the Charismatic / Pentecostal preacher

[murjahel]

HINDRANCES TO PREACHING



THE BIGGEST HINDRANCE TO PREACHING IS OURSELVES​

The Lord calls ordinary people. Preachers are not Superman, not even Batman. Preachers grow weary, get grouchy, have physical problems, are not the wisest nor most educated on earth, are not rich and famous.

1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (KJV)
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.



The message of preaching is going to be considered ‘foolishness’ by many of the hearers, at least all those who ‘perish’. The word ‘foolishness’ is the Greek word ‘moria’ (G3472), meaning ‘silly, absurd, foolish.’

For those that are ‘saved’, the preaching is ‘the power of God.’ The preaching of the gospel presents the message of God, that message brings salvation to save the souls of people.

Romans 1:16 (KJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The ‘wisdom’ of those claiming to be wise is destroyed by the preaching of the rhema words of God, Surely, they lie, they abhor the preaching, them mock it, they challenge its wisdom. Yet, in the final analysis, the wisdom of the wise is “destroyed”, the prudent (or so they think) is proven to be ‘nothing’.

God is ‘pleased... by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” It pleased God to befuddle the wise men of that day by the preaching of a crucified Jesus. They expected a Savior would be a mighty conqueror. When He came to die for our sins, they stumbled at that kind of salvation.

God then began to choose the foolish ones of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak ones of the world to confound the ones who think they are mighty.

God chose:
1. Foolish ones to confound the wise
2. Weak ones to confound mighty
3. Base ones to humble the exalted
4. Despised ones to humble noble
5. Powerless ones to bring defeat to the powerful



Jesus is made unto us to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. As weak and foolish as we are, Jesus becomes the ‘power of God’, the ‘wisdom of God’, the ‘righteousness of God’, the ‘holiness of God’,
and the ‘redemption of God.’ We need no more. With those things we can glory in Him. He makes us to be more than fit to preach. We need not hang our heads when the world mocks us. We are His, and He is in us, empowering us to be far greater than we are of ourselves.



Our biggest hindrance therefore is allowing the old man to be who is preaching, who is taking credit for the message. The message is God’s, the power is the Lord’s, and the results are to His glory. We are the ‘weak, foolish, base, despised, and powerless ones that He is using.


Socrates is said to have had an ‘ugly’ face. He refused to let that fault hinder him, and he pushed forward to be a renowned person. We have more than just an ugly face, we are totally depraved of power or strength. Yet, with Jesus in us, we do mighty things.


When called to deliver Israel, Moses said: “Who am I, that I should...?” To this God answered: ‘Certainly, I will be with thee...” Just to trust and obey, and God did miracles, showed signs and wonders, miraculously provided for Moses and Israel. If we recognize our weakness and stupidity, but still push on with Jesus as our Source, we will likewise see God’s power.


When Gideon was called to deliver his people, he said: “Wherewith shall I save Israel?’ Yet, the Lord said ‘Have not I sent thee?’ God became his sufficiency, his wisdom, his power.



Solomon was chosen king in Israel, but his words were ‘I am but a little child, I know not how to go out or come in.” The gift he requested from God was ‘wisdom’, and since then the wisdom of Solomon has been considered the greatest of all in the Old Testament.

The apostles were ordinary men. Fishermen, tax collectors, angry zealots, just common people. God used them, empowered them with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What excuse do preachers today offer to God for not feeling worthy to do the work? Whatever they are, they are actually the reason God called preachers to be preachers. He wants to take those who totally are unworthy, unable, and unwilling, and make them great due to His power.


TIME IS A HINDRANCE TO PREACHING


There are 168 hours in the week of all people. It does not get less for the preacher than for anyone else. The problem is not lack of time, it is the crowding of too many things into that time.

The preacher sows spiritual seed into the garden of a congregation. The preacher delivers sermons authored by God and by His Word, requiring much study and prayer. The preacher educates of the Word of God, showing principles which are guidelines for the lives of the hearers. The preacher must organize the mundane things of living, with the spiritual requirements of his calling.

The day, the week, the month, and the year get so full of things to do, that the preacher can sometimes manage their time by ‘reaction.’ The preacher can feel like they are on a sliding board, sliding faster and faster on a slope that makes stopping to be impossible. The bottom of the drop may look fearful and the preacher becomes frustrated. The telephone and its unexpected demands on one’s time, can rule the day. The physical body with its weakness, sickness, and weariness can overrule what a preacher had deemed vital and important. Too often, what was not expected yesterday, becomes the deciding factor for today’s use of time.

A preacher can begin to think there are no real accomplishments, for one’s evaluation of accomplishment of the tasks of the calling find few things really done, but many non-essential things. The list of people preached to, sometimes one at a time, sometimes when they were sick or dying, sometimes when they did not want preached to, is a long list. The preacher wanted to preach to one huge crowd of praising saints, but instead preached to many small groups of persons unwilling to hear what the preacher had to say. Was that week a failure for the preacher? No, the preacher preached many sermons, fulfilling the calling of God, even if he/she did not satisfy any of the hearers of the sermons.

Almost all problems are spiritual in origin. They may result in addictions, in crisis, in jail or in hospital, but they started in the spirit of mankind and a sermon to the root of the problem. The sermon is not wanted, it is resented and criticized, for they want the jail to disappear, the hospital to not be needed, and the addiction to cease its bondage, and the person causing them a problem to repent . Yet, they are unwilling to admit the root of the problem is a spiritual problem in themselves. The preacher is the one who confirms the real problem is their spiritual problem. It seems like a waste of time to the preacher, but it truly is their calling. Preachers get frustrated with spending much of their time preaching to unwilling, and unchanging people.

The mundane need replaced with the spiritual. I heard of one pastor, leading a person to Jesus, and he heard the telephone ring while the man prayed the sinners’ prayer. The preacher asked to be excused to answer the phone, leaving the man alone. The mundane had distracted the preacher from what is of eternal value.

Preachers need a plan. Organization of time needs to be a priority. To hurry, one does not throw all the ingredients into a bowl, stir, and then read the recipe. The recipe is the organization of those ingredients, and the proper way to end up with the food delicacy desired. If a plan is followed, a good result is to be expected. If the recipe is for a cake, baking before stirring is foolish.

Plan your time with extended goals. Do not plan too short. If you were the fullback, and the ball is handed to you, the defenders all fall down, the blockers are all surrounding you, and you only had a plan to push as far at the next yard marker, you would be foolish to not have an extended plan for running the whole 80 yards to the goal line. Plan for great results, and be ready to just make the first down, if things do not go as well as you could hope.

Do not plan for failure, but use failures to give reason to push on more and more. The fullback that gets hit at the first step, and gets up with a bloody nose, and no gain, could say ‘I quit’. Yet, the Coach is looking for the fullback who will say, ‘Give me the ball again, this time I am going to score a touchdown.’

Planning is vital. What is not done on today’s plan is moved to another day. If you could not get it done yesterday, do it today. If the devil hit you hard during your efforts yesterday, make the devil miserable today by claiming what he tried to keep you from doing. Do your ministry, your preaching even harder to discourage the devil who tried to discourage you.

Attack the time hindrance. Start early. Be early where you are expected. Do not come late, and have to hurry and cut corners of what you intended to do.

Take breaks during the day. Prayer breaks, refreshment breaks, rest breaks, fellowship breaks. Jesus was on a fellowship break when He turned water into wine. He was on a refreshment break when He broke five loaves and two fish into a meal for many thousand. He was on a prayer break in Gethsemane, He was on a rest break when He awoke and stilled the waters. Great things happen on breaks. Then, after breaks like those, it is inspiring to get back to the big tasks of the day.

The mid day review needs to be done. Right after mid day, check on what you have accomplished, what is next, what is yet to get done. Have the unexpected events of the day made it wise to revise the rest of the day? If so, make adjustments. The coming to raise Lazarus from the de ad was an interruption of the schedule of Jesus. Our interrupted, changed schedule can be ‘divine appointments’ as some call them. We do not know God’s schedule for our day. God does. Let Him make unexpected changes. He is Lord.

A bed time evaluation can be done. This needs to be done with the Lord. Ask Him to evaluate your day. Seek His advice. Ask Him for forgiveness for any failures, ask Him to bless your efforts for Him. Relax in His love and mercy. Say ‘good’ (not bad, not frustrated, not irritated) night’. He can make the worst day to be your greatest. The worst day of Jesus’ life here on earth, was the best day of His life for us. The worst sermon we preach can be the day of salvation, or of revelation to another. They may never share with the preacher what happened in their heart till much later. Trust the Lord to share with you, His evaluation of your day and of your life.

 

[murjahel]

part 2

PUBLIC RELATIONS CAN BE A HINDRANCE TO PREACHING

The preacher has to deal with the public. Preachers are to preach to people whether to one at a time, or to huge crowds. These people will have opinions of the preacher and of the sermon. They will criticize, praise, or ignore the sermon.

The preacher must preach a message that does not make public relations to be the main concern. One can try to be eloquent enough to get a standing ovation, and never win a soul to Jesus. One can explain in beautiful detail the facts of the Bible message, but be so alert to reactions of the crowd, that no real application of the message is given, lest it upset the public. Some distort the message, taking out all the inconvenient parts, all the hard truths that suggest that repentance is needed. Some though are as forceful and needed, as accurate as one can be, as demanding as the Author meant it to be, and then watch the Spirit of God convict, bless, and save. The preacher needs to put public reaction to be of far lesser importance than God’s opinion of what is preached.

Sometimes the pay of the preacher depends on the reaction of the hearers of the sermon. Remuneration can be on the top of some preachers’ list of important things. Low salaries are not from God, but concern of the salary must not allow a change in the sermons. The preacher is used of God to do spiritual surgery on the congregation, but the preacher is not paid like the surgeon in the hospital. The preacher can explain God’s law in preciseness better than a lawyer can explain mankind’s laws, yet the preacher is not paid as the lawyer. The preacher is the scholar to explain a book written by an Author that has omniscience, yet the professors in the universities who explain the rules of mathematics receive greater remuneration on earth. The preacher needs to trust the Lord to reward, here and later in heaven, in a far fairer way than mankind has devised to reward a preacher of God’s Word. Trying to make the public want to pay one more money will result in a loss of God’s anointing, for that aim of repayment is not to be our goal in preaching.

Concern for public relations improvement may make a preacher mow a lawn, fix the plumbing, and receive more applause from the congregation. Yet, the unseen time in prayer, intercession, Bible study is thought by the congregation to be just rest time. The most vital use of time is the prayer and Bible study. The time preaching to one or two at a time in the church office, at the local mall, or at a diner downtown, is more important than the time standing in a church pulpit where half the congregation is sleeping and the other half are planning dinner. Public relations may make a preacher seek to improve the parts of ministry that God sees as less important.

The everyday ethics of a preacher may speak a louder sermon in public relations than the sermon does. A bus driver saw his preacher getting on his bus. The preacher gave him a dollar bill, and the driver gave him the wrong change. The preacher went to the back of the bus, counted the change again, and saw it was too much. ‘Shall I give it back?’, he wondered. It was not that much, but finally the preacher went to the front of the bus. He explained the mistake and gave the overpayment back to the driver. The driver smiled and said, ‘I just wanted to see if you practiced what you preach. You preached Thou shalt not steal last Sunday. Now, I know you really believe that.’ The world watches every preacher. The public relations improvement comes when they see you live what you preach.

Sometimes, no matter how hard a preacher tries, he/she finds that some will never like them. The message of Jesus is a message that many will never accept, and the messenger is often attacked due to the unaccepted message. One child listening to someone read the 23rd Psalm asked if there were really ‘green pastors’. The child had misunderstood the word ‘green pastures’, where God leads us. Well, there may not be ‘green pastors’ but there are many ‘black and blue’ ones, that have had abuse from the hearers of the sermons.

To be a light to this dark world, one needs their wick deep in the oil, and the flame of the Holy Spirit burning bright. The preacher is only the wick, God has the fire to ignite, the oil of the Spirit’s gifts of power make us able to light this dark world. The light burns amidst a people. The wick is burnt more and more, but to give light to this world, a preacher must sacrifice of themself, willingly let the wick burn, so that the light is given off from the lamp.

The devil will tempt preachers to identify with the world, to be at home with them, to be comfortable with them, and make them comfortable with the preacher. As preachers of the gospel, we are in the world not to make them comfortable in their sins, but to make them uncomfortable in their sins.

Someone once said, ‘Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.’ That goal of preaching is for us all. Their relationship with the preacher then depends on whether they accepted the message from God.


Romans 11:27-29 (KJV)
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.



John Wesley received a letter from a man who said: ‘The Lord directed me to tell you that while you know Greek and Hebrew, He can do without your book larnin’. John Wesley answered: ‘... I already knew that God can do without my book learning, yet, I wish to say ...the Lord does not need your ignorance either.’


Truthful, poignant, and a needed statement was made by John Wesley. One could worry over the feelings and thoughts of others. Insult, berating, shunning, even false accusation can flow from lips of the carnal in this world. We need to just make sure, we please Jesus.

John 15:18-25 (KJV)
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.


This passage tells us that Jesus predicted a hatred, public relations problem for preachers. The world hates reproof, and evils are exposed by preachers.
Preachers shine light where the world wants it still to be darkness. The world is blind to the intent of preachers to help, so many will declare war on preachers. Preachers hate the sin in the world, and live separate from it. The world is ignorant of God, and of His plan of salvation. They are kept blind to salvation by the hatred put into their hearts by the devil. The sermons shine light on the sins, exposing them to the need for repentance.

