Big Battles

For me some of the biggest battles are within me. There are times when I am uncertain of what is happening with a friend, for example, that I will create what may be happening in my mind. If that turns out to not be the way I want it to be, I get upset. That is when things really get going, all in my mind. It can end up being these imaginary arguments, with both being upset, and it is still all in my mind. I guess that is the point – it is imaginary and just in my mind.

Scriptures tell us in many places not to judge our fellow believers but to be at peace with them. This is what Paul was saying in Philippians 4:1-7. He begins by saying stay as you were when first saved. I can remember how peaceful that was. Then he encourages people to be of one mind, to get along, and to help one another. In verse 8 is the verse many of us have heard and know about what to meditate on. This is a good verse for me to remember when I am having one of these big battles in my mind.

Prayer
Father, thank You so much for the scriptures. They are a source of light to our feet, and light to the way we should go. Help us stay on the path. Help us not to get into imaginary arguments with people in our heads. We praise and thank You. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Fullness

In Ephesians 4:7-13 we see the description of the five-fold ministry. According to Paul, the offices/gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are meant to exist to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body. In a conversation I had with another believer they stated that they felt that the end goal was that each member of the body reaches the fullness of the stature of the Messiah, and that at that point we would all operate in all five offices. This point is important because we do need to know how long these offices are to exist if the point is to equip the saints.

First I disagree that we can all operate in all of these gifts. There is nothing in this passage that indicates this, although it is frequently preached from the pulpit. It is clear that the gifts (plural) were given by the Messiah to men (plural) in verse eight. That is what the scripture says, and although I love my brethren, when they disagree with the scripture, I have to agree with the scripture.

The second point is when can we expect to reach the fullness of the stature of the Messiah, as stated in verse 13? In 1 John 3:2-3 it says that when we see Him we will be as He is. Therefore, it would suggest that at the second coming we will be like Jesus. Until then, we are to work toward being pure. How? Through the work of the five-fold ministry, studying the scriptures, prayer, praise, etc. So, I suggest first that no one will ever have all five ministry gifts, because the purpose of them is to get us to the time when we are like Him, which is when He returns. There is no indication in this scripture that they will continue after that. Why is this important?

For me and my house, we need to see the five-fold in operation because we need to be equipped. Whatever we are missing is an opportunity for the enemy to attack and inflict damage. I do not want that for my family.

What do you want for your family?

Prayer
Father, You are the Most High King. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. You alone can help man reach the the fullness of the stature of the Messiah through the gifts that Jesus died and rose again for, the five-fold ministry. Please Father, have mercy on us all. Please call forth these gifts on the earth in a mighty way today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pressing On, Pressing In

My wife and I were discussing this morning the various churches we have attended in our lifetimes. There were many good experiences. There were also some not so good where people went astray from the best God has for them. As we discussed this we also noticed that none of the churches we had attended had the five-fold ministries in action as we see in Ephesians 4:11. I told my wife that I think it is like taking a 110 volt appliance and plugging it in to a 220 volt socket. It just overloads. Here is the best part about the conversation – I came away encouraged. Why?

Because every church we have been at we have known some people who were there for more than just a social event. We have known people with a heart to serve God in a way that is inspiring. It is the body of believers, searching for their God, that encourages me.

Prayer
Father, I praise and exalt You for being the King of the universe. Thank You for reaching out to sinful man and saving us. Thank You for always trying to lead us on our way. Thank You for never letting our messing things up discourage You to the point of giving up on us. Please forgive us all. Please help us find our way. In Jesus name. Amen.

My God Is A Comfort To Me

Today was a very interesting day for me. Many good things happened, and I had opportunity to think more about God. The more I thought about God, the more I felt comforted. It made me wonder exactly why that is. Perhaps because we are His creation, and we are to be with Him always. When we contemplate Him, it is like contemplating where we come from, it is like “being home.” Even though I am not perfect, I want to strive to do the best I can for God. It’s like I want Him to be proud to call me His son. Even though I mess up, I feel like He is there cheering me on to turn from doing wrong things to doing right things.

