the Charismatic / Pentecostal preacher

[murjahel]

THE FAKES OF THE CHURCH VERBALLY ATTACK THE PENTECOSTAL PREACHER

James 3:5-8 (KJV)
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Matthew 12:34-37 (KJV)
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

MANY IDLE WORDS GET SPOKEN, EVEN AMIDST THE SAINTS

THE PENTECOSTAL PREACHER
HEARS AND IS TOLD
OF MANY IDLE WORDS SPOKEN AGAINST HIM/HER.


The Bible says that the tongue is ‘untame-able’, and therefore, we need to be very wary of it. I know I not become the first and only one to tame the tongue, therefore my tongue is still a bit unruly at times. So conversation about the tongue will bring from most of us an 'ouch' at times. If any of us could not speak an 'ouch', if any would mock and laugh thinking they can talk as they want, and not be concerned with controlling the tongue, well, those ones have seared consciences. I don't want to be like them, so, I too will say the 'ouch'. It is blessed that when we do fail with the tongue, we can quickly repent, and look to correct what brings the 'ouch'.

Even in our prayers, can the tongue be a problem. There are what I call ‘witchcraft prayers’ where the words prayed will not be answered by God, for He would never do what is being asked of Him. Therefore, those prayers, of evil against someone, will only have evil spirits attempt to answer them. That means that the pray-er, is working in conjunction with the wishes of evil spirits, hence, we call those prayers ‘witchcraft prayers.



THE GRAVITY OF THE SINS OF THE TONGUE


Even the world understands the gravity of sins of the tongue.

Aristotle in ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ said:
'a long tongue means a short life'
'man is master of the unspoken word, which when spoken, is master of him' and
‘a sharp tongue is the only edge that grows sharper with constant use.'


Few Christians enjoy talks on 'sins of the tongue'. If one announces to a Sunday School class that the next subject will be on the ‘sins of the tongue’, it will make many people look for another church. Christians have tried to ignore talking of that kind of sin, because we are all guilty. We pretend or try to pretend that they are of little import, as words spoken in hot haste, sly insinuations, gossip, swearwords, insulting belittling words. We pretend that those are not major import.


Yet, the Scriptures have 100's of verses on the tongue:

two of the ten commandments deal with the tongue,

the book of Proverbs is packed with warnings against sinful talk,

3 of the 7 things that God says He hates deal with the tongue
in Prov 6:16-19,

Jesus spoke of the fact that we will give account
for every idle word in Matthew 12:36,
('Every idle word that men speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment.'),

James give a whole chapter to discussion of the poison
of an unruly tongue.

God regards sins of the tongue, i.e. idle words, as most serious​

!!!



We do not need to be sober and somber all the time, we can joke, have fun, and have small talk with our friends and neighbors. Elijah joked on Mt Carmel when he suggested to the false ones that perhaps Baal was sleeping or vacationing and could not hear them. Yet, ‘idle words’ are not all joking words, or thoughtless words, or jumbled words of frustration.



The word 'idle' is a combination of a negative prefix and the noun 'work'.

An ‘idle word’ is a word that does not work good. It appears about a dozen times in the New Testament, as 'faith without works is DEAD (idle)' (James 2:20).

And in II Peter 1:8: "if these things be in you, they will make you to not be BARREN (idle) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.'


Therefore, words that are not beneficial, not working good, are idle words. Words that work evil, would be especially ‘idle’ for they work not good, but bad. The text where Jesus made that statement about 'idle' words shows that the Pharisees had made a statement that Jesus had cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus showed how preposterous that was by saying that devils would not cast out devils and work against themselves. Those were idle words by the pharisees. They worked bad, they were blasphemous words against our Lord. It is a shame that some speak ‘idle’ words today, not only about other saints, but still some do about our Lord Jesus.


Some, as Christians go about to do the work of the Lord, will hear 'idle' statements regarding their work, as was done to Jesus about His good works. There are many who should know better, who deep in their hearts know that statements and charges against God's children are dangerous to say. Yet, they do so.

The pharisees could have easily have sat down, thought over their stupid charge against Jesus, and known that it was utterly preposterous. Yet, to try to get others to dislike Jesus like they did, they thought that this preposterous statement would help them.

Down through the ages, we have looked at their charge and thought 'how stupid'. There are still lies, false charges, preposterous assumptions, twisted truths, being spread about many of God’s children. Some, will even pray for evil upon those they make such charges against. Those idle words will not be heeded by our Lord. He is not going to answer a prayer of evil upon a child of God. He does not even want us to pray that way about sinners.

Jesus does not deny every charge against Himself. He does not run around the neighborhood to defend Himself. He simply points out, EVERY IDLE WORD LIKE THAT SPOKEN, WILL BE FACED IN JUDGMENT. We need not fear the ‘idle words’ spoken against us, nor the ‘idle, witchcraft prayers’ that some pray concerning us. We need to stay close to the Lord, Who is our hedge of protection.

Tongues that wag, often have to find something to say, and often words are not thought through before uttering.

Proverbs 10:19
"In the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin."

Ecclesiastes 5:3
"A fool’s voice is known by the multitude of words.'

Proverbs 17:27
"He that hath knowledge spareth his words​

.'

An old story is told about a young boy who told his father, 'I hear an empty wagon coming down the road.' The father asked: 'How do you know its empty?' The boy answered: 'it rattles so much.' There are many who ‘rattle’ much with words, say things without thinking, pray things without wisdom. They are like the ‘empty wagon’ rattling down the road.

James 3:10-12 (KJV)
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

James talks about how from the mouths of Christians comes 'blessings and cursings'.... and that if we do not learn to bridle our own tongues, our 'religion is in vain (worthless).' Christians should not be praying both witchcraft prayers, and ‘effectual fervent prayers’. It is not possible to have both sweet and bitter waters from the same fountain, and neither should prayers to be answered by demons be accompanied by prayers to a holy God. The person praying thinks they are praying only to the holy God, but the prayers are so unholy, that He is not listening to them. I have met many a Christian who has made their Christian example and walk to be WORTHLESS. They have destroyed what good they once did by the devastation of their mouths.

Too often saints debase the gift of speech given them by God by speaking words that are idle, worthless, without any good work. God does not like our words mixed with idle words. Words of hate, lies, prevarications, slandering words, twisted truths, curses, gossip, etc that get mixed into words of praise to God are the ruination of one's Christian example.

Lies, false statements, etc would ruin, my testimony. Cuss words, blasphemous words, should not be in the speaking of any Christian. If you go to a church on Sunday, and walk into the vestibule after the service is over to see what kind of 'words' you will hear, if they are 'critical words, gossipy words, lying words, angry words, it is best to pray for them, and then quickly escape. If they are words of blessing, praise, worship, encouragement, exhorting words, then join in, you have found some ‘saints’. The words of a church vestibule will tell you much about the church.

Here, many come to read teachings, perhaps to discuss, perhaps to share. Even these words about sins of the tongue, may not be making them smile, but the frowns can then be directed at their own unpleasing words, and thereby bring 'good'. So, though these words here may not bring a smile, I pray that they work good for those who read. These are not 'idle' words.

Idle words disclose one's true nature. Just as Peter's Galilean accent gave his home locality away, so, idle words betray the heart and soul of a person. Blessings and cursings should not be coming from the same mouth, any more than salt and fresh water should flow from the same spigot. I don't want to drink from the same pipe that my sewage flows through? Do you?

Jesus wants us to clean up our tongues. He wants us to have only blessings,
non idle words flowing from our mouths. When Jesus spoke that verse about idle words, He followed it with these words:
Matthew 12:37
FOR BY THY WORDS THOU SHALT BE JUSTIFIED, AND BY THY WORDS, THOU SHALT BE CONDEMNED.'

Even I would like to shy away from teaching these, for we are all guilty. but our words bring blessing or condemnation. They are of great, great import to our lives.

If we are going to give an answer as to our 'idle' words in judgment, we need to realize several things:

First, our words are recorded. God has a record of our every word, and the 'idle' ones are on the page for judgment, not for reward.

Second, we need to practice repentance often for words of the past that we have spoken that are idle. We must get those words under the blood of Jesus now.

Third, if we get our mouths speaking non idle words, we will be astounded at the power of God that will work through us, at the power of the words we do speak, and at the blessing of God on our lives.

 

[murjahel]

As ministers in these last days, we need to know Who our Bosses are.

Too many think they are the ‘boss’, but that is not taught in Scripture. We have Bosses, and we need to get to know them. The Christians of today need to learn which side they have joined. Who are we sworn to obey? Some Christians don't act too sure that they know for certain that these Bosses are real. Some have no idea what They are like. Their prayers to these Bosses are like phone conversations with strangers. Yet, God is always there. He can be known.

Why don't Christians know their Bosses?

Some are IGNORANT. They don't search for a real knowledge of the Godhead.

Some are leaning toward IMMORALITY. They don't want to know the Godhead better, because they are being tempted by sin. They fear God will make them give up their carnality.

Others have other IDOLS that have begun to occupy them. The world, things, pleasures, clothes, cars, friends, self, power, prestige, careers, etc. have crept perilously close to taking over first place from God.

INDIFFERENCE of some allows them to just drift through their Christian life, listening to some religious leaders, but never coming into real personal relationships with the Commanding officers.

When we don't know the Ones that are to command, direct, lead, and be recognized as Sovereign Deities, as we should, our lives become lonely, miserable, and unsatisfying. The lives of those who do not personally get close to them grow to be loveless, and apathetic.

People have their own ideas about God. In any group, if you ask, "What is God like?", you will get many different answers. All feel like authorities, and will not want anyone to say, "You're wrong." Yet, many have accepted wrong views of God too easily. Eve, for example, accepted the idea that God was keeping something from her. Cain believed that he could disobey God's command, and sacrifice as he personally wished.

Romans 1:22
"PROFESSING THEMSELVES TO BE WISE, THEY BECAME FOOLS."

Let's discover what our Commanders are like. We will, in heaven at least, discover that we have had some misconceptions. We can dispel some of those misconceptions now with the aid of the Word of God. The truth of the Bible will shatter some ideas. Don't fight to hold onto wrong views.

How many Gods are there?
The Bible reveals that there are -THREE IN ONE.

I John 5:7
"FOR THERE ARE THREE THAT BEAR WITNESS IN HEAVEN, THE FATHER, THE WORD, AND THE SPIRIT, AND THESE THREE ARE ONE!"

We call these three distinct Persons - the TRINITY.



They are three distinct personalities that are one in purpose, mind, and will.

