I went back through some of the retro clips from earlier this year some became very relevant. One example is this one about Catholics. Many Protestant Christians especially on YouTube but not exclusive to that are very critical of Catholics so this question clears up any confusion about the topic. Are Catholics Saved? The answer may surprise many but really it shouldn't.
7. This next video is a review of the book Life Together. It is not long and provides a good summary of the concepts at a high level. I recommend reading the book but this will help for now.
8. This service further enforces unity and provides lots of verses to support it.  Homo(notso)genius
9. Now this video provides a truth that we have all known for a long time now but ignore. It is short and to the point and something Non-Christians often comment about. Casual Sinning & Church Attendance. The full service is really good to watch but this short calls it out in one simple short clip.

There will be more added to this playlist over the course of the year. As I add videos they will be referenced in additional blog posts.  I look forward to growing together from Only Fans to True Followers of Jesus together. 

If you are new to this blog please go back and read our welcome post. It will further explain where SBGAFA came from and the purpose of this blog.

Welcome To Saved By Grace Alone

For those joining us here welcome and for those already following us on YouTube thanks for the support.  On January 1, 2023 at midnight we launched our first video but this is not the start of the journey in fact it started near the end of 2022 when Rachel Starr Thompson guest spoke at Wellspring Community Church in Welland Ontario and introduced us to the Tech Fast Challenge she was doing through the winter months and challenged others to do. As I am a Techie I had to adapt the challenge a bit. I was allowed to watch and listen to Christian content online only. I was allowed to use Discord but only to answer messages from my family.  I was NOT allowed on any social media platforms other than Discord for any reason.

I spent time reading many books and listening to songs on my Spotify playlist and watching lots of Christian YouTubers. Here is a list of highlights and their impact:

1. Seeds By Rachel Starr Thompson - I read the first book before the challenge but book 2 during. This book instilled in me that our example in how we live our life out in the world is where we have the greatest impact on others.  People walk and mimic what we do and say.

2. Ruslan, Mike Winger, etc - I watched a lot of the big name YouTubers like Ruslan and Mike Winger especially his live q & a videos. I was learning a lot from his videos.  

3. Watching You by Rodney Atkins - This song made me cry but had a similar message about how the son watches his father and learns from him  

4. Stop Worrying by Troy Black - I actually stumbled upon Troy Black when he did a prophetic word on Ruslan and it was dead on according to Ruslan himself, some details he would not have known unless God gave them to him.  The book was powerful and taught me that if I followed God's calling and purpose he would always provide us with what we need to do what he has called us to do. This reminded me of in 2020 how God brought me the verse Romans 8:28 three times in the same weekend from very different sources.  On the same weekend I stumbled upon Manifest on Netflix and the whole show was about Romans 8:28 and their calling.  I binged watched the full season on the Friday night.  On Saturday a  Non-Christian friend pinged me on LinkedIn and started to talk to me about life and purpose and where he should head next in his life. We chatted about his options for his career and the best place to go. During the conversation he knew I was a Christian and he said a friend of his had given him a verse that he felt he should relay to me as we were discussing purpose it was Romans 8:28.  Odd, I thought.  I mentioned it to my girlfriend about the 2 occurrences. Sunday came and we watched a sermon at The Meeting House streamed because we were all locked down.  During the service Bruxy Cavey was speaking on a topic that had nothing to do with callings or purpose then right in the middle of if he stopped and said "God is prompting me that someone watching needs this."  He quoted Romans 8:28, nonchalantly and then just continued the service.  I thought I imagined it but my girlfriend turned to me and confirmed I was not.  She heard it too. After the service we rewatched that part and sure enough it was true.  This was what God was putting on my heart but I had no idea why.  Then a few years later during the fast it had come forth and I was learning more.

There was lots more that was guiding me as well.  Christmas week was tough. I was struggling a lot mentally. I remember for Christmas I got a Rubber Duck this will come into play later.  Between Christmas and New Year's Eve I started having dreams and remembering them. This is rare for me as I don't typically remember my dreams.  The first was actually something he put on my heart before the Tech Fast. He told me I had used my gifts for many years to help the tech and marketing community needed to share my gifts to expand the kingdom.  As he had shared that before I was not surprised by that dream.  The second dream was the Saved By Grace Alone logo and I heard a voice say this is ALL that matters.  Everything else is causing division and we need to focus on the basics and bring many.  I saw a harvest of grapes which made sense because I was living in wine country.  The third dream was more bold, showed the YouTube logo and said many are struggling.  As I awoke from the dream the Rubber Duck was sitting on my nightstand looking at me. I thought back to my days as a developer and how I used it as a debugging tool. I would explain the problem to the duck and by doing so find the error in my logic and thus the bug.  I told this to my nephew and he told me in Alpha that they did something called the 3 minute gospel where someone was dying and you had to explain them the gospel in 3 minutes so they could be saved.  This became my first video Rubber Duck Evangelism.  These 3 dreams together led to the channel being launched New Years Eve right at Midnight.  

From the launch until now I have been creating content when prompted by God to do so but the main goal is to help Christian YouTubers under 1,000 followers build their audience.  I have had many reach out to me offering me advice and I have been sharing this with others both through messenger and IRL and also in the comments of their videos.  God has been expanding their audience sometimes through my advice and sharing of their content but also by God inspiring them to create amazing content that the algorithm loves.

I look forward to see what God does through the end of the year and beyond.  I have been hearing a lot about 2024 and that the harvest is ripe but the reapers are few. 

Starting September 18th we began a new series based on the From Only Fans To True Follower Of Jesus YouTube playlist. check out Part 1: From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus