Staying Strong

Pastor Abel Orozco’s Testimony of Overcoming Infertility

Pastor Abel Orozco came as a guest speaker today (part of God’s provision to Joey as he prepares to the baby’s arrival).  Pastor Abel and his wife Annie struggled with infertility for a few years.  They were able to share their struggles with the church and as a result God provided women to be Annie’s support and comfort.  God also enabled Annie to conceive and now they are expecting a baby.  God has also used the process of infertility to give Abel an exceptionally thankful and receptive father.

Passage: 2 Timothy: 14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and what have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation from faith in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What have you “learned and become convinced of”?

• Creation : “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”
• Original Sin : “There is no one good, not even one”
• Christ as the Perfect Sin Offering: “a virgin will be with child”; “tempted in every way yet was without sin”‘; “this is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased”
• Salvation: “For God so loved the world that He sent His only beloved son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”
• Crucifixation:
  • ⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
    He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
• Resurrection: ^“if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.”

Why do you know this?

• “because you know from whom you learned it”
• reflect on the people you’ve been mentored by.  You know what they say is good and true not because it is theoretically sound but because you’ve seen its truths lived out in their actions and character
• We are called to be mentors and mentored

How do you stay strong?

• By reading the scriptures:  there we find the truths about creation, the Christ, etc all of the above
• To be saved we must become “wise for salvation”… we need to use our minds
• The scriptures teach us not only who Christ is and how God is, but who we are… the children of God
• Do you read the scriptures?
• Do you know the scriptures?
• Do you memorize the scriptures?

What does it mean that the scriptures are God breathed?

• When we read, we read about the life of God; how God is bringing heaven to earth
• Just as God brought his life and spirit into man with His breath, so are the scriptures filled with life from His breath

What is righteousness?

• It is not a state of moral being but a life of faith and service
• It is about love, kindness, compassion and justice … not legalism
• The parable of the Good Samaritan
• “so that you may be equipped for every good work”
• “Religion that God Our Father accepts as pure and blameless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”

~ by suchahampster on August 11, 2008.