John 17:11
"THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE ONE."

Jesus prayed that prayer to God the Father. He wanted us to be "one" as They are "one." How is that? Did Jesus want us to be only one person? No! He wanted many believers. But He wanted us to unite in our wills and purpose. Just as three candles in a room form one light, the Trinity form one Godhead, and yet are three Persons.

At the baptism of Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven (God), and a dove (Holy Spirit) descended upon His head. There were three distinct beings shown.

At the stoning of Stephen, Stephen stood there "full of the Holy Spirit", and looking toward heaven, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. There are three distinct beings shown in three distinct locations.

In the Book of the Revelation, Christ is seen walking up to the Father to take a book from God's hand, while the Holy Spirit is still on the earth convicting mankind.

These three Commanders are one in will, and purpose.

They do not make contradictory decisions. They work together in each activity. They worked together on creation. They work together in the conversion of people. They are a UNITED ONE, not an ABSOLUTE ONE.

"HEAR, O ISRAEL, OUR GOD IS ONE."

"ONE" is the Hebrew word, "achid" which means "a united one." It is also used in Genesis 2:24, where it refers to the fact that a husband and wife are united to become "ONE FLESH". We realize that God means that they are a united one, not an absolute one. The other word for "one" is "yachid". It means an "absolute one." It is used in Genesis 22:2 where Abraham is told to take his "ONLY SON." Here we know this meant the one and only person who was his son. So God uses a word (achid) that means that the Godhead is more that one personality, that is ONE in a united way. So the Godhead is a Trinity, three Persons Who are equally each - God.

To dispel another misconception, God is NOT a God of Fate, a machine, an indifferent being, a vengeful Person, or a Powerless Overseer. The Bible will quickly erase these misconceptions.

The Godhead are Spirit beings.

John 4:24
"GOD IS A SPIRIT AND THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH."

Spirit is the highest form of being. It is not confined as the human body is. It does not have a human body, but does have a body. Jesus was resurrected in a body that was "flesh and bone." Yet, His body did not have "blood", for its life was not from the blood, as our bodies are, but its life came from the Spirit. The difference between the human body, and the spirit body is what gives each life. The spirit body gets its life and power from the spirit. The human body gets its life from the blood. God is a spirit being, and has omnipresence, but He also has a manifest presence that can sit upon a throne, hand a book to Jesus, and visit Mt. Sinai. We will soon see God face to face when we arrive in His throne room.

Webster defines "person" as "a particular individual - one who has intellect, sensibility, and will..." Angels are persons, departed saints in heaven are still persons, those who have gone to hell-fire - are still persons.

Each member of the Trinity are individual persons also. T
herefore each is shown with intellect, sensibility and will.

All three of the Trinity have INTELLECT.

Father
Matthew 6:32
"For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need..."

Son
John 2:25
"He knew what was in man..."

Holy Spirit
Romans 8:27
"And He that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit."

All three of the Trinity have SENSIBILITY.
Father
Luke 3:22
"I am well pleased..."

Son
Matthew 9:36
"He was moved with compassion..."

Holy Spirit
"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God..."

All three of the Trinity have WILL.

Father
Matthew 26:42
Jesus said "Thy will be done."

Son
John 6:38
"I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me."

Holy Spirit
I Corinthians 12:11
"dividing to every man severally, as He will."

The knowledge of the three in the Trinity is not always the same.

If they were all one Person, they would necessarily have the same knowledge.

Matthew 24:36
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only."

Each of the Trinity meets the basic requirements for being a real Person. They are separate Persons, able to function individually. They have their own feelings, will, and intellect.

These three Persons have a mutual relationship.

They each recognize the existence of the Others of the Godhead. They each refer to the Others with personal pronouns. They communicate with each Other. They love each Other.

John 15:9
"As the Father hath loved Me..."

John 14:31
"I love the Father..."

There are distinctions in the relationship.

The Son proceeded from the Father, but never is it said that the Father proceeded from the Son. (John 8:42, 16:28)

It is always the Father that begets, and never the Son begetting another of the Trinity. (John 1:14, 18, 3:16)

The Father is never said to proceed from the Spirit, but the vice versa is true. (John 15:26, 14:26, Acts 2:17)

The Holy Spirit is said to proceed from the Father, but never said to be begotten of the Father, as is the Son.

There are distinctions in the names of the Trinity.

Some names are given to all Three.

Theos - God

Father -
John 6:27
"For Him hath God the Father sealed."

Son -
Hebrews 1:8
"But unto the Son He saith Thy throne, O God..."

Holy Spirit
Acts 5:3-4
"To lie unto the Holy Ghost...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God..."

Jehovah - Eternal Covenant God (I am, I was, I will be)

Father
Psalms 110:1
"The Lord (Jehovah) said unto my Lord (Adonai), Sit Thou at My right hand..."

Son
Isaiah 6:5
"For mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord (Jehovah) of Hosts..."

Holy Spirit
Judges 11:29
"Then the Spirit of the Lord (Jehovah) came upon Jepththah..."

Kurios - Master, Lord

Father
Matthew 11:25
"I thank Thee, O Father, Lord (Kurios) of heaven and earth..."

Son
John 11:27
"Yea, Lord (Kurios): I believe that Thou are the Christ, the Son of God..."

