{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Christ Covenant Church","title":"What I (Rabbi Scott) Would Tell My Younger Self In Christ","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3324,"description":"I (Rabbi Scott) have been saved and following Christ for 30 years. Here are some things I would tell myself if I could go back in time to the beginning.\n \n1. Send thank you cards to those who persecute you. \n1.1. Though 2Ti 3:12 makes clear that persecution is promised to those who attempt to preach and practice faithfulness to Christ, we nonetheless seem to be caught off guard when it happens. \n1.2. Hence why Peter says what he does in (1Pe 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you”).\n1.3. This “testing” in not only necessary to qualifying for the next life, it also promises to grant us and extra measure of blessing (Mat 5:10-12) = If the tests we faced in this life included being slandered and condemned as evil by false followers of Christ (the main antagonists of Christ’s words – Joh 16:2) we will receive a greater reward than those who faced no persecution (“your reward in heaven is great” - Or greater than the other blessings or rewards mentioned in the prior verses [3-9]).\n1.4. Which means two things: \n1) those who persecute us are actually doing us a huge favor! They are personally seeing to it that our eternal stay in Paradise be upgraded to first class. \n2) the considerate thing to do in relation to such individuals would therefore be to send them a thank you card letting them know we appreciate the upgrade. \n1.5. We could also offer to send them pics of all the awesome experiences we will be having – since where they are going will not be awesome – but awful.\n1.6. PNTM: We should be overjoyed every time someone speaks evil about us (or our church) since what they are ultimately doing is increasing our stock value for the next life. \n \n2. Focus on glowing over knowing. \n2.1. Glowing = Becoming immortal; Knowing = Becoming omniscient.\n2.2. As you continue to follow Christ, you will (of course) learn more and more of the Bible. The temptation...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UXGjftzm8Yw--IISwUKe6A6-CX1YtARptisfLmFJFoI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81Zjc4/MmNmNTMxZjNmOTgw/YjA1NWRhYmMxMTNl/YmE1Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}