Abraham

Twelve Tests of Abraham

Abraham’s faith was tested at least twelve specific times. Some of them were not
what we might call big tests, but together they establish a picture of Abraham as a person
whose faith was genuine. After the last of these, God said, “Now I know that you fear
God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12).
Each of Abraham’s tests can have applications for us:
(1) Genesis 12:1–7
• Test: Abraham left Ur and Haran for an unknown destination at God’s direction.
• Application: Do I trust God with my future? Is his will part of my decision making?
(2) Genesis 13:8–13
• Test: Abraham directed a peaceful separation from Lot and settled at the oaks of Mamre.
• Application: Do I trust God with my interests even when I seem to be receiving an unfair
settlement?
(3) Genesis 14:13–18
• Test: Abraham rescued Lot from the five kings.
• Application: Does my faithfulness to others bear witness to my trust in God’s
faithfulness?
(4) Genesis 14:17–24
• Test: Abraham gave a tithe of loot to the godly king of Salem, Melchizedek, and refused
the gift of the king of Sodom.
• Application: Am I watchful in my dealings with people that I give proper honor to God
and refuse to receive honor that belongs to him?
(5) Genesis 15:1–6
• Test: Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would have a son.
• Application: How often do I consciously reaffirm my trust in God’s promises?
(6) Genesis 15:7–11
• Test: Abraham received the promised land by faith, though the fulfillment would not
come for many generations.
• Application: How have I demonstrated my continued trust in God during those times
when I have been required to wait?
(7) Genesis 17:9–27
• Test: At God’s command, Abraham circumcised every male in his family.
• Application: In what occasions in my life have I acted simply in obedience to God, and
not because I understood the significance of what I was doing?
(8) Genesis 18:1–8
• Test: Abraham welcomed strangers, who turned out to be angels.
• Application: When was the last time I practiced hospitality?
(9) Genesis 18:22–33
• Test: Abraham prayed for Sodom.
• Application: Am I eager to see people punished, or do I care for people in spite of their
sinfulness?
(10) Genesis 20:1–17
• Test: Abraham admitted to wrongdoing and took the actions needed to set things right.
• Application: When I sin, is my tendency to cover up, or confess? Do I practice the truth
that an apology must sometimes be accompanied by restitution?
 (11) Genesis 21:22–34
• Test: Abraham negotiated a treaty with Abimelech concerning a well.
• Application: Can people depend on my words and promises?
(12) Genesis 22:1–12
• Test: Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.
• Application: In what ways has my life demonstrated that I will not allow anything to
come before God?

Would You Consider Abortion . . .

Would you consider abortion in the following four situations?

(1) There’s a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14
kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with number 15. They’re living in
tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population,
would you consider recommending she get an abortion?

(2) The father is sick with sniffles, the mother has TB. They have four children. The
first is blind, the second is dead, the third is deaf, and the fourth has TB. She finds
she’s pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider
recommending abortion?

(3) A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl, and she got pregnant. If you were
her parents, would you considering recommending abortion?

(4) A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the
baby, and he’s very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion?

In the first case, you have just killed John Wesley, one of the great evangelists in
the 19th century.

In the second case, you have killed Beethoven.

In the third case, you have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer.

If you said yes to the fourth case, you have just declared the murder of Jesus
Christ!!

Ability
How Big Is Your God?

What would have happened had Moses tried to figure out what was needed to accomplish
God’s command? One of the biggest arithmetical miracles in the world was required in the
desert.
Moses led the people of Israel into the desert….Now what was he going to do with them? They
had to be fed, and feeding 3-1/2 million people required a lot of food. According to the U. S.
Army’s Quartermaster General, Moses needed 1500 tons of food a day, filling two freight trains,
each a mile long. Besides, you must remember, they were cooking the food. Just for cooking this
took 4000 tons of firewood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long and this is only for one
day (not to mention for keeping warm, and if anyone tells you it doesn’t get cold in the desert
don’t believe them!). They were for forty YEARS in transit!!!

Let’s not forget about water, shall we? If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes
(no bathing?!), it took 11,000,000 gallons EACH DAY--enough to fill a train of tanker cars 1800
miles long.

And another thing! They had to get across the red sea in one night. Now if they went on a
narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and require 35 days and nights to
complete the crossing. So to get it over in one night there had to be a space in the Red Sea 3
miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast. Think about this; every time they camped at
the end of the day, a camp ground the size of Rhode Island was required, or 750 square miles.

Do you think that Moses sat down and figured out the logistics of what God told him to do
before he set out from Egypt? I doubt it. He had faith that God would take care of everything.
Let us have courage, we share the very same God!

A survey of hundreds of pastors has allowed us to compile a preliminary list of

measurable quality factors in the life of a congregation in ranking order. The twelve
factors are:

1. Bible knowledge. Church members are increasing in their grasp of the teachings of the
Bible. They can integrate this with a theological system that enables them to apply the
Bible's teachings to their life situation.
2. Personal devotions. Members spend time daily in prayer, Bible reading, meditation,
and other personal spiritual exercises.
3. Worship. Members regularly participate in the worship services scheduled by the
church.
4. Witnessing. Members regularly attempt to share their faith in Jesus Christ with
unbelievers.
5. Lay ministry. The lay people of the church are engaged in such ministries as teaching
and discipling. In some cases this happens through consciously discovering, developing,
and using their spiritual gifts.
6. Missions. The church actively supports missions, organizing and sustaining a strong
program for recruiting, sending, and financing home and foreign missionaries.
7. Giving. Members give an appropriate portion of their income to the local church and/or
to other Christian causes.
8. Fellowship. Members are growing in their personal relationships with each other
through regular participation in church fellowship groups of one kind or another.
9. Distinctive life-style. Members generally manifest their faith in Christ by living a life-
style clearly and noticeable distinct from that of non-Christians in the same community.
10. Attitude toward religion. Church members regard their involvement in the church
primarily as a service to God rather than a means to fulfill personal needs.
11. Social service. Members are serving others outside the congregation. This includes
direct personal involvement with the poor and needy, or in programs designed to help the
needy.
12. Social justice. Either through the congregation as a whole or through specialized
Christian agencies, members are striving to make changes in sociopolitical structures that
will contribute to a more moral and just society.