 

[murjahel]

HEARERS OF THE PREACHERS​

Have you ever been criticized? falsely accused? verbally attacked? Those are silly questions, for most all have been. Yes, probably all of us have been. Sometimes, other people believe the attackers. Some believed the attackers of Jesus. Some believed the attackers of prophets, preachers, witnesses of the Bible times.

Revelation 2:10 (KJV)
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

James 1:12 (KJV)
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

The hearers of preachers can become very adamant against the message of the preachers. Joseph preached what he was shown in dreams, and was sold into slavery by his brothers. Moses was accused of bringing the people out into the desert to die. Stephen was stoned. Paul was shunned, refused to be heard by the church in Jerusalem. Job was told to curse God and die by his wife. The attacks against those who preach the gospel are still numerous.

There is a story about a young boy, who after the church service, told the preacher of the church: “When I grow up, I am going to give you some money.’ The preacher asked, ‘Why?’ The boy answered: ‘My daddy says you are the poorest preacher we have ever had.’ The comments from others do hurt, do sting. One can do their best, and still there will be harsh, hurtful comments.

Jesus was the epitome of a preacher. Yet, they misquoted His sermons, they lied about Him, questioned every decision He made. One criticism that seems to some to be valid, is Jesus’ preaching to Judas. Three years Judas heard Jesus’ preaching, and it did not change him. Judas was an apostle, ordained to preach, ordained to heal, baptized others, had eternal life. (Mark 3:13-19, John 4:1-2, 17:2-12)

Jesus even knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him.

John 6:64 (KJV)
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

This friend of Jesus was there to be preached to, there with Jesus knowing what his failure would be. How could the preaching of Jesus not bring a change to Judas? Were the sermons of Jesus ineffective? Of course the sermons of Jesus were better than anyone else’s ever. But, the best of sermons, with the gift of discernment, word of wisdom, etc active in them, still God allows mankind to resist the rhema words.

Judas failed in spite of the sermons, not because of them. We find many who will criticize a sermon for lack of results. Jesus’ sermons to Judas had lack of good results. Yet, it was not Jesus that was to blame. Many preachers, pray, study, and preach up a storm, and still feel like they failed, and are criticized as though they failed.

Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands always before eating. Did not Jesus preach to them of the customs. Were His sermons lacking? They attacked Jesus for the manners of the disciples. Most of us today wash our hands before meals. We consider it proper. Jesus’ sermons, His preaching, did not discipline the disciples to all that society thought proper. His hearers were not perfect. The critics attacked Him for that.

Jesus’ disciples picked grains along the pathway to eat, on the Sabbath. The Lord dismissed that as inconsequential, for He said, ‘the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’ The law was not to punish the hungry, the purpose of the Sabbath was to illustrate the spiritual rest to be found in Jesus. Jesus went by the real intent of the law, not man’s interpretation. Jesus saw the high principle of that rule, and the pictorial use of it.

Many listen to sermons and criticize poorly chosen words, bad grammar, too short, too long, too loud, too soft. The message gets rejected for reasons other than for heresy, or for true errors.

The critics are predictable. They have an agenda, i.e. to find fault. It is their goal, their hope, their chosen profession. They gain a feeling of import, a feeling of superiority when they can criticize the sermon.

A preacher was trying hard to make his sermon comprehendible, and said, ‘That should have been as plain as A B C.’ ‘Yes’, replied another, ‘but your hearers are D E F.’


AN UNCORRUPTED MESSAGE TO THE HEARERS

Paul did not ‘corrupt the Word’ but was sincere in his sermons. Yet, he was horribly criticized for his preaching. He preached as clearly as he could. He ignored the critics, concentrated on the overwhelming message of God.

II Corinthians 2:15-3:18
15. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them who are saved, and in them that perish.
16. To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17. For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God we speak Christ.
1. Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2. Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.
3. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves; to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
6. Who also hath made us able minsters of the new testament...
7. But if the ministration of death written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away;
8. How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious.
9. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
13. And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
14. But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
15. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17. Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

People have long thought preaching is easy. They see six ushers carry baskets of money up to the front each Sunday and think preaching is a life of wealth and ease. They see a preacher preach one sermon a week, stand and speak for those few minutes, and think "How easy!"

Yet, the preacher will preach his/her best, and few learn! He is asked to pray for the sick, but few will clean up their lives so God can heal them.


THE WEIGHT AND BURDEN OF THE PREACHER

The preacher of the gospel must be as:

a lawyer to those with legal problems...
a social worker for those with relationship problems...
a philosopher for those with spiritual and intellectual questions...
an entertainer for the weak who need amusement to pay attention...
a salesman for those who are not sure if the Lord is worth the cost...
a scholar for those with desire for deeper knowledge...
one who spends hours a day in prayer and Bible study...
one who consoles the sorrowful...
one who admonishes the sinners...
one who is kind to those who scold him for inconsequential details...
one who preaches to those who were not too tired to come...

Paul preached and carried with the sermons a great weight and burden. The hardness of the hearts of hearers, and their continued sinfulness place great burden on the preacher. Consider that Paul wrote a sermon in I Corinthians to Christians who were:
cliquish (1:10)
immoral (6:18)
immature (3:1)
doctrinally in error (15:12)
troubled in marriage (7:10)
abusers of spiritual gifts (14:23)
misusers of their liberty in Christ (8:11)

Jesus told Peter to "Feed My lambs!" (John 21:15). Feeding and tending a flock of sheep is not too difficult. The still waters, green pastures accompanied by some meek and quiet sheep hardly seem to be more than we could bear. Yet, many who preach, as did Peter, find that there are many goats and mules in the flock. The mules are stubborn, obstinate, impatient, obnoxious, and a test to any one's fortitude. The goats keep trying to take over the flock and lead them where they want to go. They refuse to be followers, as are the sheep.

Jesus is "not willing that any should perish” (II Peter 3:9) so a preacher keeps trying to inspire some mules to become sheep. The preacher must also keep trying to make wayward goats to follow the Lord, and not to lead sheep away.

Many in the flocks that a preacher may feed and tend are abusive to the those same preachers. They can be very offensive toward their families, spiteful toward their work.

C.M. Ward once said: "I never had a deacon that I could not use and love, once I knocked the devil out of him..."


BLIND HEARERS

The ministry is overwhelming, difficult, and awesome. We minister sometimes to people who are blinded, or veiled to the truth.

II Corinthians 3:14-17
14. But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
15. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17. Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

We preach to the ones blinded, as were the Pharisees of the times during the first visitation of the Lord Jesus. Even the disciples did not understand much of what the Lord spoke to them. They certainly were not prepared for His crucifixion. Jesus came and spoke to many who did not understand what He said.

The blindness affects the those who know the Word, or claim to know it. Though they may claim to be religious, that does not hinder their blindness. Like Jesus, we try to preach them the truth. Yet, the spiritually blind seek to harm the messenger. Look at Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah, etc. Some preachers have been killed by the hearers. The hearers imprisoned many spokesmen for the Lord. The hearers hate and attack, plot and scheme, lie and prevaricate against preachers who speak the truth.


UNAPPRECIATIVE HEARERS

Preachers will not see many of their accomplishments. They may not see nine of the ten healed lepers return with a "thank you" as did Jesus. Often they preach hope to the troubled, despaired, and persecuted. Though they pray, encourage, and strengthen, the ones delivered fail to ever thank them. Many times when the same preacher is involved themselves in those same afflictions, but the one previously encouraged forgets to be there for the preacher.

The preacher:
tends the flock...
preaches spiritual guidance...
intercedes for those unworthy of blessings...
evangelizes to bring souls to Jesus for forgiveness...
teaches to make disciples...
speaks the message of God to an unbelieving people...

These awesome tasks are hard and overwhelming. The preacher finds those heavy burdens to be the "savor of death" to some, and the "savor of life" to others. A preacher of the Lord will be unable to please everyone, and sometimes it seems that he/she does not please anyone but the Lord.

 

[murjahel]

STIFFNECKED AND UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART AND EARS

Stephen grew angry at the ‘hearers’ who were so harsh and condemning. Of course, right after he said the following, he was gnashed on with their teeth, and then they stoned him to death.

Acts 7:51-53 (KJV)
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Therefore, some hearers cannot be pleased, even if the message is from God, and there is love in the heart of the preacher who speaks it.


HEARERS WITH A SPIRIT OF SLUMBER

Some have chosen to not hear the Lord and His message. They have rebelled so long that the Lord has given them over to a "spirit of slumber". This spirit is very prevalent in these last days. This demonic spirit of spiritual deafness had attacked and conquered many in the congregations today.

They have sat through many prophetic messages and not heard them. They have read the Bible, but not understood what the Spirit is saying. They have ignored the truth, and the Spirit of truth, so long, that He has left, grieved, and vexed. They have heard false and lying accusations against some of God's children, and not understood or accepted what the Lord was speaking. The Lord always defends His own, and if people tune in to hear the Holy Spirit, they will not be fooled by the lies, twisted truths, and perverted slanders of abusive saints, of lying false prophets, and of backslidden members.

Romans 11:8, 11
"According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; unto this day. ...I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through their full salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy."

In the Old Testament period, the Israelites failed to hear the voice of God, spoken through Moses, and spoken through Joshua and Caleb. They were judged for such hardness of heart, such deafness of ears. They listened to Korah, and to sinners who wanted to return to Egypt. They became fat with the words of others.


ITCHING EARS HEARERS

When people refuse, neglect, or shun the truth, they need to accept something. These ones begin to listen to other teachings, perverse doctrines, and heresies. This desire to hear the inconsequential messages is what the Bible calls "itching ears". They refused "sound doctrine", and now are swallowed up into the darkness of false doctrines. "Itching ears" are those ears that are tired of the sound of truths and desire for something new, even if it is deceitful.

II Timothy 4:3
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears..."

FAMINE OF HEARING

There are so many today who are in a spiritual darkness. They are blind to the truths being revealed by the Spirit today. Truths we find so evident in Scripture, many cannot perceive, remember, or comprehend... The darkness is getting greater and greater...

Amos spoke of a famine to come in the last days, when men would run to and fro about the earth seeking food and water and there would be none... and he spoke of spiritual food and water. Yet, Habakkuk spoke of the same time as being one in which "the knowledge of the Lord would cover the earth as the water cover the sea." Both are true, but the abundance of truth, the abundance of spiritual revelation is being not heard, not seen in our day by many who call themselves "saints".

Amos 8:11-13
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for later, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst..."

Habakkuk 2:14
"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

Are you in the group that is hearing the Spirit and understanding the Lord??? Or are you in darkness, fooled by the devil, and blinded by the abundance of trash you have accepted??? It is time to evaluate ourselves, and time to understand why some that we know are so blind, deaf, and dumb to the truth.

HAVING EARS TO HEAR

In Revelation 2 and 3, we find that Jesus reveals that the Spirit is trying during this church age to speak to the churches. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. It is found 7 times, once for each of the seven churches, and one for each of the church ages. The Spirit is trying to speak but many do not hear Him, even when He has revealed clearly what He is saying. The Spirit speaks through the Written
Word and has it spoken by the preachers.

The saints in the early church sometimes would use an ear pick, a small tool used to clean ear wax and dirt from the outer ear canal. This was a religious symbol to them. In our day, we use a Q-tip to do a similar thing physically, but these early-rain revival saints did this to symbolize something spiritual.

We must, in this last days, open our ears, clean out the garbage poured into it - by the world, and - by the devil. We need an ear pick, a spiritual Q-tip, to eliminate the false, the perverted, and the sinful trash. The early church was aware of this, but in these last days, too many have forgotten the truth.

The Bible, God's Word, has tried to make it plain and evident how important it is to listen to the Lord, and to the preachers who preach that Word. We need to keep our spiritual ears from being hindered by the trash of the devil. Preachers need to keep preaching even when there are no ears to hear.

 

[murjahel]

THE VULNERABILITY OF PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS




MANY PREACHERS WEEP AND LAMENT THEIR CALLING
Joel 1:13
Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God..."

There is much weeping, sorrow, pain and misery in preaching. The minister can want to run and hide, quit and look for other things to do, or realize that the vulnerability of preaching is part of the job.

THE GREAT PRICE A PREACHER PAYS TO PREACH

Preachers who preach the unadulterated, simple gospel will pay a great price for such a ministry. Let’s look at how Paul evaluated the vulnerability of the preacher’s life.

I Corinthians 4:9-13
"For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle, unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour, we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it, being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day..."

Paul says a preacher is made a "spectacle". The Greek word indicates the idea of a Greek parade, which at the end of such a parade were brought criminals, bound and fettered to make them suffer public humiliation before the crowd. In the same way, the preachers of this gospel are often subjected by some in the congregation to humiliation for their simple cross-bearing presentation of the gospel.

Paul also says that preachers are "fools" for Christ. The Greek word is "moros" which is the word from which we get "moron." A minister is often considered a moron by some in the congregation for the simple, cross-bearing gospel message.

A preacher is "weak", for it does take more energy to preach a half hour sermon, than it takes the average man to work an eight hour day. Ministering the Word of God with authority, with conviction, and with zeal is demanding, and drains all the strength of the minister.

The preacher of the gospel is "despised." There are many households where "roast preacher" is served for Sunday dinner. These people criticize the sermon, his haircut, his manner of delivery, his emphasis, and his not beating them to the door so he could shake their hand.

Paul also said preachers "hunger", "thirst", are "naked", are "buffeted", and have "no certain dwelling place." This is because a minister is seldom overpaid. Their job is to preach for the Lord, but humans who are often carnal, often guilt ridden, and sometimes self seeking think they are controllers, bosses, and directors of the preachers. Only God truly has that job, but many attempt to rob God of the authority He owns. The preacher of the gospel speaks with the Almighty God, seeks His counsel and guidance. He is the under-shepherd of the flock that belongs to the Creator of the universe.

Preachers "labor". This labor is too often a physical labor. The church congregations often think it is the minister's job to clean the church, fix the plumbing, change the light bulbs, and shovel the snow. Then they wonder why his spiritual being is weak and burdened.

Preachers "being reviled, we bless, ... persecuted, we suffer it..." Paul is showing that the insulting abuse that preachers often receive, is usually taken without defense. The preachers usually continue to allows the lies, innuendos, insults, and abusive treatment of the gossips, critics, and tares of the church. They need to attend to preaching, and most often they do.

"Defamed, we entreat..." and the preacher is thus rejected. Often as ministers have tried to preach, they have had attacks, and still keep entreating the people.

The preachers are often treated as the "filth" and the "offscouring". This "filth" refers to the sweepings of the house that one brushes out the door. Many a preacher has felt pushed away, in that same way. The "offscouring" is a word that referred to the scrapings from a pan of burnt on food, charred and worthless, they are scraped off and washed down the drain. The vulnerability of their work for God has allowed them to be hurt and shamed before the world.

There was a custom in Greece to incarcerate certain worthless criminals, who in time of plague, famine, etc. were thrown into the sea in the belief that they would "cleanse away" the guilt of the people. In that same way, many a preacher has been shunned, hated, criticized, persecuted, expelled, and fired by some who want to blame him (or her) for the problems of the congregation. Instead of searching their own judgmental, hypocritical, bitter hearts for the problem, it is easier to throw the true minister to the sea.

 

[murjahel]

PREACHERS OFTEN TRY TO HIDE...

I Corinthians 4:1-2
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful."

Preaches are "ministers of Christ", not of man, nor of the church, nor of the board of deacons, nor of the denomination. Jesus alone is their Lord. The preachers of this and of every age are "stewards of the mysteries of God." They administrate the presentation of the whole truth of God. They show in the Word, how the Christian life should be lived. They have a grave responsibility to not add to, nor to take away from its message. They must faithfully preach it, not dilute it. They must preach it even when some will try to embarrass them for it. When others will want to contend with them, and hope the minister will change the message to avoid the confrontation, they must forcefully hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. This is their burden of responsibility given them by God.

I Corinthians 4:3-4
"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judges me is the Lord."


HIDING FROM THE HURTS

One day, God came to the garden, and called out: Adam, where are you? (Genesis 3:8) Adam and Eve were making fig leaves, to cover themselves, and still, with those, they had a desire to hide from God. So, man’s existence on this planet, began early with a hiding from God.

In Revelation 6:16, we see some cry out: “said to the mountains, Rocks, fall on us, and hide us from...’ So, in the end days, we find mankind is still often looking for a hiding place.

Criminals hide from the authorities. Escaped convicts hide, change appearance to not be recognized. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid had a hideout called the ‘hole in the wall’.

The persecuted hide. The Jewish people in Germany, during WWII, hid from Hitler’s death squads. The ones that are taunted and hurt by the school bully, will oft try to hide.

Teens want locks on their bedroom doors. Adults pull the blinds to hide from neighbors. Trees are planted to block the view, fences are put up to keep others from walking near to see. ‘

Preachers often try to hide. They surround themselves by walls, hide behind the pulpit, preach scary messages to try to scare the trouble-makers, and make rules to keep any who might be a troubler from getting into the church. Yet, the job, as shown by Paul, is fraught with trouble, if one simply does what he/she is supposed to be doing. Preachers can try to hide from those who make trouble, but in so doing, they are not able to do their job for the Lord. The preaching ministry requires one speaks God’s messages to those who then try to crucify (figuratively) the one speaking the words of Jesus. Preachers cannot hide from God.

Jeremiah 23:24
‘CAN ANY HIDE HIMSELF IN SECRET PLACES THAT I SHALL NOT SEE HIM? SAITH THE LORD.’

Moses

Moses hid in the desert. God called him, and he tried to lead the people out, but it ended in the murder of an Egyptian, and the people were too fearful to plan an exodus. Many like Moses, meet troubles along the way of doing God’s will, and decide to hide. The people are rebellious that we are sent to lead, the leaders of the area are anxious to eliminate us, and so, many in the army of prophets are hiding.

Saul

Saul hid in the baggage. He was afraid of a call to lead. Pew sitters in churches, hide behind tall hats, or find someone of good size to hide behind. Saul did not want the responsibility of the calling. Some preachers do not want the responsibility of the calling. God gave Saul a chance, he failed miserably.

Elijah

Elijah hid beneath a juniper tree. He felt discouraged, alone, feared being killed by Jezebel, and was weary and tired. God knows when we are physically and mentally drained. He is merciful in those times. God sent an angel to Elijah, provided food, and had Elijah rest. then Elijah was sent to a cave, and there he heard the ‘still small voice’ of God. Elijah, despite his inclination to hide and pout then, was still chosen to return to finish his ministry during the tribulation.

Jonah

Jonah hid in a ship. God had called him to go to Nineveh. Jonah hated the Ninevehites, and only wanted to see them judged. Often, God calls some to take a message of love, forgiveness, mercy, etc. Sometimes the unloving do not want to preach love. They have been vulnerable for so long, they reject preaching love for those who have hurt them and their loved ones. The unforgiving do not want to offer forgiveness from God. The unmerciful do not want to offer mercy. God will still call and commission, even knowing the reluctance of those called. He wants to teach, to encourage us to His love, mercy and forgiveness.

John Mark

John Mark went home to his mother. He was immature, and the hardships and trials of ministry intimidated him. He wanted to hide near to his mother’s care. This world can be intimidating, especially to a preacher. God sent Barnabas, the son of consolation, to help and encourage John Mark. Sometimes, preachers today need a strong, and forgiving person, to help them with the intimidation of the world against the young saints.

Peter

Peter hid by the fire, ‘afar’ off from the trials and beatings of Jesus. He was fearful of ridicule, and of the same fate that Jesus was suffering to come upon him. Many try to blend in with the devil’s crowd today also. Some can say a few curse words, tell a dirty joke or two, and no one will suspect that they are religious. The crowd will be more comfortable, if they think one is as hell bound as are they. The Lord forgave Peter. He ceased from his hiding ways, and began to stand up for Jesus, even if it meant prison and crucifixion.

Disciples after the crucifixion

The disciples hid in a room, the doors and windows being locked, afraid of suffering the same death as did Jesus. The hatred of the world can be so intense upon preachers, that they will seek to hide from it. The disciples locked the door, locked the windows, and still Jesus paid them a visit. The fear and hiding were unnecessary, but they let their rebellion against the truths that Jesus had told them about the reality of the crucifixion, to blind their hearts from faith. They thought denial of the facts that we suffer if we are Christian from attacks from the devil would save them. It did not, so then they hid.

All but one of the disciples were martyred. Even that one, John, suffered, for he was put in boiling oil, and did not die, and he was exiled to Patmos, a prison island, and still survived. So, the wrath of the devil and the world can come upon preachers.

Demas

Demas hid in the pleasures of the world. Those pleasures, or lack of attacks from the devil, may seem to be good, for a time. But to forsake the call of God, to forsake the enlistment in the army of prophets, is going to take one to misery. The guilt of leaving Paul, was taken upon himself, to avoid the pain and turmoil of suffering along with Paul. He tried to hide from the guilt by enjoying pleasures of the world

NON HIDERS

Anna and Simeon did not hide. They were at the temple daily watching and waiting for revelation, so that they could see the Christ when He would be brought to the Temple for dedication.

John the Baptist did not hide. He gathered a crowd wherever he was, and preached repentance, and mentioned by name the sins that needed repentance, even the sins of Herod. It cost him his head, but it gained him the title of the ‘greatest’ of all the Old Testament prophets.

If some would quit hiding, and begin searching for God, they would find Him, and all the power and answers that they need. They may be afraid to preach truth, to offend those who may then seek to hurt them, but if they do, the Lord will do miracles to save them, or welcome them to heaven. How bad is that?

Jeremiah 29:13
“Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.’

If some preachers do not quit hiding, they will suffer the consequences of the desiring to hide. They will miss victories they could have had. Jonah would have missed being the preacher to the biggest revival of the Old Testament period.

 

[murjahel]

vulnerability part 3

THE VULNERABILITY BRINGS MIRACLES, IF ACCEPTED

The disciples observed a great miracle of the Lord. Then they put themselves into a boat, and soon when far from shore, a great earthquake and a horrible storm hit at the same time. Similar scary events can befall preachers, and the desire to hide seems all so normal. Jesus takes them to a new level of faith, calms the storm, ends the earthquake. These events gave them more faith, that they would shortly need for the sermon on the bread of life. They needed more faith, and the trial that could have made them just cover their head and give up, ended up building their faith. In the sermon on the bread of life the next day, they were the only ones who had faith to understand it, and stay with Jesus. All others ceased following Jesus. That ‘storm and earthquake’ had a purpose. Things happen that seem horrible, but if we turn to Jesus, let Him deliver, we will find our faith grows to the level we will soon need it to be.

Elijah faced hundreds of false prophets upon Mt. Carmel. This was a dangerous place, and Elijah’s life depended on God doing something he had never seen done before. All the other preachers of that day were hiding in caves. Elijah stayed there bravely. Soon Elijah would be under a juniper tree, fearing for his life, due to the death sentence on him from Jezebel. It still took a bit more help from God Who sent an angel to recommend rest and food to the weary prophet. Yet, the events that seemed so horrible, like the events on Mt. Carmel, built Elijah’s faith, and he survived all the later trials.

God allowed Joseph to be thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, be lied about by his master’s wife, sit in a prison with criminals, so that later, he could rise power, and be ready to save his own people from starvation in a time of long famine. Sometimes the hard things in life, that might make us to want to hide, are really times of preparation for the great miracles of God to come.


Job was called the ‘greatest’ by God. God bragged on him to the devil. Then the devil was allowed to strip from Job, his wealth, family, friends, possessions, and health. Suddenly, he was in a place where it would have been normal to want to hide. But Job stood firm, refused to ‘curse God and die’. He stood strong in faith, and God delivered him.

John the Baptist was given revelation about Who the Lamb of God, and His arrival. He had a great number of disciples. The crowds were huge, and many were repenting and being baptized. Then he was suddenly arrested, imprisoned, and was to face the ‘beheader’. Why? He had fulfilled his mission, and had become the ‘greatest of all’ the Old Testament prophets. His honor for eternity is great, due to these trials he had faced.

Paul had revival or riot in his ministry. He started many churches. Yet, he was beaten many times, stoned once, imprisoned often. Finally, he was beheaded. Yet, during all that time, he had visions or visits to paradise, revelations from the Lord aplenty. The troubles of his life, were faced with contentment, and he rejoiced in these troubles, for he saw the great blessings that came with them.

John the beloved disciple walked with Jesus three years. He was prominent in the group of disciples. He pastored in Ephesus. Yet, he was also arrested, put into boiling oil, and lived, to face the exile to a lonely island with only the worst of criminals there. He received a great revelation there, and wrote down what he was shown, and thrills all saints now with the revelation of coming events and the glories of heaven.

So, the preachers are going to suffer things that will make them want to hide, and it would be easy to hide. But, if they stand firm, fight the enemy in faith, they will find miracles and be overcomers for the Lord.

Why do preachers face trials, persecutions, mockings, and battles? Those things come so we can be overcomers. We are told that ‘all things work together for good to them that are called of God and working according to His will...’

The messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3 says ‘to him that overcometh will...’ God has ‘will’ for each overcomer. The overcomer will receive great blessings for their stedfast faith, for their willingness to not hide. If there were no mountains, not barriers, no burdens, no trials, no persecution, not battles, there would be nothing to overcome.

God gave preachers armor, not tuxedos and wedding dresses. God gave a sword, not a lazy boy chair. God gave a shield, not a ping pong paddle. God said preachers would be hated, not loved. God said ‘many are the afflictions’ not many are the carnal rewards.

Paul and Silas sang in the dungeon. Job said ‘though He slay me, yet will I trust Him...’ Peter said to Jesus ‘bid me come’ when the Lord was walking on the water. Elijah heard the still small voice, Joseph was made second to pharaoh in Egypt. Why? They were not hiders, they were overcomers.

 

[murjahel]

part 4

RECOGNIZE YOUR VULNERABILITY

God is calling for a time of accepting the vulnerability. The Lord knows that preachers in these last days will be weeping. They will spend much time in prayer, with weeping for lost souls. They will feel the pain of rejections, of attacks, of hate from those to whom they preach.

Joel 1:13
Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God..."

Joel 2:12,13,15
"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil... Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly..."

Joel 2:17
"Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?"

Some may question, 'Why weep and lament?' Joel answered this question in his book. Sometimes we don't understand our God, and His ways. There are many other reactions one could have rather than weeping, but none work. Weeping does have the result God wants. We should heed God's advice that during the last days there is supposed to go out a call for the people to weep and lament.

Joel 1:9
"The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord: the priests and the ministers mourn..."

When the meat offering and drink offering, representing the joy and gladness of believers toward the Lord is cut off, the preachers mourn, and weep. Joy is absent from many of the congregations of preachers. The lives of many are filled with bickering, gossiping, jealousies, self seeking. Preachers will weep for the false doctrines that have robbed the blessings from the church.

Joel 1:10-11
"The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen: Howl, O ye vine dressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished."

Joel 1:17-20
"The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of the sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beast of the field cry also unto Thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness."

Preachers weep for the sins of those to whom they preach. The Lord wanted us to bring forth a great harvest for Him. He wanted the same thing of Israel, but finally cut them off the vine because they yielded no harvest. The church of today is offering little of a harvest to God. Many congregations are void of truth, false doctrines pervade many buildings called "churches." Churches argue, split, prevaricate about each other, gossip, criticize, etc. The rapture of the church is near, and they live as though the church is little more than a social club. Some altars are not tear-stained... some buildings have forgotten to put the altars within the church. The hunger for souls, the idea of crying before the Lord, the desire to learn the prophetic truths revealed by a God Who wants us to know the signs and the times, is not found in many, too many, church buildings. For this preachers should WEEP!

Joel 1:15
"Alas, for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."

Joel 2:1
"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand."

Surely, the preachers of today need to "tremble" for the day of the Lord is very near, and the church and the world are still unprepared. The weakness and sorrow one feels for this unprepared church and world is hard to bear. We are vulnerable to sorrow, and wish we could run from the work of the Lord. Preachers will sense this urgency. They must proclaim a message of urgency to the world.

Joel 2:17
"Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?"

The preachers need to weep because of the terrible reproach upon us as Christians. When many invite someone to their church, the common response is ... 'NO! there are too many hypocrites there!' The problem is, they are right! There are a great many hypocrites, spiritual abusers, liars, perverts, false prophets, etc within many congregations.

Joel 2:21
"... for the Lord will do great things."

Joel 2:24-26
"... the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore unto you all the years that the locusts have eaten...ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord you God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and My people shall never be ashamed..."

Preachers will have great reward in their ministries, if they weep in this vulnerability with which they find themselves encompassed. God wants to restore, to give a double portion of revival, to give a great harvest to the church of the last days, to take away our shame and reproach, to pour out the Spirit in a wondrous way, to show signs and wonders, and to give deliverance to His people. He awaits preachers to obey His command found in the book of Joel, to WEEP... to WEEP... to WEEP. The restoration will come for those who heed this command to WEEP.

 

[murjahel]

GOD HAS MANY PROMISES TO THE VULNERABLE PREACHER

Isaiah 41:10-16 (KJV)
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

FEAR is tormenting and crippling to the preacher who feels the fear due to the sins of others toward them for their message.

God assures us of hope when the preacher feels ABANDONED. God promises His presence:
"Do not fear, for I am with you" (vs. 10)
"Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God." (vs. 10)

When the preacher feels HELPLESS, God promises His strength:
"I will strengthen you." (vs. 10)
"I will uphold you." (vs. 13)
"I will help you." (vs. 10, 13, 14)


When the preacher feels VULNERABLE, God promises you His protection:
"Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent." (vs. 11, 12)

When preachers feel ILL-EQUIPPED – God promises to make you into His powerful instrument:
"Behold, I have made you a new sharp threshing sledge with double edges: You will thresh the mountains, and pulverize them, and will make the hills like chaff. You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the storm will scatter them… " (vs. 15, 16a)

Instead of being stymied by fear, anxiety, helplessness, abandonment, and being without help, instead, you will:
"Rejoice in the Lord" and (vs. 16)
"Glory in the Holy One" (vs. 16)

The vulnerable preacher can try to hide in a cave, can deny many of the words he is sent to preach, can build walls between himself/herself and the attackers, but he will not have the peace, truly wanted.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you… let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)

Yes, preachers are vulnerable. Preachers can be hurt, injured deeply. The weeping can be for self, in self pity, or for God and for His work. The latter weeping will lead the preacher to speak more forcefully the message of God. Some will say ‘ouch’, and others will cry ‘foul’ and attack. But the peace of God comes on those who weep for God’s work.

 

[murjahel]

THE PREACHING OF JESUS


Jesus’ first sermon was in a synagogue. He took a text from Isaiah 61, and preached several verses. That was a textural sermon. Jesus also preached on hillsides, from a boat, sitting at a dinner table with publicans, walking through a marketplace, from a garden, at a tomb site, hanging from a cross. Jesus was not limited to standing behind a pulpit, not limited to a congregation of more than 500, and not concerned with formal style and eloquence of wording.

Jesus loved to preach, and taught whether it was two or three, or thousands.
His sermons are memorable, were often accompanied with signs, wonders, and miracles. Sinners challenged His Words, some slept through His messages, but His sermons should be studied, and with them, we should gain understanding of how to preach a great message.

The preaching of Jesus sometimes resulted from major events.

a. The departure of John’s disciples.

Matthew 11:1-9 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
...
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Jesus used the events of the day to have the ears of the hearers, and He spoke pertinent exhortation with the current events as the interest point of the sermon.0

b. The encounter with the rich young ruler.

Matthew 19:16-30 (KJV)
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Many are interested in riches. Jesus has a rich man come to Him, and with this event, many were standing there to see what Jesus felt about riches, what He would say to this rich man. The teachings in this sermon are still not accepted by many in our day, but Jesus took this event, and preached a sermon for the ages.


c. The last supper.

Matthew 26:17-21 (KJV)
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you,...

The passover supper was being observed early by Jesus, for the three day passover would be observed by Jesus in the heart of the earth, in paradise, after His crucifixion. The disciples were ‘all ears’ so to speak, wondering on the timing, and the significance of this special dinner with the Lord. Sitting in this upper room, eating a special dinner, and the Lord speaks to them a sermon they would never forget. Many a sermon is preached at restaurant or dinner tables.

Sometimes, Jesus’ preaching were answers to direct accusations by His enemies.


a. Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath law.

Matthew 12:1-8 (KJV)
1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Jesus taught that the Sabbath laws were to teach a pictorial message, and He is that message. He showed that the details of the sabbath laws were not to hurt man, but to bring them true rest in Jesus. They may try to accuse Him and the disciples of breaking a law, whereas they were only fulfilling that law.

b. Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub.

Matthew 12:22-37
Matthew 12:22-28 (KJV)
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Many a preacher has been accused by some who want to denigrate the sermons. Jesus preached a sermon as the answer. They probably hoped the accusation would make Jesus hide in fear, or make the hearers of His sermons cease following Him. Yet, Jesus took the accusations as reasons to preach another sermon. We should learn from Him.

Some of Jesus’ sermons were in response to questions.

a. What about fasting?Matthew 9:14 (KJV)

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

b. What about ceremonial washing?

Matthew 15:1-2 (KJV)
1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

c. What about paying taxes to Caesar?

Matthew 22:15-19 (KJV)
15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

d. What is the greatest commandment?

Matthew 22:34-40 (KJV)
34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

e. When will these things happen?

Matthew 24:1-4 (KJV)
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them,...

Preachers will always by given more questions than they think they can answer. The answers, as Jesus shows, should be made into sermons of the gospel truths. These questions that He was asked, are now in sermon answers, for all who would ask the same questions today.

 

[murjahel]

Some of Jesus’ sermons were:

1. Wisdom sayingsBeatitudes Matthew 5:3-10
Ask, seek, knock Matthew 7:7
Golden rule Matthew 7:12



2. Antithesis (attacks a position taking a different point of view)

“Ye have heard it said, ... but I say unto you...’
Matthew 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43

indirect antithesis

Matthew 6:2, 5, 16, 19
Matthew 6:1-4 (KJV)
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.


3. Debate

Bread of life, some took issue with the sermon, and Jesus preached a debate sermon to them.

John 6:24-27 (KJV)
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.


His identity (Some debated Jesus on Who He was)

John 7:14-44,
John 7:15-17 (KJV)
15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 8:12-59
John 8:13-16 (KJV)
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

4. Figures of speech


a. metaphor and simile

In Matthew 9:36, Jesus spoke of sheep without a Shepherd.

In Matthew 9:37, the sermon of Jesus was on the harvest that is plenteous, but the workers are few.

Then in Matthew 10:6, Jesus warned that He was sending His disciples as sheep among wolves.

And in Matthew 23:27, Jesus referred to the pharisees as whitewashed tombs, looking pure on the outside, but inside full of death.


b. paradox


Matthew 16:25 shows Jesus preached that whoever wants to save his life shall lose it.

Matthew 20:26 shows that Jesus preached whoever wants to be great must be your servant.

c. hyperbole

Matthew 7:3 Tells if a speck of dust... versus a plank in your eye.

Matthew 19:24 says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.


d. Parables

Parables are extended similes. They illustrate truth, and make it clear by comparison with something that is familiar. They instruct without causing offense. The parables create interest and hunger for more information. Jesus used parables to reveal new truths. Jesus was quite plain in explaining His reason for using parables.

Matthew 13:10-17, 34-35
"AND THE DISCIPLES CAME, AND SAID UNTO HIM, 'WHY SPEAKEST THOU UNTO THEM IN PARABLES?' HE ANSWERED UNTO THEM, 'BECAUSE IT IS GIVEN UNTO YOU TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT TO THEM IT IS NOT GIVEN... THEREFORE I SPEAK UNTO THEM IN PARABLES, BECAUSE THEY SEE NOT... FOR THIS PEOPLE'S HEART IS WAXED GROSS, AND THEIR EARS ARE DULL OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES THEY HAVE CLOSED... BUT BLESSED ARE YOUR EYES, FOR THEY SEE, AND YOUR EARS, FOR THEY HEAR. FOR VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT MANY PROPHETS AND RIGHTEOUS MEN HAVE DESIRED TO SEE THOSE THINGS WHICH YOU SEE, AND HAVE NOT SEEN THEM, AND TO HEAR THOSE THINGS WHICH YOU HEAR, AND HAVE NOT HEARD THEM. ..ALL THESE THINGS SPAKE JESUS UNTO THE MULTITUDE IN PARABLES; AND WITHOUT A PARABLE SPAKE HE NOT WITH THEM; THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET, SAYING, I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.'"

Thus, a parable is told to reveal "MYSTERIES" (vs. 11). A mystery is a previously hidden or non-understood truth. In the revelation of God to mankind, there are many mysteries that the finite mind of mankind has had much difficulty in understanding. A parable can illustrate truth in a pictorial manner. Many, in that time, and even still now, do not want to understand certain truths. As Jesus describes, they have closed eyes, and ears. Their minds are "WAXED GROSS" (vs. 15). This means their minds are over-full of other things, and unable to bear the truth. Jesus said plainly that He was teaching in these parables a truth that had been "KEPT SECRET" (vs. 35).

 

[murjahel]

Content of Jesus’ sermons
is our example ... of what we should be preaching

1. About God

Jesus preached that God is the Creator.

Mark 10:6 (KJV)
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

Mark 13:19-20 (KJV)
19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days.

Jesus presented God to be our Father.

Matthew 11:25-27 (KJV)
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

Jesus preached that God is King.

Matthew 6:10 (KJV)
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

2. About the kingdom, present and future


Luke 10:18 (KJV)
18 And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Luke 11:19-22 (KJV)
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

3. About Himself

Jesus preached sermons telling us much about Himself. He said ‘I am the Way, the Truth, the Life...” He taught us that ‘I am the Good Shepherd...’

He explained His work as a suffering Servant. Jesus told of His mission to die and be resurrected, to go away, and there in heaven to intercede, finally about His return.

4. About the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit was to come and do the comforting work that Jesus had been doing. Yet, He would be able to do it for all disciples in the world, and do the convicting of all sin in this world. Jesus preached much about this One to come.

Luke 11:13 (KJV)
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?

John 16:7-8 (KJV)
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
8 And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

5. About ethical living

Jesus preached sermons on prayer, stewardship, marriage/divorce, loving one’s neighbor, loving God supremely, persecution, hypocrisy. These and other ethical issues were often the subjects of Jesus’ topical sermons.

 

[murjahel]

Jesus preached and commissioned His disciples of that age, and of all ages to preach.

The aim of preaching is to sow a seed, let it take root if it can, do all to make it grow. Matthew 13 is a famous sermon of Jesus, in which He shows us the aim of sermons, to sow seed. We call this sermon the “Parable of the Sower”.

Jesus begins His preaching with the Parable of the Sower. Great multitudes have heard sermon after sermon on this great parable. Jesus used it as His opening illustration of why the world did not understand the truth that He was about to teach the disciples with the next parable. The Parable of the Tares, is the main theme of this chapter. It has been much ignored. Jesus showed with the Parable of the Sower, why many do not receive truth, and especially the teaching of the parable of the tares. The Parable of the Sower shows reasons for the rejection of truthful sermons.

Some truth falls by the WAYSIDE (vs. 4). These are places that are unprepared for seed. The wayside is trodden down. This is like the hardhearted, unprepared people who may be at the preaching time, but are so trodden down of other things in life, that their mind is too distracted to concentrate on what the speaker is preaching. They do not understand, and sometimes cannot even tell someone what the subject was, let alone understand the subject. Satan is active in this group, for he will send many events to these lives knowing they are easily distracted. These will remain unaware of the truth, even when exhorted. The ministry of exhortation barely touches these people.

