Jesus told His disciples that if world persecuted Him, they could expect same. We should be encouraged when world attacks us for our stand on morality. We should never cower and run away in face of opposition. We should always stand up and stand against evil. Our resistance is good. It is necessary.

Again Carter says, “The culture may press religions to change; but religions, at their best, press back, often in surprising places. And they press back in a way that no other force does, for transcendence of religious belief proposes an answer higher than mere human striving. The Western religions in their traditional forms all share model of transcendence: answers to most profound questions are found not in human argument, but in will of God, which exists in world in written form and sometimes in an oral heritage as well.”

Never waver in great commission to tell story of Jesus Christ. He is light of world, and darkness will never overcome light. Jesus told us that we are salt of world. Salt will always sting when it breaks through to lesions of filth and corruption. Nevertheless, salt is necessary for flavoring, and we add flavoring by our stand against insipid tastes of indifference. Stand up and be counted. Speak out against status quo. Remind world often that Jesus Christ came to heal world of its sin. Jesus is alive to lift world higher. Jesus is coming again to judge darkness and reward light. Stay light and salt of world. Resist evil.

You were made to resist darkness…

Keep faith. Stay course. Jesus is coming again.

Pastor T. dash.

The phrase "we ourselves are comforted" takes on an interesting meaning because of tense of verb. It is in present tense but in passive voice which represents subject as being recipient of action or comfort. The phrase is also in indicative mood which is a simple statement of fact; it says it happened therefore we are comforted. The Word of God is wonderful.

2 Tim. 4:2 "Preach word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Here exhort paraklaeo cannot be translated correctly and must be rendered beseech or comfort. The same applies to 1 Tim. 2:6 teach and exhort.

In paraklesis or parakleo we have therefore a word which can easily be robbed of its beauty and power by application of an imaginative mechanical rule. Its etymology reveals that it means, "to call to one's side"; its usage shows that according to context, it means either; to entreat as in "I beseech", admonish as in "I exhort" and consolation as in "I comfort" and that in each shade of meaning, other aspects are present. The beseeching will not be so gentle as to be weak, admonition will not be so harsh as to be repugnant, and consolation will not be without comfort.