Lesson 21: Stand Victorious (4)
Read Romans 15:13-33 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/rom.15

In our previous lessons about standing victorious, we have learned about God’s value of obedience rather than sacrifice, and how the Holy Spirit works in our life.

One more very important ministry to us from the Holy Spirit is that of Comforter. We often think comfort is only needed in times of grief or bereavement. This is not true. We need comfort when we have failed and we believe we are unworthy of being forgiven for the umpteen-hundredth time. We need comfort when we have sought to obey God's will and it has not worked out the way we thought it would or should. We need comfort when someone we have been witnessing to has not accepted Christ when we wanted them to.

All these things are a reminder that we as human beings learn only through experience – ours or someone else's. If we want to learn only through our own experience, what we will learn will be limited to one lifetime. It is humanly impossible to be an astronaut, a biologist, a chemist, a doctor, an explorer, a florist, a geologist, a hermit, an inventor, a judge, a king, a lawyer, a musician, a naturalist, an optometrist, a pianist, a quilter, a researcher, a surgeon, a teacher, an undertaker, a veterinarian, a widow/er, a xenophobe, a youth worker, and a zoologist all in one lifetime.


Of course, there are uncounted more things in this world we could be, all as valid as those we named, but you get the point. Every one of them has a unique experience with God. Every one of them can teach us something different about God. Every one of them has experiences from which we could learn. The only way, I repeat, the only way we can gain all those experiences is through someone else's eyes. And I say again, this is why we are to be in church and why we are to share what we learn with others. Our experiences give us unique insight into God and we must share them as the Holy Spirit prompts us to do so. Through us He can teach others; through others He can teach us.

But perhaps most important is that two or more people who stand together against any kind of attack will be stronger than one alone can be. Just as wagon trains in the American Old West circled for the night to provide a place of safety against danger, so we as believers in a church can circle around each other to withstand attack from the evil one. Each brings their own gifts and abilities to help the rest and benefits from the strength and power of those around them.

Study the following verses and write down how they pertain to your obedience to God – where are you weak, where are you strong, what will you ask God to help you change in your life of obedience?
*Deuteronomy 5:29
*John 14:21
*1 Corinthians 2:10-16
*Galatians 5:16, 25
*John 16:7, 13