Staying Strong in a Hostile World 2024 - Week 1

How to get ready, how to build up our faith muscles so we can stand firm in Christ in the face of hostility | Staying Strong in a Hostile World 2024 | Book of Daniel

Featured image credit: Megalim Institute on YouTube, “The Babylonian Conquest and the Destruction of the First Temple.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Meeting the Group

As I mentioned in my Note this past week, I’ve started an eight-week, women’s small-group Bible study on the Old Testament book of Daniel. The approximately 12 attendees (I’ll count next time, Lol) who sat around the long table in the church’s Library are a wonderful group of fellow “Bible Nerds”. They’re spiritual sisters who have studied God’s word for a long time, and who enjoy digging deep below the surface instead of simply reading verses quickly and moving on. I’m humbled. They truly are a blessing from God to me.

Getting Ready for the Series

Before the group met, our facilitator sent out an email that included this:

As I am sure you know, all Scripture must be studied in context. God’s writings are FOR all but not TO all.  It is necessary to see why the messages were written and to whom in order for us to hear what He is saying to us. So we will start our study with that. The first week, we will begin with context. 

David Helm, our author, says the Book of Jeremiah puts it all in perspective for him. Try to read with the thoughts: What does this tell us about God, about fallen Mankind, and about what God wants us to do.

Beginning with Context

It’s true that God’s word wasn’t written TO us but FOR us. The authors wrote in their time and for readers in their time, which was the ancient Near East for the Old Testament books (the Tanakh or Tanach). However, God’s word always speaks to us no matter what century we live in, even in our current world that’s moving quickly toward transhumanism and artificial intelligence. Our facilitator gave us these verses to read so we could gain a sense of context of the times the prophet Daniel lived in (links go to the ESV):

• 2 Kings 21 || 2 Kings 22 || 2 Kings 23 || 2 Kings 24 || 2 Kings 25

• 2 Chronicles 36

• Jeremiah 21:8-10 || Jeremiah 24 || Jeremiah 29:4-14 || Jeremiah 52

Context Overview

Our facilitator also asked us to answer three questions for each of the passages, and I created a summary. (See the questions in the text in italics above.)

Substack doesn’t have tables, so I created one in Word. I then converted the table into an image, which you see below:

Select this link to download this image. Credit: Jenise Cook, Night Owl Christian

Context in Daniel

Set during the Babylonian exile, the book of Daniel shows how God looked after His people. The first half of the book records when God’s people dealt with laws that opposed their faith. They faced many hardships and God responded to His people and cared for them.

The second half includes visions that communicated a broader view of God’s plan for humanity and His sovereignty over all nations. The book of Daniel gives comfort to those who are oppressed and dealing with tragedies.

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).

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Application: What About You?

Thanks for joining me on this eight-week journey. Like me, I’m guessing you’re here because you want to stay strong in a world that’s growing increasingly hostile toward faithful Jesus followers. The hostility not only comes from non-believers, it also comes from those who claim the name of Christ but who promote beliefs that are contrary to God’s word. How do we get ready to stay strong?

Our journey won’t involve Planet Fitness or Crossfit. We’ll be “working out” in Yahweh’s fitness room, and the prophet Daniel will be our Head Coach.

Ask Yourself

Let’s begin with a couple of questions:

• What do you know about God?

  • Your answers are crucial for getting through tough times!

• What has He done in your life?

  • Your memories will help you build an “altar of remembrance” so you can bring your memories to mind during dark times.

• What does God want you to do to get ready to stay strong in a hostile world?

  • Your plan will keep you on track and will help you grow stronger, consistently.

Pray and ask Jesus to give you His wisdom. Take your time, don’t rush. Write your answers down somewhere so you can refer to them easily and often.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is available 24/7/365 to guide you.

Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!

If you’re a not-yet follower of Jesus Christ, please come along on this journey with us. You are welcome here.

And, I invite you to read my series on the book “What Does God Want?”.

Conversation & Community

Your Turn

What are your thoughts about this post for Week 1?

As always, feel free to send me an email:

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