1. Matthew 10:16-25 God has not promised His children a life of ease
Men call His “Beelzebub” will turn on His disciples
Difficult because of commitment expected of us – 1 Corinthians 15:58
Must give ourselves full to the work of the Lord

2. Life is a River and we are Required to Navigate Upstream in a Canoe

3. The Need To Serve God Great race – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Runner needs strict training
He will not be successful with some effort- once in a while
Only the best obtain the prize
Have to resolve to stay on course or they will be disqualified
Can’t walk into heaven

4. A Spiritual War Against Corruption of the World – Ephesians 6:10-17
Must Fight the Good Fight – 1 Timothy 6:11-14
Wars are not won with half- hearted poking

5. Need to Be Active Doers to Prevent Being Swept Away by Cares of This World
Luke 6:47-49 "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.”
Need to strive to enter heaven- Luke 13:24

6. First Foundation of Zeal is Truth
Proverbs 19:2
Luke 8:13
Being zealous without the truth is like paddling a leaky canoe
Put in a lot of effort, but still going to sink!

7. In The Armor of God Was The Belt of Truth
It holds our armor together and holds our weapons – Ephesians 6:14
Must develop our ability to handle the truth – Ephesians 6:17
Grow in grace and knowledge- 2Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1Peter 4:11; 2Corinthians 2:17

8. How Do We Accomplish This Goal
Set time aside for personal study – daily effort to learn from God
Study together – build each other up – Romans 14:19
Purpose of bible classes here
Should be group/ family studies
This is why we have gospel meetings

9. Second Foundation of Zeal is Love
Romans 12:8-11
Philippians 1:27
Contend as a unit – only do so if we love each other
Paul describes love brethren are to have for one another – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Fervent, sincere love – 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8

10. Love Each Other = Concern For Each Other’s Welfare
Build each other up – Romans 15:1-3
Share the gospel – 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12
Love is the proof of our:
Discipleship – John 13:34,35
Salvation – 1 John 3:14
Love for God – 1 John 4:20,21

11. There Is Always Room For Developing Our Love
1 Thessalonians 4:9,10
Take time to be with on another- Acts 2:44-46
Have people over
Visit each other
Do things together
Don’t let disagreements erect a barrier between you & your brother

12. Without Effort We Are Lost
James 1:22-25
James 4:17
Laodicea Failed – Revelation 3:14-19
Psalms 119:2,3
Put the church first – Matthew 6:33
2 Corinthians 9:2
Opportunities await – John 4:34-38