The second group are like the "STONY PLACES." There is earth where rocks keep seed from being able to take root. These people receive the preaching with joy. They even may tell the preacher that the message is "great." Yet, the roots of the sermon cannot go deep into them. As soon as temptation comes, the truth gets pushed aside. The "rocks" that cause this condition are many. Disobedience, refusal to yield, deception of sin, anger, variances, rationalization, etc. enter into lives and make it hard to hold fast to truth. The ministry of exhortation will be accepted momentarily, but they are unable to continue in the faith as it is taught.

A third group is likened to soil "AMONG THORNS." This soil is good, but other things growing therein hinder the seed. Those that are like this, have two crops striving for mastery. Cares, riches, pleasures, etc. are the thorns that choke out the truth before it can yield a harvest. These people may listen, and approve. Yet, the truth cannot grow much amidst the thorns. So there is no fruit to the preaching.

A fourth group exists, fortunately. These are like the seed, the preaching, that falls into "GOOD GROUND." This is soil that is plowed, furrowed, void of rocks and thorns, and is ready and waiting for the seed. People who are like this are a pleasure to any Bible teacher, or pastor. They listen, question, test the preaching. When they are satisfied that this is good seed, they let it grow and produce a great harvest. These listeners love God's Word. They place the Bible as the final authority in any question.

Truthful preaching needs this kind of hearer. Jesus indicated that the disciples were these kind of people. So to them, while they were alone from the rest of the crowd, He explained the parables.

The Parable of the Sower thus explains why many will not, or cannot receive the truth that Jesus is about to teach. In too many churches, a pastor has to spend so much time getting people to become like the good soil, that he doesn't have much time to get to the rest of the truths that require good soil to teach.

Therefore, the preaching of Jesus showed us in illustration, that many kinds of seeds need sown in the preaching. The soil will determine if the seed takes root. The preacher cannot bear responsibility for the lack of growth, if the seed falls on hard, stoney, or trodden down ground. The preacher must sow seed.

 

[murjahel]

THE MINISTRY CALLING OF AN APOSTLE
(part 1)


What is an apostle?

The word ‘apostle’ comes from the Greek, apostolos, which literally means “one sent forth,” “a missionary”. In the earliest classical Greek, there was a difference between ‘aggelos’ (messenger) and ‘apostolos’ which means more than a ‘messenger’.
carries the idea of being a representative of the One sending the message, not a mere messenger.

Jesus used the term, speaking in Aramaic, and there it referred to one sent out with a mission to foreign areas. The word for ‘aggelos’ would not have been chosen by Jesus and the early church, for it was not just a message taken, but a representative of Jesus speaking His message of the gospel.

The whole world was the desired area into which Jesus wanted ‘apostles’ to go forth. He had told them ‘go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature...’ The apostles were those ‘missionaries’ (as we would now call them) that went first, before the prophets, before the pastors, before the teachers, to present the gospel truths of Jesus. The evangelists, pastors, prophets, and teachers did not have inferior roles, but had roles that followed them in time order, but did not follow in authority.

The Twelve Apostles

Jesus applied the word ‘apostolos’ to the Twelve with that evangelical mission among the villages in Israel to which He sent them.

Matthew 10:1-4 (KJV)
1 And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Mark 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Mark 6:30 (KJV)
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Luke 6:12-13 (KJV)
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles...

Luke 9:1-6 (KJV)
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.
5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

From those verses, we can learn some things about ‘apostles’. They did carry a message to areas where Jesus had not been known. They had a special calling following a night of prayer by the Lord. These twelve were given authority over sickness, disease, evil spirits. They were to not to stay where they were not wanted, but find areas where their gospel message was accepted. Their message would have been the gospel message, that God had came into human form, to live and die for us, dying for our sins. He then arose from the grave, conquering sin and death for us. Jesus offered to the sinners of those heathen areas a salvation through Himself. The devils powers were not to be greater than the apostles.

When we come to the book of Acts, we see Matthias chosen to replace the fallen Judas, and from then on, the word ‘apostolos’ is used to refer to any who are sent forth as missionaries to new areas. In those areas, they established churches. Prophets came and began to identify the sins and the paths to building a closer relationship with God. Pastors were chosen to feed the flocks. Evangelists were to then continue the evangelical outreach. Teachers were to teach the Word, and its full message. The plan of God starts with the missionary work of apostles.

In Jesus’ last message before His ascension, He taught them that they were to continue the missionary work, and to teach and lead others into the same missions as they had been given.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Acts 1:7-8 (KJV)
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Paul, the apostle

Paul vindicated the idea that the word ‘apostle’ could be extended to many others than the original twelve. He defended his calling with a passion. He claims authority to go forth and reach out to new areas, start churches, and do the miraculous works. Most of his epistles show forth his calling to apostleship.

1 Corinthians 9:1-2 (KJV)
1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

Paul claims to have a personal relationship with the Lord, and claims that his work in winning souls in new areas to that same Lord, is the proof of his apostleship. The ones with a mission to testify of the Jesus Who is our gospel message, in new areas not before reached with the gospel, is the work of an apostle, a term which many have now replaced with ‘missionary’.

Romans 1:1-6 (KJV)
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which He had promised afore by His prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 12:12 (KJV)
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

Other apostles

Paul presents Barnabas as an apostle.
Acts 14:14-17 (KJV)
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Paul calls Andronicus and Junias to be ‘of note among the apostles’.
Romans 16:7 (KJV)
7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Apollos is called an apostle.

1 Corinthians 4:6-9 (KJV)
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. ...
9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Titus and others were called ‘apostles’ by Paul.

2 Corinthians 8:23 (KJV)
23 Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers (apostolos) of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

Apostles in the Didache

In the first doctrinal book of the early church, the Didache, penned by the apostles themselves, we find that there were nameless missionaries that traveled from area to area, and occasionally rested near one of the churches. These were called ‘apostles’ by the Didache. They settled in no church, but rested only there on their way to a new area to which to take the gospel. This is what we today call ‘missionaries’, they called them ‘apostles’.

The apostles were not a select group of super authoritative saints with ruling powers. They were not the only ones with miracle power. They were not the bosses and rulers of the church. They were not a higher rank than prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists. They were a special calling of ones to go to un-church-reached areas and take the gospel message to them. Like Paul, they often could stay and make disciples of the converts, let them select pastors and teachers to continue the work in the new churches.

see part 2

 

[murjahel]

The Status of Apostles in the Church

I Corinthians 12:28
‘And God hath appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.”


Ephesians 4:11-12
“And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors, and some teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”


The body of Christ is made up of many members, and each member is included in a certain work for the body. The ‘eyes’ of the body of Christ, see spiritual vision for the body. The hands help to lift, uplift others. The nose of the body is designed to smell, to detect odor and evil. The ears are to be attuned to the voice of the Lord. The feet are to carry the body about the world, to carry the good news and God’s workings to all places and to all people there.

So, each of us are involved in the mission of the church. All of us have duties and responsibilities. It is a ‘work’ of ministry. We are to do a ‘ministry’ (diakonia, which means to attend others with the intent to serve them). This means it is not an office like we often have tried to make it, as though it were a political office, and we are elected to rule. We are not chosen to rule, but to serve.

I Peter 5:3
“Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.”

Too many in one office or another have sought to become ‘lords’, masters, rulers of the congregation. This is errant. For no matter what office we hold, we have a work of service. There is but One ‘head’, and that is Jesus. All of us have the same “High Priest’ and all the rest of us are ‘priests’. The office of ‘apostle does not rule any other. Neither does the prophetic office give any the right to ‘lord’ over others.

There is a big difference between ‘ensample’ and ‘lord’. Pastors, apostles, prophets, etc, are not to be ‘lords’. Yet, we find some today, who want to ‘shepherd over’ others, who want to be the one between God and man, telling others what God wants them to do. They prefer others come to them for the ‘answers’, rather than going to God. They try to cut God out of the fellowship relationship with others, replacing God with themselves in the lives of other saints.

The three groups in which we often find this attitude and doctrine, is in apostles, prophets, and pastors.

The verses given at the beginning of this chapter show the word ‘apostle’ before the other offices. Yet, is that to mean that the apostle office superior to the prophetic or pastoral office?

In timing of church building, the apostle is the sent one that goes out and starts the church in new areas.

The prophet is second to come, to relate to carnal saints and to struggling Christians, the message to them regarding their Christian life.

The pastor then comes to feed and nurse the flock.

The ‘apostle’ comes and speaks God’s message to sinners. The prophet comes and speaks to the ones converted to Jesus. The pastor maintains the long range work of feeding the flock, and helping it grow.

There is not hint that the apostles are lords over the other ministries, rather that their work comes first. The teaching of Scripture keeps reminding us that the Lord is ‘lord’, and master. We all answer to Him, not to some head person here.

The word ‘apostello’ is found 133 times in the Bible.. It is used generally of persons upon whom has been given a special mission to take the gospel to an area unreached heretofore. The 70 disciples were sent out with a mission to gather crowds for the Lord Who would be passing that way shortly. The ‘sent out ones’ are apostles.

‘Apostles are ‘sent forth’. In our day, those who are ordained of the church, with the mission to be ‘sent forth’ to plant new congregations, are called ‘missionaries’. The New Testament concept of apostle is much like our concept of a ‘missionary.’ The ‘apostle’ and the ‘prophet’ are the foundation stones used by the church Builder in His work.

The true ‘Builders’ of the church are God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, not apostles, prophets, and pastors.


Ephesians 2:18-20
“...are built upon the foundation of the apostles, and prophets... builded together.’

This shows that the builders are not the apostles and prophets, rather those two groups are the foundation, the beginning part of the work we call the ‘church’. We must not try to assume the builder role, for the Lord is doing that work, we are but the parts that make up the church, we are not the architect or builder.

Psalms 75:6-7
“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the Judge, He putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

The offices of apostle, of prophet, etc. come from God. He chooses. Some may claim to be deserving of those offices due to some talent, skill, accomplishment, educational degree, appointment by a denomination, or by some ‘suffering’ of trials, of fasting, etc. that supposedly earned it. Yet, those offices are appointments from God, promotions to a great work by the Lord, not of our own choosing, but of His choosing.

The Lord calls us to the office He chooses, and He anoints us with the Spirit to do the work. The Lord gives the words to the prophets, they are not words from the prophet’s own mind, but words of rhema, speaking God’s message. The prophet is but an instrument used to deliver that message. The apostle is the church planter, sent to begin a work, to do the work first of the evangelist, to enlist members into the body, and to set up the church with pastors, teachers, and evangelists, so that after the apostle moves on, the church can function.

One office should not despise the other offices for their differences. We must be tolerant of different ministries, we must appreciate the spectacular, and the less spectacular workings of the Spirit. We should accept those who do not please us, if they are pleasing the Lord, for they answer to Him, not to us. The awkward and weaker members should be accepted and encouraged, not shunned or shamed. Each part of the body of Christ needs to exercise their work, and be used in the church that all may be edified.

If some get feeling that their work is the greatest, and all others are to yield to them, the body is hindered. For instance if a human arm were to decide that the legs are unnecessary, and the arm took an axe to remove those hindering legs, the body would suffer. Yet, we find that same attitude within the church of today.

Often, we find ones who consider themselves to be ‘prophets’ to be the ones who ‘give’ the orders, speak for God, and therefore ought to be considered almost like being ‘God’. They want reverence, respect, and acclaim. They want to rule and dominate. They want to assume the role that the Lord is jealously guarding for Himself only.

Some others who are thinking they are ‘apostles’, and many of them are not truly ‘apostles’ for they do not want to be sent forth to plant new works, they want to move in and rule congregations already begun.

Some of these so called ‘apostles’ want to be the ‘giver of new doctrines, the ‘lord’ over the saints, the ‘great shepherd’ who is to tell the others what to do and to think.

Both these groups, the prophets (so called), and the apostles (the self appointed), are errant and that idea is ‘hated’ by the Lord (see Rev. 2, regarding the doctrine and work of the nicolaitans).

Galatians 1:8-9
“For though we, or an angel, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

There are some wanting to coin new words, begin new dogma, start new doctrines under the false assumption that that is what an apostle is to do. The whole concept is un-Biblical, and errant. The gospel given in the Bible is the gospel to which we are to adhere. There is no new gospel coming from the mouths of some thinking they are the new ‘lord’ for this age.

There are a group of angels who we can call ‘apostle angels’. We find them mentioned in Hebrews 1:14:
“And they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth (apostello) to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”

Those that the Lord knows will someday accept Him, have angels sent forth, to minister and serve them. These apostle angels are servants and guardians of those who will someday come to know Jesus. Like the human ‘apostles’ who go forth to the heathen, the unsaved, and minister to them, the ‘apostle angels’ minister to those the Lord foreknows will accept Him, but have not done so as yet. They do not ‘lord’ and boss them, they serve them, watch over them, protect them. It is a total misconception, an un-Biblical one, that ‘apostles’ are to be ‘lords’ and doctrine conceivers. They are ‘sent forth’ ones, sent with a mission to serve God, and to serve their new converts, so that a church may someday be strong due to the service by the servants known as ‘apostles.

The authority of the apostles was spiritual, personal. It was not one that was owned, and could be transmitted or conferred upon others at one’s own will. God called ‘apostles’, He alone confirms them. He alone ordains them to that work. At best, churches and denominations can recognize what God has done, but they do not do it.