That is very comforting to me. God is on our side.

Prayer
Father, thank You for watching over us. Thank You for watching out for us. Thank You for never walking away. Thank You for being King. In Jesus name. Amen.

Plugging In To The Plan

My wife and I were sitting on our patio this morning. Two squirrels, a few minutes apart, walked passed her, pausing for a moment before moving on. We were talking and moving, but they were not afraid of us. This lead to a discussion about the peace of God and how they were most likely attracted to that. As I thought about our conversation, it occurred to me that my wife was correct, and that God has a plan, and if we follow it we will be at peace.

That caused me to look up a scripture in Isaiah 58:13 God is speaking about keeping his Sabbath. It follows on the heals of God giving instruction about fasting. In both cases God is offering us the gentle emphasis of course correction. First that fasting is not about getting from God, but to be used by God to help others. Secondly, that the Sabbath was set by God and important for us to receive the promises of riding on the high hills of the earth and being fed the inheritance of Jacob.

Doesn’t it make sense that an intelligent Creator would have a plan? Does it not then also make sense that by us plugging in to that plan, there is a good “fit” and we get closer to God?

We serve a very intelligent Creator!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the intelligent Creator King of the universe. Thank You for watching over us. Thank You for holding us up. Thank You for what you have given to us. Thank You for the plan, and showing it to us. We pray today that all could receive and follow your plan. In Jesus name. Amen.

One Thing Needed For Every Prayer

Looking into my back yard this morning a saw a small bird that landed on one of my planters. That bird sat there and did not fly away for thirty minutes or more. He was content to sit there in the sun and look around the yard, until he finally saw the bug he wanted crawling in the rock garden. He swooped down quickly to get it an flew off. Definitely, he was a patient fellow.

It made me stop and think about my own life and how I sometimes let it get very cluttered. When that happens I can become easily stressed or dissatisfied with my life. I am so caught up in things that I think are important that I forget to ask God what He wants from me at that moment or what He thinks is important.

In short, I have to be involved in God’s stuff to see God’s stuff. If we seek Him, even in our distress as it says in Psalm 118:5, He hears us and because His mercy endures forever, He will deliver us. He may let us deal with our mistakes that we might learn from them, but in the end, He will deliver us. At the beginning of Psalm 118, in verses 2, 3, and 4, it repeats that the various people that want deliverance have to open their mouth and speak. “His mercy endures forever” is proclaimed by Israel, by the Aaron’s family, and finally by all who fear the Lord. It is very interesting that when they want deliverance, they start by speaking of His mercy. Perhaps that is because we do not deserve the deliverance, but His mercy brings it to us anyway when we turn to Him and ask.

If we want to experience God, we have to be with God. We have to be “in the game” to win. Like the little bird, we have to be in the yard to see it, and we have to be patient. The one thing every prayer needs is someone to pray it, someone “in the game.”

Prayer
Father, we love You. Your mercy endures forever. You never leave us or turn Your back. Please forgive us for getting too busy to spend time with You until we need something. Let us be a part of bringing Your kingdom to the earth. Help us today, Lord, help us today. In Jesus name. Amen.

In All Things

For those of us in the United States, this is a celebration of the day of the independence of the country. It is the day that we set aside to be thankful for the founders of our country taking a stand for what they thought was right. Growing up I was raised to be very patriotic, and idealistic. Growing older I watched many things, good and bad, happen in our country. Some have become cynical of the country’s progress. We as believers are given a different message.

We are to remember that we are ambassadors of another place, of God’s kingdom, while here on earth. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul reminds us that God is reconciling the world to himself. We are the ambassadors of the Messiah. He is our King, and asks us to good to all. On a day like today, I am thankful that I live where I live, not as merely a citizen of the United States, but as an ambassador for the Messiah, that through me, through us as believers, we can try to do good, to serve God, and be a part of that reconciliation. I am thankful for my wife and children. I am thankful for the church I attend and for the Godly leaders. I am thankful for their words that attempt to help us do good.

As Paul said to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, let us give thanks in all things.

Prayer
Father, we praise You always. Thank You for where we are today. Thank You for moving us from where we are to being more like Jesus. Thank You for Your great mercy toward us. Help us to be better each day. In Jesus name. Amen.

Different Jobs

This week in our prayer group someone mentioned and prayed for the emergence of the five fold ministry. As I read Ephesians 4 this morning, I realized that it was as much about warfare as it was about edification. Many are aware of the five ministry positions listed in Ephesians 4:11 of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. (I know what your thinking – where is the listing for “Senior Pastor” or “Head Pastor” or “Associate Pastor”, right? Crazy, right?) Many people get into disagreements over these titles, whether they are for today, whether Paul really meant that these were really all one person as some profess from the pulpit today, etc. What I found interesting was a part I had read many times but not considered as much until now.

In verses 7-10 Paul talks about Jesus death and resurrection. The One who ascended first descended. There are some interesting teachings on this as well. Let me be clear about my position. It was the blood on the cross of Jesus that sets men free, not some battle afterwords. The captivity that Jesus took captive was sin and death. That is the essence of why we ALWAYS win against the devil. He is already defeated because a sinless man died and rose again. The warfare that we wage is based on the gifts given to raise up the body. What are they? That is what is in Ephesians 4:11. Jesus took away sin and death, and gave something back to fight the fight. But, you may be thinking, “We don’t have all those types of gifts at our church. How are we supposed to be built up until we all come in to the fullness of Christ?” Hmmm. Now that is worth praying for!

Prayer
Father, we praise You for the Kingdom that You set up. We acknowledge that You alone are the Most High God. We want to thank You for the gifts You give men of some apostles, some prophets, some pastors, and some teachers. Father, please bring these gifts, these people, into the open, into our assemblies of believers today, that we may come into the fullness of Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

What Are The Building Blocks?

The scriptures direct us to build each other up, to edify one another. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 it not only directs us to do so, but assumes we already are doing so. But it makes me wonder, what are the stones?

In James 2 we are admonished not to prefer the rich over the poor; not to show partiality. If we do not show partiality, the the stones would be treating others fairly. Singing psalms and hymns is another way to build us up. Here the blocks are positive words that we hear that add to our faith and trust in God. The stones are those words and deeds that cause a person to be strengthened. To destroy someone, the opposite of building them up, is to say or do something that moves the person away from faith and trust in God.

I guess the only thing left to say is to ask oneself, or to ask God, “Lord, are the things I do and say building others up?”

Prayer
Father, we praise and honor You as the One True God. Thank ou for today. Please help us to raise each other up, as Jesus would. In Jesus name. Amen.

Turning The Ship

In prayer this morning God directed me to James 3:5. The scripture talks about how we have the power in our tongue like the bit in a horse’s mouth or the rudder on a ship to turn the entire body or structure. This scripture starts speaking about not everyone should want to be a teacher because the tongue is so powerful. James admonishes not to speak against others, that good and bad should not come from the same mouth. What encourages me here is that James assumes we understand that we have power in our speaking to our control our whole body. For me, that is a very powerful revelation. James goes on to say that no one will be perfect at it, or that is what I interpret him to be saying. That I understand because we are human, and I know for me personally I am not perfect. I make mistakes regularly, and have to keep looking to God to get me back on track. But for me it is so encouraging to know that I have God on my side and He has given me the power over my body. That power is in my tongue.

Prayer
Father, You are the King of the universe. We praise and exalt You for Your wisdom and Your truth. We need Your help. You have given us power over our very being in the form of our tongue. That is really at least a little bit scary. I know for me that I do not always get it right. Please help us move towards doing a better job of getting it right. Please help us guard our tongue and our speech. Help us to say and do the right things. In Jesus name. Amen.