Holy Spirit
II Corinthians 3:17
"Now the Lord (Kurios) is that Spirit..."

Some names are never shared by the Trinity.

Jesus, Lord Jesus, Christ, Jesus Christ, and Emmanuel are never shared by the Spirit or the Father. Holy Spirit is never applied to the Father or the Son. The Father is never called the Son. When Jesus said:

John 5:43
"I am come in My Father's name..."

He was saying - "I come upon the authority of the Father..." In the same way, the police may come to a criminal's home and say -"Open in the name of the law."

There are differences in the works of the Trinity.

Father

The Son and the Spirit are said to honor the Father's will (John 5:30, Romans 8:27). The Father is the only One not said to be "sent" but is always the sender (John 5:37, 14:26). The Father never prays, but is prayed to... by the Son and the Spirit.


Son

Only He of the three was made to be "flesh" (John 1:14). Only He was "made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). Only He is said to have given His life on the cross (Galatians 2:20, Romans 5:10, Hebrews 6:6). Only He is said to have been raised from the dead (Acts 3:26). Only He is seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19, Acts 7:56). Only He is called the Mediator and the High Priest (I Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 4:14).

Holy Spirit

Only He is manifested in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16). He is said to be the teacher and reminder of spiritual things (John 14:26). He is the reprover of sin (John 16:8). He gives gifts of the Spirit. Blasphemy against Him is not forgiven, but blasphemy against the other two of the Trinity may be forgiven (Matthew 12:31- 32). He was not to have had full ministry until Christ had ascended and sent Him back (John 16:7).

Christ Jesus is shown to be superior to angels in the book of Hebrews.

Though some have tried to lower Jesus to the level of an angel, He is definitely shown to be superior to angels. Jesus has a more excellent name - (Hebrews 1:4) Jesus is alone "the Son", though men and angels are called "sons of God". - (Hebrews 1:5) Only Christ is to be worshipped, never is an angel to be worshipped (Hebrews 1:6). This Jesus is the creator of the heavens and the earth (Hebrews 1:10). The Son is seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:13).

Never does the Scripture say that the Son was "made".

Rather, it says that the pre-existent Son was "made flesh." He was already existent before that occurrence. He was already present in the beginning of time.

John 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word..."

Jesus is called the "first born", for He came to earth and was born into this world, so that we may now be "born again." So He was the "firstborn" of the church. Jesus is eternal, and has always existed. He chose to be born into humanity at a point in history, but that does not make Him to be a created being. He is the creator, who became part of the creation at a point in time, so that He might take our place at the cross.

Micah 5:2
"Whose goings forth, have been from old, from everlasting."

Jesus is equal with God the Father. He was conscious of this equality.

Philippians 2:6
"Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God..."

The Son is the Mediator between mankind and God.

I Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

In this role as the Mediator, Jesus has made Himself to be subject unto the Father. This subjection is only connected with His role as Mediator. He is still divine, and equal in attributes and power with both God the Father and the Holy Spirit. His divine nature is still the same. Just as Jesus placed Himself willingly under Mary and Joseph while a child, so Jesus has now placed Himself subject, in office- though still equal in Person, - to God the Father is His role as Mediator for us.

The Lord Jesus has sent back to us from heaven, the Holy Spirit to be the One Who is to direct and empower us in our daily battles against the devil and his cohorts. We are to seek an infilling of power from the Holy Spirit. He will then direct us, with words of wisdom and knowledge. He will help us with discernment to recognize and understand the plans of the enemy. He will also give us miraculous and healing power. When we are tending toward weakness of faith, He can give us a supernatural bestowment of faith. Many more gifts are available to us from this Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with His power.

 

[murjahel]

Philemon 1:9 (KJV)
9 Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

Paul was an old man, at least in his own opinion, when he wrote to Philemon. He uses the Greek word presbutes, meaning ‘aged’, ‘an old man’.

It is the same word referring to ‘Zacharias’ when he talked to Gabriel. Zacharias was an old man at that time.

Paul expected that aged men be matured, serious, learned in temperance, grounded in their faith, and lovingly patient which is learned from their years in service to the Lord.

Titus 2:1-2 (KJV)
1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.


If Paul was 25 years old when he aided in the stoning of Stephen, he would be only 56 years old when he wrote to Philemon. Many of us do not consider that very ‘aged’, but in that time and age, it was.

Was Paul biased against youth?

No, we do not see that in his writings, for he worked hard with several youth. John Mark did disappoint him when he left Paul to ‘go home to mommy’ for a while. Barnabas has to rebuke and separate from Paul for his lack of welcome back when John Mark returned. Later, Paul seems to have repented, and took John Mark for further training.

Acts 15:37-40 (KJV)
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

Later, Paul, likely having been taught by the Holy Spirit, and gained in wisdom through his error, sent for John Mark, and realized that youth does have its benefits.

2 Timothy 4:11 (KJV)
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Paul recognized the calling of Timothy, and saw in him great potential. He realized that Timothy, due to his youth, was not being seen by some as valuable and well matured in ministry. Paul addressed the concern, and encouraged Timothy.


1 Timothy 4:12-16 (KJV)
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

So, Paul learned that youth does normally include less experience, less time to have studied, and matured in understanding the doctrines of the faith. He saw it as possible for Timothy, as a young man, to not realize that others were noticing his continuing growth, and yet, still possessing need to profit further in the faith.

Paul considered himself ‘aged’, and yet, did not see that as a flaw, but as a benefit of having developed in the faith.

Proverbs 16:31 (KJV)
31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31 (NLT)
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.
Proverbs 16:31 (YLT)
31 A crown of beauty are grey hairs, IF the way of righteousness it is found.

Old age, grey hair, is to be a ‘sign of glory’, a crown of beauty, if done in a godly life.

God has promised to be with us as we age, to carry us, to bear us in our weakening physical condition, for the purpose of delivering us from the part of the curse that made ‘aging’ to be normal, until we receive our eternal bodies.

Isaiah 46:4 (KJV)
4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Isaiah 46:4 (YLT)
4 Even to old age I am He, and to grey hairs I carry, I made, and I bear, yea, I carry and deliver.

Prosperity of a righteous life is seen in the older saints. Their souls have prospered, despite the aging and decaying of their former youth.

Psalm 92:14 (KJV)
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
Psalm 92:13-14 (YLT)
13 Those planted in the house of Jehovah, In the courts of our God do flourish.
14 Still they bring forth in old age, Fat and flourishing are they,


One of eight Americans is 65 years of age, or older. Every day, more than 5500 Americans turn 65. This number is increasing every year. God has blessed many of His children with old age. The fruition of a moral and godly life is to be greatly blessed. The fruits of all the seeds sown in the garden of life should be, and do show a harvest in old age. God’s favor and blessings are at their peak, even as our physical, aging, and dying bodies make us realize our human weakness, we feel and enjoy the closer fellowship with our Lord.

Deuteronomy 5:33 (KJV)
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Abraham lived a good long life.

Genesis 25:8 (KJV)
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

David also lived to an old age, blessed in his life.

1 Chronicles 29:28 (KJV)
28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.


WISDOM IS TO BE AN ATTRIBUTE OF OLD AGE

Proverbs 3:13, 15-16 (KJV)
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
15 She (wisdom) is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

Proverbs 9:10-11 (KJV)
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by Me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

The more aged ministers are to be teachers, guides to wisdom, to the younger saints of the Lord.

Joel 1:2-3 (KJV)
2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

Younger ministers are to seek the counsel and wisdom of the older, more mature in the Lord, ministers.

Deuteronomy 32:7 (KJV)
7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

Age should show the maturing, the growth, the wisdom that can be shared with the younger of the faith.

Titus 2:2 (KJV)
2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

Titus 2:3-5 (KJV)
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

GOD PROMISES HIS ABIDING PRESENCE TO THE AGED...

We can live in old age, not fearing the nearness of death, for we know we are with, and shall even in death be with, the Lord.


Revelation 21:3-4 (KJV)
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

When in heaven, we all become older and older in age, but not in body. The body here and now, will age, decay, and move toward death. Then, the body will be eternal, but our souls will learn and learn, mature and mature, and become more and more wise through the centuries and millennia. Old in person, young in body. Now, we become old in body, but the soul is already eternal, and ageless.

Romans 8:19-25 (KJV)
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

When our eternal bodies take the place of these bodies of age, we shall rejoice in the victory over old age and death.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (KJV)
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, Who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[murjahel]

FIRST, JESUS ENDUES WITH AUTHORITY

Matthew 10:1-6 (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.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.


Verse 1
called unto Him His twelve disciples

The decision of who would be amidst the 12 apostles, was made following an all night prayer time upon the mountain. Jesus wanted to know the will of God, and this was an important decision.

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;


Some people, at this time of Jesus’ choosing His twelve apostles, thought Jesus to be delirious, deranged, beside Himself in how He was behaving.

Mark 3:13-14 (KJV)
13 And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him.
14 And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach,
Mark 3:21 (KJV)
21 And when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself.

The word for ‘beside’ is existemi meaning to be out of one’s wits, insane, crazy. The sudden change in Jesus made the family of Jesus think Jesus had gone crazy. The brothers of Jesus did not accept Jesus as the Messiah until after the resurrection, so it is easy to see how their thoughts of Jesus’ ministry here would be distorted.

The word ‘friend’ is actually a poor translation, it is a word that refers to family relations. These are likely His brothers. They had not believed on Him, and it was not for almost three years before they would. Jude and James came to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, after His resurrection. So, for the first thirty years of Jesus’ life, He was a brother, at home, learning to be a carpenter, poor. Suddenly, He broke off from that trained occupation, spent time in a desert, denied Himself comforts and security at home, began to choose men to go out and preach, do miracles, and proclaim the coming of the kingdom of the Messiah. Crowds were gathering, and they saw their brother behaving quite unusually.

The enemies of Jesus may have started the rumor that this man was deranged, but the family of Jesus, and some others, must have succumbed to that false idea, and sought to restrain the Lord, take Him home, and help Him recover.

Many a person of God has been thought to be crazy. Paul was accused of the same.

Acts 26:24
"... Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou are beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad."

Paul was considered to be "mad", crazy, "beside himself" by Festus. When Paul was killing Christians, he was not considered to be crazy.

It is like the ones today, who:
condone killing unborn children,
condone and practice perverted sex with the same gender,
cuss at the Almighty God Who sent Jesus to die for us to have the possibility of having eternal life...
and then
call Christians to be "fanatical", "crazy", or "mad" for going to church frequently, reading the Bible often, and talking about heaven and God.

The world considers a real Christian to be crazy. Even real Christians become brain-washed by the world's opinion, and consider themselves to be "crazy".


Paul had a strange conversion... It was not a simple altar call, but a miraculous vision of the Lord, that knocked him from his horse, put him on the ground, hearing a message that others did not understand, and leaving him blind for days. (Acts 9:2-18, 22:6-21, 26:12-18). There were witnesses to the bright light, and witnesses to a strange sound, but only Paul understood the sounds, and only Paul beheld Jesus. In fact, Paul bragged that he had literally seen Jesus (I Cor. 9:1), and he claims boldly that it was Jesus Himself who "appeared" to him (I Cor. 15:8). I know the hearers of this testimony thought Paul to be crazy.

If someone today claims to have personally been visited by Jesus Himself, and has seen the Lord personally, or heard an audible voice of the Lord... people usually begin to consider such a one to be fanatical, crazy, or "beside themselves."

"Who was this Paul?" they would question... "Does he think he, a murderer, would be honored more than someone who has been a saint for years???" Some have thought me crazy, when I share some of the visions of the Lord. It is all right, they thought Paul to be crazy too. Some of the family of Jesus thought Him to be ‘beside Himself’.

Paul’s whole salvation is considered by many to make him seem ‘beside himself’ (a nicer way to say ‘crazy&#8217. The conversion of Paul was instantaneous, and immediately, without teaching from a Bible school, or from a seminary, he says: "What shall I do, Lord..." (Acts 22:10). Today, people want to see a diploma, a minister's license from some big organization, or a "Doctor of Divinity" after the name. Paul did not go to the disciples for doctrinal instruction. He went to Petra (Gal. 1:17) for two years, and when he returned from having personally studying the Scriptures with the Lord and the Holy Spirit as his Teachers, he had "developed faith" (Acts 9:22).

There were many strange experiences in Paul's ministry.
He shook dust off of a city that rejected his ministry...
(Acts 13:51)
He made a man blind...
(Acts 13:11)
He anointed a handkerchiefs and sent them to the sick...
(Acts 19:11)
He prayed and sang loudly while locked in jail...
(Acts 16:25)
He would suddenly fall into trances and have visions from God...
(Acts 9:2-18, 16:9-10, 18:9, 22:17, 23:11, 27:23)
He spoke in tongues, and sang in tongues...
(I Cor. 14:113-18)
He laid hands to impart spiritual gifts, and prophesied messages
(I Tim. 4:14, II Tim. 1:6, Rom. 1:11, Acts 19:1-7, Heb. 6:2)
He healed the sick, cast out devils, and had many miracles...
(Acts 14:3-18, 15:12, 16:18, 19:11-20, Rom. 15:18-29​

)


Yet, Paul was not crazy, mad, nor beside himself. He had found the Savior, and His behavior is only misunderstood by those who have not found Jesus.

Acts 26:25-26
"But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner."

No, Paul was not crazy. Many who judge Paul, and judge others like him, are "crazy." God's ways are "crazy" to human nature.

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you."

So, Jesus was thought to be ‘mad’, beside Himself, crazy, and insane. They hoped to take Him home to recover. Well, because He did not ‘recover’, we can be saved, we can become more and more like Him. If the world calls that crazy, well, they can talk to the Great Physician on judgment day, and see that the Great Psychiatrist is the One they called ‘beside Himself.

Verse 1
gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease

The secret of power. One cannot receive it until it is given and one will not have to "take it by faith" after it is given (Jn. 3:27; Rom. 8:25).

Mark 3:14
"And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that he might send them forth to preach."


Jesus first called twelve disciples. He called them for a purpose. He had plans for them. This was not a social club, but a training school. The church (ecclesia, Greek for "called out ones") is a continuation of the calling our of the twelve disciples. We, as the church, do not meet for simply social reasons, but we meet to be trained and prepared by the Lord for a purpose. Notice the reasons that Jesus called the twelve together:

He called them to be with Him...
They saw His love, His mercy, and His sympathy...
They observed His suffering, His giving, His mercy.
Jesus wanted them to be with Him to see these traits.
They listened for nearly three years to His teaching.

He called them to preach the gospel
They had heard His message over and over.
Jesus had preached illustrated sermons...
He had told of a great harvest.
He told them to pray for laborers.
He told them to continue His work after He left​

.


These twelve disciples are someday to have their names graven on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem. They will, in that day, be given each a throne from which they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. They will receive great honor for being the first called to a special group willing to preach the gospel to the world.


Why did Jesus choose only twelve? This is the same number as the number of the twelve tribes of Israel... Israel was a spiritual circumcision, a special people, a peculiar people called forth to take the good news of God to the world... They failed, and the Lord turned to the "church" to replace their work of Israel... Now the church (ecclesia, "called out ones") carry on the work of Jesus.

Therefore in the replacement of this ministry of Israel, Jesus dispatched 12 disciples... They, and other disciples called since that time, are to carry on the labors of Christ. After the resurrection of Jesus they were called "apostles"... Matthias was elected to replace Judas. (Acts 2:37, 42, 43). The first 12 were the firstfruits of the great harvest of disciples in the church age. We, the church of disciples, are called to "be with Him" and to "preach" the gospel to the world.

Matthew 10:2-4

"Now the names of the 12 apostles are these:
the first, Simon (who is called Peter),
and Andrew, his brother:
James, the son of Zebedee
and John, his brother:
Philip
and Bartholomew:
Thomas (also called Didymus);
and Matthew, the publican;
James, the son of Alphaeus;
and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Simon, the Canaanite;
and Judas Ischariot, who also betrayed Him..."​

Paul in his account to the church at Corith tells us that the Lord in His choosing, does not choose "many wise, ...many noble..." Rather, the Lord chose the humble, lowly, obscure peasant folk... Jesus chose fishermen, a publican, and a political outlaw... They "left all" to follow Jesus... They found that poverty and lowly station are not hindrances to usefulness....

 

[murjahel]

The twelve are listed here, shown to be common men, but men dedicated to Jesus.


The first, Simon, who is called Peter
Andrew his brother
James the son of Zebedee
John his brother
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew the publican
James the son of Alphaeus
Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus
Simon the Canaanite
Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him

These twelve apostles were of the first fruits of all apostles. They were similar in their devotion to Jesus, but were very different in temperament.

Peter was bold, impulsive, and eager...
John was thoughtful, quiet...
Nathaniel was believing and prayerful...
Thomas was skeptical...
Matthew was conciliatory...
Simon the Zealot was rebellious, angry, and impatient...​

By being with Jesus, and by being taught by Him, they had changed. The ignorant men became learned men. The unprepared became prepared. The weak became strong. The doubtful and skeptical became believing. The angry and vengeful became loving. The called became sent. The difference was Jesus. He had called, trained, and prepared them. Then He gave them "authority".

Matthew 10:1
“He (Jesus) called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority."

Jesus shared His authority with them. He then had told His disciples to pray for "laborers" for the "harvest", and their prayers were then answered when Jesus gave them the work to do. Jesus continued after imparting authority to them to tell these twelve to:
heal the sick...
raise the dead...
cleanse the lepers...
cast out demons...

Jesus passes on this exousia ‘authority’ and now with the baptism of the Spirit, we also have the dunamis ‘power’ to do the works of Jesus. We are commanded to go forth, preach... after ‘being with Him.’

Matthew 28:18-20
"And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power (Greek = exousia = authority) is given Me in heavens and in the earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; 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."

Verse 5
Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not

Their mission was limited to Jews (Mt. 10:5-6; Jn. 1:11; Rom. 1:16). Later to the 70 disciples, that commission is broadened. To the followers of Jesus, we have an even broader commission. Now we are to take the gospel to every person, every race, every nation.

Mark 16:15 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Luke 24:47 (KJV)
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 1:8 (KJV)
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.

 

[murjahel]

NOTE: a different teaching thread will shortly replace this one..
the 'peanut gallery thread' needed closed for this one a while back due to some several who wanted to debate the 'woman preacher issue' and say that women had no right to preach... of course, I disagreed, and had presented teachings to prove the stand I took, but endless debate and insults to women and their preaching was not why I started this thread. So, I had that peanut gallery thread closed. This thread has gone on for months since, and been a nice peaceable place for some to come, I hope.

a new rule will require a peanut gallery thread for every teaching one...

PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS REFUSE DISCOURAGEMENT

The story is told about the devil having an auction of all his tools, and he sold all but one. It was a wedge shaped tool called "DISCOURAGEMENT". He gave the reason, "When all other tools fail, I never fail to wedge my way in with this one!"


************

Another story illustrates something else about discouragement... It is told that the devil and the demons had a conference in which it was decided that their most useful ploy was discouragement.

One demon decided to try out this tactic, and jumped on the shoulder of a Christian, and whispered "YOU'RE DISCOURAGED!" three times. The Christian walked away, sad, and apathetic to the message of the pastor, and just said..."I'm discouraged..."

The demon was gleeful. He did it again and again to saint after saint and always had the same result...

Until finally, he came onto the shoulder of one saint, and said "YOU'RE DISCOURAGED!" the usual three times. The saint looked up toward the heavens and exclaimed, "No way, I have a God Who loves me, a Savior Who died for me, and the Holy Spirit Who is my advocate and helper... I'm not discouraged!" Time after time this demon tried to get this saint down... but every time the saint rejected the thought, and exclaimed his faith in the Lord...

Finally, the demon went dejected and downcast back to headquarters... where another demon said: "WHAT'S WRONG?" The demon replied: "I'M DISCOURAGED!"

*********

Discouragement does beset many. It is one of the sins that "easily besets" us.

Hebrews 12:1-2
"...laying aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us... looking unto Jesus..."

Discouragement is a loss of faith... and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin..." (Romans 14:23). Therefore discouragement is sin! IT is one of the strongest, subtlest, and sneakiest of sins. One reason that it is so effective is that people do not often treat it as sin... If a saint found himself in a bar, sitting down about to order a whiskey or two... he would jump up and run from the place to avoid getting entrapped in that sin. But, saint after saint enters into discouragement, and not only does not reject it, but will proudly carry it around, and show everyone who will listen and look to see what great discouragement they have achieved!!!

Discouragement needs to be treated like other sins...

I John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Discouragement is never from God, it is always from the devil... and self is the problem that keeps allowing it to take room and board in our minds...

Sensitive people are usually subject to this sin... And many a saint is sensitive by nature... But it is so easy for a sensitive person to hug and nurse the discouragement.. This person will not choose to rid themselves of the discouragement... The person will want others to pity them. The person will cry on God's shoulder. The discouraged person needs a rude awakening...

If anyone had the right to be discouraged, Paul did.

Read in II Corinthians 11:23-27 all the reasons that he had to feel depressed. labors more abundant...
stripes above measure... (five times he received 39 stripes)
prisons more frequent...
deaths oft...
three times beaten with rods...
once stoned...
three times shipwrecked...
a day and a half stranded in the water of the sea...
Often on tiring journeys...
often in dangerous seas and storms...
often threatened by robbers and thieves...
often threatened by his own countrymen...
often threatened by the heathen...
often threatened in cities, in the country,
when on the seas...
often threatened amidst false saints....
weariness, pain, and dangers were frequent...
hunger, thirst and fastings were frequent...
cold and lack of warm clothing were frequent...

Yet, discouragement is not on the list given by Paul... God could not have continued to use him, had he allowed these things to discourage him...

D. L. Moody said: "I have never known God to use a discouraged person."

How could Paul, or even you, witness, win souls, encourage another... while discouraged???

There is a story of an old sour saint, who decided upon the event of an altar call in his place of worship to invite a young man to the altar... The young man looked up at the sour, discouraged, miserable looking saint, and replied: "No thanks, I have enough problems!"

There is another story of a two frogs who fell into a crock of cream... One frog croaked right away, and the other kept kicking and kicking until he finally kicked up a pad of butter to sit upon. In the church of today, we need more "churners," and less "croakers..."

Paul addresses the problem of potential discouragement in II Corinthians... He says first that there are in the ministry many distressing problems... Contrary to some popular beliefs, the ministry is a vocation of distressing events...

II Corinthians
1:4 "tribulation"
"trouble"
1:5 "sufferings"
1:6 "afflicted"
1:8 "pressed out of measure"
"despaired of life"
1:9 "a sentence of death"

Through all these things Paul goes on to exclaim:

II Corinthians 4:1, 8-9
"Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not... troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed..."

Paul tells us there are reasons for our sufferings! For in II Corinthians 1, he tells us that suffering is:


1. So we may be able to comfort others who also have trials...

4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God.



2. So suffering can allow God to bring us special times of consolation and blessing... The trials allow the miracles of power.

7. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.



3. So pride can be eliminated, and trust in God can be built and strengthened...

9. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God Who raiseth the dead:


4. So the church can come into unity of prayer...

11. Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.


Without troubles, we would not have these benefits... So the ministry for the Lord is fraught with troubles... But discouragement will destroy these benefits to the problems... Discouragement is a fight against these...

We cannot help others while discouraged...

We cannot accept the comfort of God while discouraged...

We cannot learn trust in God while discouraged...

And we cannot seek real prayer, while we are preferring pity and bringing others into the faith-less discouragement with us...

Paul calls the troubles of the ministry "our light affliction" (II Corinthians 4:17). If his were "light" then ours must be helium balloons...

Paul gloried in his troubles:

II Corinthians 11:30
"...if I must needs glory, I will glory of these things which concern mine infirmities..."

Paul also took pleasure in his troubles:

II Corinthians 12:9-11
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying..."

To glory in your troubles does make one different from most of Christianity. Paul was proudly sitting on his "cake of butter" and had churned, not croaked... Paul could endure being jailed, and still not fall into discouragement.... To avoid discouragement, Paul fought it with glorying, thanksgiving, praise, faith.

We need to put up a fight against discouragement... Every minister will come against discouraging circumstances... persecutions, wrong attitudes, trials, burdens, afflictions, etc... but we do not need to lay down and allow the devil to bury us!

Recognize the discouragement as sin. Refuse it! Reject it! Battle against it! The more radical you are against it, the better... Do not treat it as a small concern, it is a horrible sin.

The secret of strength in the ministry... despite every personal trial... is to "look unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1-2).


F.B. Meyer said:
"With every look at self, take nine looks at Christ."

Caleb and Joshua saw the same land, the same walls, the same giants... and yet the other ten came back with an "evil" report. The ten came back discouraged, and wandered a wilderness for 38 more years... The Lord will not give the Promised land to the discouraged... If we want to enter into the revival of the last days, we need to get away from discouragement!


II Corinthians 4:16-18
"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."



This shows us that our troubles:

1. do not destroy the inward man, but they build him (vs 16)
"though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day..."

2. are not long in time, compared with eternity (vs. 17)
"our light affliction is but for a moment"

3. bring us great reward and glory (vs 17)
"worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"

4. should not take our eyes off of eternal values (vs 18)
"while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Discouragement is a problem that the ministry cannot afford... It destroys ministries and ministers... We cannot tolerate it any longer... If you want to minister for the Lord, then reckon to do battle against discouragement!

 

[murjahel]

Closing this thread, even though many more posts could have been added, for Pentecostal preachers have many facets of ministry to discuss.

One must have a peanut gallery and I had this thread's peanut gallery closed, due to it being stuck on continual centering on 'women preachers'. I see them in the Word, and God is no respecter of persons, so I did not want constant posts on that one topic, that I believe is a settled matter.

So, I will start a different topic soon. Thanks for coming to this one, the readership has been very good. Thanks and God bless.

 

[LilLamb219]

MOD HAT ON

Closed per OP request.

MOD HAT OFF