The apostles do not have authority over the church or any part of it. They speak God’s message. As believers of the churches, we are to ‘test’ all ministries, and not take one’s own word for their calling. There will be confirmation from the Lord, there will be fruit to one’s ministry. As the Didache showed, each church could test one claiming to be an apostle, and either affirm such confirmation by their words and actions, or deny that the person truly was an apostle.

 

[murjahel]

The EVANGELIST Calling


Ephesians 4:11-16 (KJV)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.



The Lord calls 'apostles' to be missionaries, sent ones, to take the gospel to new areas. Prophets are sent to preach and speak the rhema of God, identifying how the path to God. Pastors come and feed the sheep. Evangelists come and continue the evangelization of the area. These ministries all fit together, working under ONE Head, i.e. Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8
‘And ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ye shall be My witnesses unto Me..."


An evangelist gives evidence of the truth. We all know of those with a gift of evangelism that consider their prime ministry to be winning souls to Jesus.

Some of us have a different ministry gift, but still are to be ‘witnesses’, and still to do soul winning. No matter what our ministry calling and gifts, we are to make our message to be "Jesus" .


The word ‘witnesses’ in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word ‘martureo’ from which we get the word ‘martyr’. A martyr is one who gives their life for their message of Jesus. A martyr is one who dies to self all other claims or demands upon their life.

When one will witness "Jesus’, they tell what they have seen, heard, experienced In Jesus.


The idea is to ‘disciple’ others into the family of God. Jesus is the means of entrance into salvation, and witnesses show the means of entry. The word for ‘to disciple’ is the Greek word ‘mathateuo’.


Matthew 28:19
"Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple) all nations..."


Our witness has a purpose. We are to ‘disciple’ others. Some call this to be ‘converting’ them. This means to ‘change’ them, and yes, we do, we change them from damned to saved, from doomed to righteous, from lost to found, from family of the devil and his doom, to the family of God and His eternal joy. Some countries have declared ‘converting’ one from their faith is a crime.

Our goal is to convert from false religions, from atheism, from agnosticism, to the true and only true way to heaven, i.e. Jesus.

This is repugnant to many, even to some Christians.

So, the job of witnessing Jesus, the job of discipling others to Jesus, is a lost ministry in most areas.

Some have a prophetic gift and calling. That gift can enable them to do a better job in evangelism. This prophetic gift allows them to speak rhema word, can also bring a word of knowledge, and can use those to speak words which cut deep into the sinner, and reveal the inner hurts, needs, and hopes.

Acts 1:8 says that the evangelists, the ‘witnesses’, will have ‘power’. This power is divine power, from God. The prophetic gift should be one power. A word of knowledge should be another. There are others, and each of them is available to the witness. It is time we expect and use the ‘powers’ offered to us.

To lower our goal from discipling to some lower goal as to make Christians to look like easy people to get along with, is not going to save anyone. We have a mission, we may be hated for it, we may be rejected for it, we could be killed for it, as were many martyrs of the early church, but we need to do our discipling.

Evangelism is awakening people to their sins, and showing Jesus as the Answer. The Spirit wants to do miraculous things to bring souls to Jesus. The Spirit knows the hurts, angers, problems of sinners, and can speak directly to them.

Evangelism calls for a decision about Jesus. Soul winning is more than causing one emotional commitment time. Many of those ones who have only that are back in sinful rebellion against God before the day is over. Evangelism is to bring a change in a sinner’s life, and a change that brings a relationship with Jesus, not just an introduction to Him.

The lowering of evangelism to something less than that, is one of the main reasons, we are not seeing the salvation of souls as we should.


The Biblical motive for evangelism, for soul winning, is that we are commanded by our Lord to disciple others to Him. Sinners need Jesus to be their Answer, their new crutch for when they can barely walk, their guide when they cannot see.

Alcoholics turn to alcohol for their answer. If happy, the answer to them is alcohol, if sad, it is the same, and if mad, they likewise turn to alcohol. The alcoholic finds alcohol to be their answer to everything. When one is won to Jesus, Jesus is to become not just their One to meet on Sunday, it is a life style change where Jesus is our Answer for everything, every time in our lives.


To simply get people to agree to an occasional church service is not evangelism. In evangelism, the person invites Jesus inside, and there, Jesus lays claim to everything in their lives, to all decisions, to all conversations, to all duties of that person. He is now ‘Lord’, not occasional visitor, not good friend, not just a one to sometimes thank. Jesus is the everyday, live in, take control of our lives Person.

When the church watered down ‘Lordship of Jesus’ to things far less, we find that salvations decreased, happiness in the Lord waned, and services were lightly seasoned with blessings. To make Jesus to be "Lord", and to call for commitment in salvation to be an epitome, not a slight deviation from worldly norms, is vital. We need to restore Jesus to ‘Lord’, in our own lives, and in the witness message we preach, and then go tell others of Him.
Christian service, including witnessing, is the natural response to the change salvation made in us. Witnessing is a spontaneous result to the power in us.

When Jesus comes in as "Lord", no one will have to tell you to witness. It will be natural, and in fact, like Jeremiah said, a ‘fire burns within’ and makes us to do our witnessing.

Martyrs were not killed because they insisted on witnessing, they were killed because they could not stop from witnessing. When we have to enlist and we try to make witnessing sound easy enough that all should give it a try, we are out of line. If we try to force people to witness, we are out of place. We need to preach Jesus to be ‘Lord’ to others, and those who step into that concept will be impossible to stop from witnessing.

Acts 1:8 tells us that this witnessing ‘power’ comes to us, after the Spirit comes upon us. There is a power to be had in witnessing. It is not just the right words, the right time, it is the miracles of power that accompany the witnessing effort.


So, the main qualification of witnessing is this ‘power’ we are to have to witness. There are other qualifications to be the witness God wants us to be.

We need faith in God. We need faith in our own salvation. We need a desire to witness, but as I said, this comes natural, as we make Jesus to be ‘Lord’. The desire to witness outweighs the cost. Even martyrdom will not outweigh the desire to witness. We will not count shame as outweighing that desire to witness. The fear of reproach will not outweigh our desire to share Jesus.


So, the power of the Spirit resting upon us will handle the fear, the possible shame, the fact we may be made martyrs. This power comes after the filling with the Spirit that the disciples received on the day of Pentecost. That filling is still available to us in our day. That power of the filling will enable us to win many souls. That power will anoint our words, will convict and prick the heart of the hearer of those words. That power of the Spirit will lead us to the right place at the right time, for the witnessing to have the harvest we desire to see.

Jesus did personal evangelism. The one thief on the cross might have thought it was horrible that he was arrested and sentenced to death, but that turned out to be the highlight of his life. Jesus was there, waiting for that man to be put on the cross next to Him. The power of the Spirit had brought the right people together, in a manner in which the thief could not leave. The power of the Spirit can get those with softened hearts, to your vicinity, so you can lead them to Jesus.

The rich young ruler made the wrong decision. Yet, it was the word of knowledge of Jesus knowing what stood in the way for this young man to be able to serve Jesus as Lord. The power of the Spirit gave that knowledge to Jesus for this witnessing time.



The adulterous woman was part of a scheme of the rich men to get Jesus into a situation that to obey the law of God, He would have to break Roman law.

Their tactic did not work, but their attempt brought the woman to Jesus where He could offer her forgiveness. The power of the Spirit brings souls to us, that are softened, and ready for salvation.

Zachaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus was led by the Spirit to that tree, where the Spirit led Him to look up, and invite Himself to dinner. That power of the Spirit working made that salvation possible.


The Lord was led by the Spirit to send all the disciples into town, and He sat by a well. He could have gotten water for Himself, or had one of the disciples get it for Him, but He sat till the Samaritan woman came and He was led by the Spirit to strike up a conversation. The result was the whole city was given a salvation message from her and Jesus. Being led by the Spirit to the right time, the right place is key in evangelism, if we want powerful salvations.


Jesus’ ministry shows us other tips to being an evangelist. Jesus came to win, not to condemn. He worked with individuals, not just crowds. He recognized the individual’s own needs, and addressed them. He presented Himself as the only hope. He used Scripture to convict. He asked questions to get the conversation rolling. He sought common ground. Jesus gave a simple appeal. He refused to argue and debate religion. Those simple principles had huge crowds following Him, and they led to lives being powerfully changed.

Proverbs 11:30
‘...he that winneth souls is wise...’


To ‘win’ a soul, is our goal. The word for ‘win’ is a military term at times, with the idea of ‘taking a city’. It is also a matrimonial term, as in a woman captivating a man toward marriage. Finally, it is an occupational term, as a fisherman takes fish. So, all three could apply to ‘winning’ souls. It is wise to ‘win souls’. Proof of your wisdom is the anxiousness to win souls.


Jesus did command that we ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel.’ That is not so much an impetus to do it, we already have that when Jesus is "Lord’, it is the scope of that desire that is addressed here. We need to win the ‘world’, not just our family, not just those in our vicinity.

We need to have the whole world as our goal. The Jews to whom Jesus spoke were not used to that scope. They had wanted the Jewish God, the Jewish Messiah. But God did not just want a ‘Jewish’ people in His kingdom, He wants all people of all nations to be in His kingdom.


The salvation message, of Jesus being our only way to heaven, is the world’s only real hope. Materialism is unable to help. Modernism has failed. Atheism has nothing to offer. Evolution has often been proven untrue. False religions cannot get anyone to heaven. Jesus is the only Answer.


A soul is of inestimable value. If you could view hell fire and see the souls there, it would make you want to win souls. The rich man who died and lifted his eyes in the midst of hell, immediately got missionary minded. Nothing else had made him concerned for souls, till he saw what awaits the unsaved.
The Lord’s return is imminent. The early church often greeted each other with the greeting ‘maranatha’ which means ‘the Lord is coming’.
This should be on our minds too as we witness, to spur us to not miss chances, and not be so patient in our ministries.
Hindrances to our witnessing times include the ‘fear of man.’

Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Prayerlessness hinders evangelism. We are commanded to pray for the will of God. God tells us that He does not want ‘any to perish.’ So, if the will of God is for all to be saved, we need to be praying for that will.
Ignorance of God’s message to sinners creates a problem. If we know the Word, can inform the ignorant of it, the Words will bring them to Jesus.

Hosea 4:6
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...’

Selfishness makes us neglect the greater good of witnessing. Jesus, at twelve years of age, was lost to His parents. When they found Him, they were shocked to find Him talking to religious people showing them things in the Word concerning Himself. His answer to His parents showed His concern for souls.

Luke 2:49
"I must be about My Father’s business."

Paul told the 'pastor' Timothy to 'do the work of an evangelist.' In our Christian life, all of us should often expect and desire to do evangelism. Yet, there is a calling for some in which their primary calling is that of evangelism. They may do some 'pastoring', some apostling', some preaching, some prophesying work, but their main ministry is evangelizing.

 

[murjahel]

EVANGELISTS ARE THE SEED PLANTERS

Being led of the Spirit is key to this planting process. The miraculous leading of Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch resulted in not only that soul, but the gospel was carried back to Ethiopia, where still there is a church started long ago by that eunuch. Paul and Silas were miraculously taken to the place where the Spirit could soften that hardened Roman guard’s heart, and bring not only he, but his whole family to Jesus. God wants to lead us to ones who are ready and willing for the seed to be planted.


There are two kinds of witness.

1. The silent witness, as Christ was before Pilate, is one kind of witness. Our life can speak out so loudly, some cannot hear what you say with your lips.

Sometimes this silent witness is best, but normally, it is fruitless, unless combined with a spoken witness. Sometimes the silent witness ruins the spoken witness.

You know the silent witness is working, when those to whom you have not spoken a witness come to you, and ask you to tell them about Jesus. They must have not responded to spoken words, so it is only to your silent example they have responded.

2. The spoken witness is commanded. We are told ‘let the redeemed of the Lord, say so..." To believe, and not to witness, is an act of cowardice.

Whereas, the witness of our salvation should be normal, natural, and done without effort, it is expected therefore that it flows from all Christians.
The early church remembered well the command of Jesus to witness.


Acts 1:8
"But ye shall be witnesses, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you..."

John 15:16
"...I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit...’

Paul continued on in the exhortation to witness.
I Corinthians 9:22
"to the weak, I became as weak, that I might gain the weak,; I am made all things to all men, that I might by some means save some..."


The tragedy is, that too many Christians in our times, do not take seriously that they too have a responsibility to win souls to Jesus. We are to give our testimony, i.e. our seed.


Revelation 12:11
‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death."


We need all three of the things mentioned in that verse, in our testimony.

1. The ‘blood of the Lamb’ is the presentation of the merciful salvation we offer. If we speak of sin and its penalty, and do not mention that they can be saved, forgiven, and redeemed because of the merciful Savior Who died and shed His blood for us, then we have no hope or salvation to give.

2. The ‘testimony’ we give is of how that ‘blood’ saves. The showing the road, the way to salvation is vital. Repentance, confession of Jesus as Lord and Master, and the resulting forgiveness and adoption into God’s family must be shown.

3. The courage referred to in that verse is the final ingredient in a witness. It takes courage, and often presents danger to the witness for their testimony.

Courage needs settled before embarking on this mission for Jesus.

Your testimony is a light in a dark room. Scriptures that verify what you know and have seen, add weight to the seed. With the heart we believe, and with our mouths we confess, and our ‘confession’ plants seeds. So, the very act of salvation puts one into the role of being a witness, and doing the work of a soul winner.

Romans 10:10
‘With the heart we believe, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation."


