Month: July 2020

Some lessons from 2 Chronicles, chapters 10 to 14.

Ch 10, Solomon’s son Rehoboam, it says twice, ‘followed the young men he’d grown up with’, he walked with the FAMILIAR. We live in CHANGING TIMES and the ways we’ve known may no longer be of help to us, we will all NEED TO HEAR from and follow the Lord in coming days.

Ch 11, Solomon disobeyed and married foreign wives, who led him to worship/embrace other gods—the root of Israel’s troubles(a door was opened to evil). A warning to us NOT TO BE UNEQUALLY YOKED OR IN AGREEMENT WITH UNBELIEVERS IN ANY AREA. Paul confirms in 1 Cor 7:39.

Ch 12, King Rehoboam became strong and he and all the people abandoned the Laws/Ways of God. They were soon soon defeated by the king of Egypt(the world). The people of God are NO MATCH FOR THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF GOD.

V8 God said Judah would have to learn a lesson for abandoning Him. WE TOO OFTEN LEARN THE DEEPEST LESSONS IN THE HARD TIMES.

V12 God said ‘THERE WAS SOME GOOD IN JUDAH’. GOD LOOKS FOR THE GOOD IN US EVEN WHEN WE TURN FROM HIM AND GO OUR OWN WAY.

Ch 13 YOUR BATTLE MAY BE YOUR TURNING POINT! Israel and Judah fought a major battle, the king of Israel never recovered and God struck him dead. The king of Judah grew in strength.

Ch 14 King Asa REMOVED ALL THE GARBAGE(IDOLS) from the land, a thorough clean out. This is God’s Order for getting right with Him and then seek His Face.

BUILD YOURSELVES UP IN THE TIME OF PEACE. He said the land was still theirs because they had sought God.

A LARGER MORE POWERFUL ENEMY CAME, ‘SEEMS TO BE THE NORM’ FOR GOD’S PEOPLE. THEY HAD TO CALL ON GOD TO HELP THEM IN BATTLE.

Chronicles(records) wouldn’t seem a rich place to look for a word from the Lord, but it’s a Living Word and He can speak to us from any part. All of the above comes from this week’s Spreaker broadcasts, so there’s always something for us when we come to listen.

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We will seek a personal prophetic word to encourage and help, please contact us on the page above.

God bless and keep you today.

LOVE, the essential ingredient to life in the body of Christ. 1 Cor 13

1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13 and 14 is known as the ‘Love sandwich’. Chapters 12 and 14 which talk about the spiritual gifts are the bread but the short chapter in between, 13, is the filling, or we might say the meat(the nourishing, tasty part).

Paul begins(and ends) this part of his message with the pronouncement that ‘love is the most excellent way’.

Moving powerfully in spiritual gifts(we are only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol, using gifts can be noisy!)or making great personal sacrifice without love is meaningless. Love must be the motivation and basis for everything we do as Christian people, after all it was God’s love that sent Jesus to the cross. Spiritual gifts can be powerful and exciting, people are drawn to them as they were to Jesus’ miracles, but using them in a wrong attitude can cause divisions in the church. Paul earlier told the Corinthians that unity in the Body is so vital.

God’s love is ‘Agape Love’, mainly an act of the will. It is sacrificial love, willing to pay any price to care for someone. This is the love that God had for us—that while we were still sinners, God loved us. The reason why so many churches have been divided over charismatic issues is that there has been a lack of agape love. This sort of love can bring people together who may have very different views on the matter. They can choose to love one another despite their different points of view. (David Pawson, direct quote).

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude(does not dishonour others NIVUK), it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8

Paul concludes by telling us that spiritual gifts will pass, they’re only given for a season here on earth, they’re not ours but Love will remain. It’s also significant in the midst of his talk on gifts(revelation etc), Paul says we only know in part, like seeing an image in a mirror. 1 Cor 13:12 May God give us grace and enable us to focus on knowing Him, even more than spiritual gifts.

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God bless and keep you today.

Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:27

Paul introduces chapter 12 on the subject of spiritual gifts, about which he doesn’t want the Corinthian Church, or us, to be ignorant(usually means something is out of order). The basic test to identify the spirit behind anything, is what is being said about Jesus! Cursing Jesus is not from the Spirit of God and no-one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

V7 Now to each one the manifestation(dancing finger of God) of the Spirit is given for the common good(for the good of the whole body).

Paul goes on to list the 9 Gifts of the Spirit; 3 spoken gifts prophecy, tongues and interpretation; 3 revelatory gifts word or message of wisdom, knowledge and distinguishing between spirits; 3 power gifts faith, healings and miracles. Paul reminds us all these gifts come from ‘the same/one Spirit’, only one source. It’s significant that there are also 9 Fruits of the Spirit listed in Gal 5:22.

V 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

We are all one in Christ, just as there’s one single body. We are all different but we’re meant to function together as one. Christianity unlike other religions embraces diversity and indeed thrives on the variety God has put within us and in His whole creation. We shouldn’t try to be what others are in the body, we need to find where we fit and what works for us. This is very important, God has a specific calling for each one of us and there are no clones in Christ, who alone is Head! The Corinthian Church was recognised as a charismatic church(operating in Spiritual gifts) but Paul was telling them that they all needed one another. The spirit of competition, so prevalent in the world, should never be present in Christ’s Body.

V31 But eagerly(or you are eagerly) desire the greater gifts.

Paul encouraged them to desire spiritual gifts. To young believers I would say TRY TO BE AROUND THOSE WHO ARE MOVING IN THE GIFTINGS/AREAS WHICH EXCITE AND BLESS YOU. We learn by being around people who are doing what we want to do, by association. That’s how you’ll grow and develop in that area, but remember that the way it works out in you will be unique to your calling in Christ.

God bless and keep you today and every day.

Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Cor 9:24

Paul spends much of chapter 9 talking about his calling as an apostle(Greek apostolos, literally ‘send away’. Acts 13:1 Sent out by the Holy Spirit and the elders in Antioch).

We know Paul faced many hardships, but he begins the chapter by reminding the Corinthian Church that he was an apostle to them and their church is the seal or proof of this.

Paul has certain rights as an apostle, to food and drink and to take along a ‘believing’ wife, like the other apostles, but he and Barnabas chose to work for their living. A double labour to support themselves and birth the new church. He gives three natural examples of people who benefit from their own service, a soldier, one who plants a vineyard and a shepherd who tends the flock. He also quotes scripture, that an ox should not be muzzled while treading the grain.

12  If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

Paul is reminding the Corinthians and us today, how much he and Barnabas sacrificed to bring the word of God to a place where Christ wasn’t known. They endured hardship and worked to support themselves, though others may have been receiving the support due to them by the church.

Derek Prince said that everybody should be supporting and giving to the work of the harvest before the Lord returns. He said many people wanted to hear the Gospel, Good News of Jesus and had to be given the opportunity. The white horse in Rev 6 precedes three others bringing judgement.

Paul had to preach the Gospel and he made himself like all those he met to draw some of them to Christ. There is a real joy in leading someone to the Lord, please pray for opportunities to do this, even if you haven’t done it for a long time. God can use us to reach people whom no one else can reach and by all means pray for them first if certain people come to mind. We can be a part of the harvest and we can give to the work of the harvest, before He returns. There is change all around us and people are going to need Jesus more than ever. This is a time to be increasing and not decreasing in our service for the Lord.

‘Run in such a way as to get the prize’, as Paul encouraged his hearers.

God bless and keep you as you reach out for Him today.

 

 

Love others more than doing our own thing. 1 Cor 8

Be careful and thoughtful not to do something that might damage those still growing in their faith.

Paul begins chapter 8 by making an incisive comment about the difference between knowledge and love;

Knowledge puffs up, but LOVE BUILDS UP. 1 Cor 8:1

God sometimes says a lot in a very short sentence! Knowledge is something we accumulate/grow in ourselves. Love is given to others, not for self, not self-centred.

Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. 1 Cor 8:2,3

There is a big difference between head knowledge and heart love. Just because we know something doesn’t mean we’re doing it in our lives, whereas love often demands commitment and often sacrifice. ‘God knows those who love Him’, as opposed to those who are casually interested. How much do we really love God? The Laodicean Church, the last Church in Rev 3 was judged for being lukewarm, it may represent the last church of this age.

Paul’s instruction to the Church is to be careful what they do in front of weaker believers, eating meat sacrificed to idols. Don’t be ‘puffed up because we know something’ won’t harm us, it may damage another who doesn’t have our understanding.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. … so this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Paul is calling for the church not to recklessly exercise their rights and hurt or destroy their brothers and sisters’ faith. We need to love those growing in their faith and not do anything to hurt them(their conscience). Christ died for them and loves them as His children.

Remember, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. It’s our privilege to help build up others in Christ’ body.

God bless and keep you today.

 

 

The immoral environment in Corinth was a big problem for the Church there and in chapter 7, Paul responds to a letter(it’s often wisdom to wait until we’re asked for our opinion!) and gives some guidance regarding marriage. Should people get married? What do they do if one becomes a believer? Can believers remarry?

Paul is glad to be single and to be fully devoted to serving the Lord, 1 Cor 7:35, but he doesn’t condemn those who want to be married, better to be married than to burn with passion in this promiscuous city/society. 1 Cor 7:9

If a husband or wife becomes a believer, they should stay with their spouse if the other is willing to live with them.

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean but as it is, they are Holy. 1 Cor 7:14

This is a powerful verse! The believer carries the Spirit of God and they sanctify their spouse and children. God sees the whole family through the believing spouse and treats them as Holy.

In the Spreaker broadcasts we have been going through 2 Chr 8:11, Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife, out of the King David’s palace because anywhere the Ark of God had been was holy. Same truth, expressed in (OT) Old Testament times. God’s presence sanctifies, makes Holy.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let them do so. A believer is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do we know whether we will save our spouse?  Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to them and to which God has called them this is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 1 Cor 7:15

It’s better for believers to stay married if possible and to live in peace, but if the unbelieving partner decides to leave, let them. Unfortunately this does happen today and some believers immediately pay a high price for coming to know Jesus, family breakup.

Paul states three times in this chapter that each of us should remain in the place God’s called us to. V17, 20, 23. I believe the context clearly shows Paul is talking about the believer’s marital status when they come to the Lord, don’t break up the family because of our faith.

He says believers shouldn’t even worry about being slaves, because of our freedom in Christ, but should get their freedom if they can. ‘You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men’. Once again Solomon didn’t enslave any Israelites, God’s people in the OT, 2 Chr 8:9. It’s said that the OT is a shadow of the New.

Paul concludes that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives(though not for adultery), but when he dies she can marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord! Getting married should be to a believer, not the same as coming to faith in a marriage. Amos 3:3 says, ‘how can two walk together unless they be agreed’? It’s much easier and more fulfilling for a believer to marry a believer, Paul gives wise advice.

God bless and keep you today.

 

The body(our body) is for the Lord. 1 Cor 6:13

In the last part of chapter 6 Paul is telling the Church that our physical bodies need to be kept Holy for the Lord, they’re His, they were ‘bought for a price’. Corinth was a port city and an army garrison, also Venus/Aphrodite worship took place there, so promiscuity was widespread (same as society today).

‘Everything is permissible for me… but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me… but I will not be mastered by anything’. 1 Cor 6:12 Paul begins by expressing his freedom in Christ but immediately says that he won’t be mastered by anything(fight the good fight of faith).

Three times in these last 9 verses Paul uses the little phrase, ‘Do you not know?’and tells the Church some significant truths. Someone said that when Paul asks the Church do you not know, invariably we don’t know!

V15, Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself?

V16, Do you not know that he unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh “. But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.

V19, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

Rom 12:1,  Therefore, I urge you, brethren, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…’ God wants our bodies because our souls and spirits are in them, if He has our bodies then He has us.

Derek Prince wrote a ‘Confession for Overcomers’, which includes two of the truths Paul stated in these verses.

My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit(V19), redeemed, cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. The devil has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus. I overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb and by the word of my testimony and I love not my life until the death. My body is for the Lord and the Lord is for my body(V 13).

You may want to speak this confession out over your own lives(God’s word never returns to Him void but always accomplishes what He desires) and contact Derek Prince Ministries which have this and other confessions on printed bookmarks/cards.

God bless and keep you today and everyday.