Paul, after his conversion to Jesus, ‘straightway... preached that He (Christ Jesus) is the Son of God..." (Acts 9:20) If you note, in verse 22, following that, it says ‘but Paul increased more in strength." Paul was barely saved, and he was a witness for Jesus. It is the natural, and inevitable thing for a new convert to Jesus to do. The confession we make, naturally and automatically, is witness of our Lord and Savior.

The Samaritan woman, that Jesus spoke to at the well, went into the city, and there proclaimed the Jesus she had just met.

John 4:29
"Come see a Man Who told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ."

So, the ‘if’ shall we witness is answered by, it is natural to do so. The ‘When’ shall we witness is different.

There are some common times, that we have grown accustomed to witnessing.

1. For instance, at the close of a church service, is a common time to find some moved by the Holy Spirit, and in obvious conviction, we see opportunity to witness.
Anyone who has preached a sermon, knows that the faces, and body language of the ones in the pews tell you much. Discernment is wonderful, but not much is needed in those situations. You can see the ‘convicted’, by their obvious reactions to the ‘pricking’ of their hearts. To go to those, and witness, one on one, is important. They are in great pain of conviction, and we have the cure.


2. Sometimes, when people are shocked by tragedy, we see chances to speak to them about Jesus.

3. When people are dying and facing eternity, we know to witness.

4. When people are about to make a major step in life, and are concerned that every decision is right, they are more open to talk about the change that Jesus could give them.

5. When terrible reverses shake up a person’s life, they are open to the witness of Jesus.

6. When life is at its peak, and things seem to be perfect in most every way, people even then, are open, for despite all the seeming prosperity, there is still something missing. That something is Jesus.

Those are obvious times to witness. Yet, there are other times, that are not obvious. We have to learn to be led by the Spirit, in a powerful way, with miraculous results. A prophetic word to our hearts, from the Spirit, can alert us to witness opportunities.


Jesus sat down by a well, and began a conversation with a Samaritan woman. It ended with a call for the whole town to come hear this Jesus.

Paul and Silas were in prison, a Philippian jailer, the whole dungeon of prisoners, all had the witness of Jesus, and again the witness had miraculous results.

We can witness at work, at family gatherings, in sports arenas, outside bars late at night, in letters, in emails and message boards, in hospitals waiting rooms, at dinner parties, etc.

When planting the seeds of witness, first, we must diagnose the case. How much does the person being witnessed to, already know about salvation. The less one knows, the more work must be done in the beginning of the planting of the witness. If the person is well schooled in the salvation gift, then less time will be necessary.

Next, we describe the disease of sin. It is a devastating thing to happen to the soul, and has an already paid for cure. Prescribe that remedy, and its availability. Warn of the danger of hell, if the cure is neglected. Urge immediate decision.

We are not here to convict the sinner. The Holy Spirit already has convinced their soul of its sin, and though with their lips they deny it, they truly do know they are sinners. They are convicted, i.e. convinced of sin.
Anchor the soul that accepts Jesus to the Word. Give him verses to strengthen the faith, to hold to in temptation, to stabilize in the storms of life.

Explain to the former sinner, now saint, that it is vital to share what he/she has received with others.

Speak to the ones to whom you witness, in words they can understand. Have you ever had a doctor tell you what you had, in words that only doctors understand? It is scary, even if all it turns out to really be is a hangnail. Have you ever read your prescription bottle, and seen the ingredients. The words are awesome and totally not understood by the average layman.


The words in our jargon, can be overwhelming to the sinner. One’s head could swim in confusion, instead of conviction, if we try to impress with our peculiar salvation terminology.

One student heard their teacher talking about a ‘horizontal line’, and thought the teacher said a ‘horse on the line’. It is time to take the confusion out of our witness, and get down to words the person can understand, and then educate them with some of the words, others may be heard saying.


Words like:
regeneration, sanctification, conversion, justification, righteousness, contrition, faith, redemption, and many others, can intimidate the one to whom we witness. Put it in simple terms, and since they will run into these words eventually, educate them to what they refer.

Plant your seed with boldness. There is no reason to be afraid. We offer eternal life, through the Savior from all our sins, and blessed with a forgiveness that is total, and a peace that passes understanding. No one can offer the sinner something better. We are ambassadors to the Savior of the world, One Who will someday sit on the throne of His kingdom, and there rule.

We represent Him, and offer a generous package of His love to them. Be bold.

Our seed to plant in their souls is to be Christ-centered. We speak of Jesus, and what He did for us, what He can do for them. We do not convince of sin, we do not argue doctrines, we do not put the sinner down, we lift Jesus up.


The witness we plant is truthful, sincere. It is based out of the Holy Word of God. This book from which we get the Scriptures we read to them, is proven to be infallible, and authored by God Himself.

We should plant our seed in an audible, yet brief, way. This does not need an hour long sermon, just a simple question or two, and a short explanation of how to have Jesus forgive their sins.

The Holy Spirit leads. We do the simple basics, and the Spirit does the miracle. We are allowed to wonder at His miraculous dealings. We will watch the sinners question, and want to know more and more. The Spirit will be giving answers, and reminding the witness of what they learned long ago, so as to answer those questions.

The sinners will often break and cry. They will feel a hunger for the Lord, and thirst for the water of life, as Jesus offered the woman at the well.

The greatest feeling, other than that of your own salvation, is to help the Spirit in His saving of a soul. The joy will overwhelm you, will give you eternal memories. Plant those seeds, a harvest will come.

The evangelist is one called to make this kind of ministry, their primary calling. Surely, they will teach, preach, intercede, and have many kinds of ministry, but their first calling on their heart will be souls for Jesus. Their love for all kinds of people will grow, they will look beyond the sin, and see the desperate sinner that has no hope but Jesus to save them.

 

[murjahel]

'Gave gifts unto men'

The Holy Spirit is still working today. He has a plan to enable those in the various ministries with spiritual gifts. We all know in Corinthians and in Romans there are some gifts listed, but those are not all the gifts. God has so many more powerful gifts, and the Bible is full of the mention of gifts.

The Lord has the Holy Spirit draw us to Him, and will speak 'gifts' to us, with which He wants to endow the ministries.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (KJV)
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:27 (KJV)
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Then the Holy Spirit sends and operates these many gifts through the saints.

Ephesians 4:8 (KJV)
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.


Ephesians 4:11-12 (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

In this way, no ministry is going to find themselves weak, unready, or unable to preach of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 (KJV)
5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

Acts 10:44 (KJV)
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

Our prayers are aided, and God wants to show us what gifts are available, offered, and willingly given.

Romans 8:26-27 (KJV)
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Jude 1:20-21 (KJV)
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

These miraculous gifts of power to help the saints do the work of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:4 (KJV)
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
These GIFTS of the Spirit are divine endowments of special power for service in the body of Christ. These are God-given abilities, strengths, and divine endowments. They are not natural talents. We find too many depending on 'natural talents' to do the ministries, but God wants us to have supernatural gifts to enable us to do mighty things. Natural talents are given of God through genetics. Talents are received at birth. Talents should be dedicated to God for His use.

However, the gifts of the Spirit are given of God, independent of the parents. They are received at conversion, or later. They are to be used as God directs. The gifts are not talents already present, that now must be increased. The gifts are not more of what was already present. The gifts of the Spirit are not enhancements. The gifts are not received from schooling or training. The gifts are endowments of the supernatural. They are manifestations of the Spirit as He works through the saint as His vessel.


Four words are used in the Greek to refer to the gifts.


1. Charismata -

This refers to them being gifts of God's love and mercy.
( I Pet. 4:10, Rom. 12:6, I Cor. 12:4,9, 28,30,31)


2. Pneumatikos -

This emphasizes that they are gifts that proceed from the Holy Spirit.
(I Cor. 14:1)


3. Phanerosis -

This word emphasizes that they are a manifestation of the Spirit.
(I Cor. 12:9, II Cor. 4:2)


4. Domata -

This word stresses the reality of the gift, rather that the beneficial nature of the gift.
(Lk. 11:13, Eph. 4:8, Mt. 7:11)


These gifts cannot be earned, they are freely given of God to His children. These gifts are a manifestation, a showing forth, a making visible of the power and workings of God. The focus of the exercise of the gifts is not on the Holy Spirit, nor on the person the is operating the gift. The focus of the gifts are to be on the magnifying and glorifying of Jesus Christ.

This list of gifts will surprise you, startle you, and make you want to verify what I am showing in the Word. Please do. These will later include the ones we are most familiar with, but there is a vastly longer list than many have ever noticed.

 

[murjahel]

This list of gifts will surprise you, startle you, and make you want to verify what I am showing in the Word. Please do. These will later include the ones we are most familiar with, but there is a vastly longer list than many have ever noticed.

The first gift, one that we all need, and no one in ministry can do without, is...
The Cross

Yes, the cross is a gift. This sounded so stupid to me, when the Lord first began talking to me about the ‘cross’ as a ‘gift’. We think of bearing a cross as something we reluctantly do until we ‘exchange it for a crown’, but the cross, though a ‘tough’ carry, is a gift, a wonderful gift for us to bear as we minister.

If we want to walk with Jesus in this journey, the only way to do so, is to bear the cross He gives to us. It is a gift that is absolutely necessary to be borne, absolutely vital to our joint journey with Him, that we must examine this gift first.

Matthew 16:24-26 (KJV)
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

If we want to ‘come after’ or walk with our Lord, a ‘cross’ must be ‘taken up.’
It will mean ‘losing’ what we wish we could carry. We would like the Lord to give us wealth, health, stocks and bonds, on this journey. Like the rich young ruler though, we are told to lay all other things aside, give them up, and follow our Lord.

Luke also quotes the Lord on this. Matthew was one of the 12 disciples, Luke was one of the 70 disciples. So, to both groups, Jesus shared this condition of walking with Him.

Luke 9:22-26 (KJV)
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Mark was a young man, and likely learned most of what he wrote from Peter. He heard this condition referred to, it was a continuing message that to walk with Jesus, we need to bear a cross.

"Take up the cross, and follow Me." Mark 10:21

We need to know that self-will would like to be our lord and master; but our cross is prepared and appointed for us by our Lord and Savior. We need to cheerfully accept it. The cross is our chosen badge, burden, way of life. This Jesus that we serve bids us to submit our shoulders to His easy yoke. Some would like to trample on it in vain-glory, or to fall under it in despair, or to run away from it in terror.

If we want to be a true follower of Jesus, we must be a cross-bearer. This pathway leads sometimes to sorrows, our own, or others to whom we minister. We carry that burden and weep in sorrows for the souls to whom we minister. Jesus did not carry a cross due to His own sins, but for the sins of others. We do have sins, ones to whom we minister have sins, and the sorrows of cross bearing is the reminder of the burdens we bear in interceding for ourselves and those others.

Surely you could not desire a better Companion on this walk. If the only way to walk with Jesus as our Guide is to be bearing a cross, then give me my cross. Jesus carried a cross, what better Fellow Traveler is there to walk with us as we carry the cross’ burdens?

The path we walk with this cross is a way of safety. We need not fear to tread its rocky ways, its hidden and unseen dangers, its thorny paths, if Jesis our Companion.

The cross is not feathers, nor velvet, nor chocolate. The cross is heavy and painful to our shoulders. We know a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows did. We, now, can take up our cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God, soon be in love with it. It is a gift that will be treasured, and the memory of this walk with Jesus will be one you would not exchange for all the treasures of this world.

Jesus will us bow our spirits in submission to the His will.

The path of carrying this cross led Jesus to a crucifixion. Our cross that He gives us as a gift, will also lead us to come calvaries.

Crucifixion was in used among the Egyptians, the Carthaginians, the Persians, the Assyrians, Scythains, Indians, Germans, the Greeks and the Romans. It was considered the most horrible form of death. Among the Romans the punishment was only used in the case of the vilest criminals, and threats to their society.

The mistreatment of Jesus was incredible, and hard to believe that they could enjoy doing these things to One Whom no one could find a charge that was true to incriminate Him as worthy of mistreatment. Here was One Who had healed the sick, raised the dead, taught love and mercy, and offered salvation to all who would accept, and they did these horrible things to Him.

Matthew 27:27-32
"...stripped Him, put on a scarlet robe... crown of thorns, reed in His right hand (mock sceptre), bowed the knee and mocked Him... spit on Him... took reed and smote Him on the head... mocked Him, took robe off Him and put on His own raiment... led Him away to crucify Him.. found a man of Cyrene... Simon.. compelled to bear His cross..."

This was sport to these soldiers. They enjoyed the mistreatment. People may watch gory movies on television, and yet, it is far beyond that to treat people as these men did Jesus.

The four soldiers, under the command of a centurion, were detailed to each cross in those days. The centurion led the way carrying a white wooden board on which was written the crime of the one to be crucified. It was this sign, that Pilate ordered to be put upon the top of the cross. It angered the Jews, for it had no crime written upon it. For Jesus, it read- "The King of the Jews..." This was the charge they brought to Pilate, and there was no wrong of Jesus to put upon the cross, so Pilate had them carry a sign bearing the one truth about Jesus that caused these Jews to want Jesus dead.

Usually the longest way to the place of crucifixion was taken, to attract public attention, some feel that it was different here because of the nearness of the Passover. Jesus was followed by two thieves who each had their own soldiers.

The one to be crucified was made naked. He was put upon the cross of torture. The arms of the criminal were stretched along the cross-beams, and at the lower wrist of the hands was nailed to those beams. The feet were often nailed together over one another to the upright beam. The body was then secured by those three nails, so that it could not fall to the ground, when the cross was upright. The victim was not far off the ground, so that everyone who wanted could choose to strike or spit upon the criminal.

A death by crucifixion included all the pain and agony that could be possibly given a person. There was dizziness, cramps, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, fever, public shame, torment, all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured, but all stopping just short of causing unconsciousness.

The unnatural position made movement painful. The wounds emptied the body of its blood, the body became swollen, then emptied of all life. This was the death our Lord and Savior

The fracture of the legs was adopted as a custom to hasten death. One could no longer push the body up so as to allow a breath to be taken, and the loss of oxygen into the lungs brought death quicker.


Matthew 27:33-44
"..come unto a place called Golgotha, i.e. to say, a place of a skull... gave Him vinegar... mingled with gall, when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink... crucified Him... parted His garments, casting lots... sitting down, watched Him there... set over His head the accusation, 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews...' two thieves crucified with Him... they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, ... If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross... chief priests, mocking Him, scribes and elders said, He saved others, Himself He cannot save... let Him come down from the cross and we will believe Him..."

Matthew 27:45-46
"...sixth hour (noon), darkness over all the earth till the ninth hour (3 p.m.)... 'Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani...' = 'My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me (see Psalms 22)... cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost... veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, earth did quake... rocks rent... centurion and they with him said, Surely this was the Son of God... many women were beholding from afar off..."

This is the ‘cross’ our Lord carried. He offers us a ‘gift’ of a cross. It does not sound ‘appetizing’. We may be inclined in the natural to run from a life that has sorrows like Jesus bore on His cross. The life of a minister has many sorrows though. We bear on our lives, and in our spirits, burdens the world would never understand.

Paul suffered with his cross carrying. His willingness to suffer for his ministry, and still to continue.

II Corinthians 11:23-27
"labors... stripes above measure... in prisons... in deaths oft... five times I received 40 stripes save one... thrice was I beaten... once was I stoned... thrice I suffered shipwreck... a night and a day I have been in the deep... in journeyings often... in perils of waters... in perils by mine own countrymen... in perils of the heathen... in perils in the city... in perils in the wilderness... in perils in the sea... in perils among false brethren... in weariness and painfulness... in watchings often... in hunger and thirst... in fastings often... in cold and nakedness..."

Paul carried willingly the burdens of the churches to which he ministered.

II Corinthians 11:28-29
"Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?"

On this walk with Jesus, carrying his own cross, the gift of the Lord to him, Paul visions and revelations from the Lord.

II Corinthians 12:1
"It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth such an one caught up to the third heaven..."

Along with the revelations, and messages from Jesus Himself, Paul also had the signs and wonders that proved he was walking with Jesus.

II Corinthians 12:12
"Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds..."

In order to have a ‘walk with Jesus’, and to have the signs and wonders kind of ministry, we need to take up our crosses.

 

[murjahel]

TO CONTINUE IN GIFTS,
THERE IS ONE WE MUST REQUEST...

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Luke 11:9-13 (KJV)
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The baptism into the power of the Holy Spirit will bring many gifts, but the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift we need to ask for, and have the assurance, that if we do, the Lord will begin to fill us with that gift.

There is a prophecy in Joel that is usually misunderstood.

Joel 2:28-29
"AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS AFTERWARD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS. AND ALSO UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR OUT MY SPIRIT."

This great prophecy was prophesied about 770 B.C. Part of this prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, as stated by Peter in Acts 2:16-18.

John the Baptist said:
Matthew 3:11
"I INDEED BAPTIZE YOU WITH WATER UNTO REPENTANCE; BUT HE THAT COMETH AFTER ME IS MIGHTIER THAT I, WHOSE SHOES I AM NOT WORTHY TO BEAR; HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST, AND WITH FIRE:"

John the Baptist prophesied here that Jesus would "baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire." The word "baptidzo" of the Greek is used here. It means "to immerse, overwhelm, drown with..." John the Baptist immersed in water as a symbol of repentance. Jesus would immerse in the Spirit to empower.

Jesus came and promised to do what Joel and John the Baptist had prophesied.

John 7:39
"THIS SPAKE HE OF THE SPIRIT WHICH THEY THAT BELIEVE ON HIM SHOULD RECEIVE: FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS NOT YET GIVEN, BECAUSE JESUS WAS NOT YET GLORIFIED."

Jesus needed to ascend to heaven, after His resurrection, to send back the Spirit to fulfill this gift. The very fact that the baptism of the Spirit has come testifies to the fact that Jesus has ascended to heaven and been glorified. We can rest assured that He did reach heaven by the fact that the Spirit did return. We need to take courage in the fact that the Spirit is being now poured out on all who wish to receive Him, because it is an experience that is intended to reassure us of the fact that Jesus is not dead, and buried-- but is at the right hand of the Father in heaven and interceding for us. The Holy Spirit glorifies this Jesus.

Many were invited to tarry in the upper room until the Holy Spirit came. At one time 500 saw Christ after His resurrection. Even if these 500 had been the only ones invited, 380 had either not gone to await the coming of the Spirit, or had left before the Spirit finally came. It is the same today. Many know about the infilling of the Holy Spirit and its availability. Few seek it.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit aids our flesh in its worship. No people can worship as well as Spirit-filled people. Before you receive the Spirit, you will come to the place of realization of your own utter helplessness. You will look up to the Spirit to fill you so you may be able to worship better.

This experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit is still for us today. All true believers are candidates. Peter said it was for "AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL..." (Acts 2:38-39). Jesus put no moral level, or position for candidates to reach, other than the new birth. One can still be fighting bad habits. One can still have ups and downs. Perfection is not to be attained before the infilling of the Spirit. No, the Holy Spirit wants to fill us so we are empowered to fight the flesh, and the devil.

The Holy Spirit is present with the sinners to convict them. He is present with all believers to regenerate them. Yet, there is an experience available beyond these. It is called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

BAPTIZER THE ONE BAPTIZED BAPTIZED INTO

SALVATION - Holy Spirit - sinner - Christ

BAPTISM OF - Christ - Christian - Holy Spirit
THE SPIRIT

Ephesians 5:18
"BE NOT DRUNK WITH WINE, WHEREIN IS EXCESS, BUT BE YE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT."

Ephesus, to whom the above verse was addressed, was a pagan city. They worshipped the goddess, Diana. Drunkenness was common. The wine brought exhilaration, insensibility to pains. It seemingly took the drinker to another world. They felt carefree and happy, strong and uninhibited. The baptism of the Spirit does this also, without the hangover, social, and mental damage. We are commanded not to be "drunk with wine." Many people try to follow that command. Yet we are also commanded to be "filled with the Spirit." Many forget to follow that command.

When you received the Lord as your Savior, your spirit became alive again. Your spirit within you began to assert itself over your soul and body. This spirit is the dwelling place of God within you. Your spirit united with God's Spirit at salvation.

Some say, "How can I receive the Spirit when He already dwells within me?" The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not the receiving of the Spirit into your life--all Christians have the Spirit working in their lives. At the baptism of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit completely fills your life. The word "baptize" in the classical Greek was used of a sunken, waterlogged ship. The Lord wants us to be more than:
born of the Spirit,
or used of the Spirit,
or regenerated of the Spirit
--He wants us to be waterlogged with the Spirit.

John 7:38
"HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME...OUT OF HIS BELLY SHALL FLOW RIVERS OF LIVING WATER (the Holy Spirit)."

The baptism of the Spirit will aid in the production of the "image of Christ" in us.

We are not made perfect by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Yet, when we are Spirit-filled, the Spirit will help us resist the lusts and temptations of the flesh. There will still be ups and downs. However, the Spirit is better able to direct, to aid, to uplift, and to convict. We can still refuse or ignore His help. The baptism of the Holy Spirit makes us more aware of sin, and gives us more desire to shun sin. With this new power we have received, we have power to resist sin, if we so choose.

Luke 11:13
"IF YE THEN, BEING EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS UNTO YOUR CHILDREN: HOW MUCH MORE SHALL YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THEM THAT ASK HIM ?"

Thus, the simple beginning of the receiving of the baptism of the Spirit, is to ASK.

James 4:2
"YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT."

Then, one must simply believe that what God has promised, He will fulfill. At the moment you ask, the Lord will begin to fill you. Enjoy the filling. Don't demand tongues immediately. That is the sign that the filling is complete, not the filling itself. Enjoy what God is doing in and with you, as He gently fills you with His Spirit. Praise Him as He fills you. You may feel emotion, and again, you may not. The filling is proceeding as you worship and praise. When He is finished filling you, you will have a prayer language given to you. It is like eating at a buffet. The mealtime is the enjoyable. Enjoy every course and eat to the fill. The dessert is great, but it is just the final course. Enjoy the full meal, the dessert will come soon enough.

Be sure to pray aloud. The finishing part of this experience is the tongues, and one must be speaking aloud to find their language changed.

Psalms 81:10
"OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE, AND I WILL FILL IT."

The gift of the Spirit’s baptism is the key to many, many more gifts. We shall look at some of these, examine those, and then look at an endless list of more gifts that most do not consider, yet God is wanting to give.



EVIDENCES OF THE GIFT


How can one know that they have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit ? There are many evidences of this experience.

1. There is an increased love and glory given to Christ.
2. One will experience a desire to evangelize.
3. One's ministry will exhibit more edification to the church.
4. There will be ministry gifts developing.
5. One of the often seen physical evidences of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the reception of a prayer language, generally referred to as "tongues."

These unknown tongues are not a language the speaker understands. They may be a language of this earth or a language of the angels in heaven. They may be a current language, or a old language of years ago. These tongues are a natural response of the completion of the work of the Spirit. When one met the conditions of ASKING, and DESIRING to receive the experience, God began to fill the person. When one is filled completely, the prayer language will begin.

Why tongues ?

James 3:8
"BUT THE TONGUE CAN NO MAN TAME; IT IS AN UNRULY EVIL, FULL OF DEADLY POISON."

All species of animals can be tamed by people. The tongue of a person is untamable. No amount of cunning, persuasion, or influence will ever tame the tongues of people. So when God fills one with the Holy Spirit, it is the tongue that is the last member of the body to be immersed in the Spirit's power. As a sign to us that He has completed His infilling, God has instituted the giving of a prayer language.

The disciples and the rest of the 120 that were in the upper room - "BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES AS THE SPIRIT GAVE UTTERANCE." (Acts 2:4)

Cornelius and his household were saved and began to speak with tongues before Peter could finish the altar call. (Acts 10:44-48, 11:15-17, 15:7-8)

The Ephesian church received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and "THEY SPAKE WITH TONGUES."
(Acts 19:1-7)

Paul spoke in tongues.
(Acts 9:17, I Cor. 14:18)

The Samaritans spoke with tongues.
(Acts 8:14-19)

Tongues were predicted for this age.

Mark 16:17
"AND THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; IN MY NAME THEY SHALL CAST OUT DEVILS; THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES..."

I Cor. 14:21 (compare Isa. 28:11-12)
"IN THE LAW IT IS WRITTEN,'WITH MEN OF OTHER TONGUES AND OTHER LIPS WILL I SPEAK UNTO THIS PEOPLE; AND YET THEY WILL NOT HEAR ME,' SAITH THE LORD."

Joel 2:28-29
"AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS AFTERWARD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS: AND ALSO UPON YOUR HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR OUT MY SPIRIT."

Acts 2:38-39
"REPENT, AND BE BAPTIZED EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. FOR THE PROMISE IS UNTO YOU, AND TO YOUR CHILDREN, AND TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF, EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL."

Some say that the gift of tongues has ceased. But in the Scripture (I Corinthians 13:8), it says:
"WHETHER THERE BE TONGUES, THEY WILL CEASE... WHEN THAT ONE WHO IS PERFECT IS COME..."

The "perfect" One has not yet returned. When He does, there will be no further need of the gift of tongues with which to speak to and hear from the Lord. We will forever be with the Lord and can hear direct from Him. So tongues will cease, but in this day, we still need tongues, as a prayer language.

There is great value in speaking in tongues. First, the prayer language causes us to be refreshed. We can pray for what we need, and don't know we need it--for the Spirit prays through us in this prayer language for those things. We can pray for the needs of others even though we don't know exactly what they need, for the Spirit knows what they need. We can edify the Lord with praise that our own language would have trouble expressing. All of these things cause us to feel refreshed and edified.

Isaiah 28:11-12
"FOR WITH STAMMERING LIPS AND ANOTHER TONGUE WILL I SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE. TO WHOM HE SAID, 'THIS IS THE REST WHEREWITH YE MAY CAUSE THE WEARY TO REST: AND THIS IS THE REFRESHING; YET THEY WOULD NOT HEAR."

Another value of the tongues is the fact that they are to be a sign to the unbeliever. Through this miraculous sign, people will see the manifestation of God's power.

I Corinthians 14:22
"WHEREFORE TONGUES ARE FOR A SIGN, NOT TO THEM THAT BELIEVE, BUT TO THEM THAT BELIEVE NOT..."

The prayer language allows one to praise God, and to speak the wonderful works of God. We may have forgotten with our conscious mind all the works that God has done for us--but the Spirit remembers and can praise God with your lips and voice in this unknown language for those works.

Acts 2:11
"WE DO HEAR THEM SPEAK IN OUR TONGUES, THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD."