Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
We go to church with varied expectations each week. The senior pastor is ready with a message for the day. And yet we expect this pastor to all of a sudden be a preacher, a teacher, or a Christian motivational speaker. We hear all three of those gifts from ministers on television but do not understand there is a difference. They are not all rolled up into one gift.
Here is my simple understanding of four types I see speaking from the church platform today.
A pastor is a servant caring for those in the church God has entrusted him with. He is constantly in prayer and in communion with God. He cares for all the needs of his church family be they physical or spiritual. He visits the members at home, in nursing or extended care facilities, and in the hospitals. He is ready 24x7 to take a phone call from someone in need of a shoulder to cry on, a prayer, or even a visit.
A preacher is ready in season and out of season. He is constantly in prayer and in God's Word receiving revelation knowledge from Holy Spirit. That is Holy Spirit preparation. He stands in front of the church and opens his mouth expecting Holy Spirit to fill it. And He does. What we hear is exactly what we need for that time and place because he is lined up with God.
A teacher is also prepared, but differently. He too is in constant prayer and communication with Father God. Holy Spirit gives him what is needed and he creates a PowerPoint presentation to present it to the church. He knows what he is going to deliver line by line before he steps up on the platform. It is Holy Spirit created, but delivered by the teacher.
A Christian motivational speaker comes with a prepared message; one he has probably given at a number of churches. It was created by blending a number of facts with knowledge gained from many others and pieced together to speak to any crowd. He has a relationship with God and allows Holy Spirit to help generate the message and is available to hear from Holy Spirit as he gives it.
In all types listed above, Holy Spirit may cause the presentation to drift into what He knows need to be said for the people being spoken to that day. That is His prerogative.
Can one person be all four? With God all things are possible, and Holy Spirit will give us the gift we need at the point He needs us to have it. Typically we are gifted in one area and open for Holy Spirit to use us however He chooses.
We should realize what our "pastor" is gifted in and praise God for it. We should not expect things from him outside of that gift but be happy when Holy Spirit allows it to happen.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Time Eternal
Isaiah 46:10 NIV
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'
I guess my interest in series started in the 50's when I would go to the movies on Saturdays and see the Superman serial in between the two main shows. I can't tell you what those movies were about, but I always remembered what was happening with Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Dianne and I like to watch TV series. Years ago we would have our favorite shows and each week see the next episode. What we like about them is the way the characters develop and the relationships form between them. Now we stream them on Netflix through our Roku box and get to go from the beginning to the end of the series one right after another without commercials.
One of most difficult concepts to grasp is how God knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. It is not because our lives, our every step is predetermined. It is because we live on two different planes of existence.
We live in a time that has a beginning and and end. It is a linear existence. We start at point A and move on to point B and so on. When we are at point D we cannot go back a revisit A, B or C. They were and will never be again except in our memories. And we cannot see into a future time to know what is coming for E and beyond. We take it one day at a time; one experience after another. Our choices while at point D determine the destination for point E.
God, on the other hand, lives in a timeless environment. There is no beginning or end. He sees into our plane of existence at any point He wishes and perhaps even at all of our life all at once. Our choices determine our next path in our life and He sees all the future points based on each choice we make. This does not make our life predestined, it makes His view timeless.
This was a difficult concept to grasp. But a couple of weeks ago we started to watch a TV series we had watched on regular TV a few years ago. We had not started the series on TV at the beginning. I think we picked it up in the middle. It took a few nights to settle in and we enjoyed watching it.
Recently we found it on Netflix and decided to watch it from the beginning. We enjoy the relationships and the character development occurring from episode to episode. After a watching a few of the series we realized we knew the future. We knew what was going to happen and could see how the choices being made would affect the outcome. Because we had seen the second half of the series we knew what was to come. We had a God like, timeless view of their lives.
"Father, help us to make choices each day to make us more like Christ. Help us decide to take the path that leads us closer to you. In Jesus name, we pray."
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'
I guess my interest in series started in the 50's when I would go to the movies on Saturdays and see the Superman serial in between the two main shows. I can't tell you what those movies were about, but I always remembered what was happening with Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Dianne and I like to watch TV series. Years ago we would have our favorite shows and each week see the next episode. What we like about them is the way the characters develop and the relationships form between them. Now we stream them on Netflix through our Roku box and get to go from the beginning to the end of the series one right after another without commercials.
One of most difficult concepts to grasp is how God knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. It is not because our lives, our every step is predetermined. It is because we live on two different planes of existence.
We live in a time that has a beginning and and end. It is a linear existence. We start at point A and move on to point B and so on. When we are at point D we cannot go back a revisit A, B or C. They were and will never be again except in our memories. And we cannot see into a future time to know what is coming for E and beyond. We take it one day at a time; one experience after another. Our choices while at point D determine the destination for point E.
God, on the other hand, lives in a timeless environment. There is no beginning or end. He sees into our plane of existence at any point He wishes and perhaps even at all of our life all at once. Our choices determine our next path in our life and He sees all the future points based on each choice we make. This does not make our life predestined, it makes His view timeless.
This was a difficult concept to grasp. But a couple of weeks ago we started to watch a TV series we had watched on regular TV a few years ago. We had not started the series on TV at the beginning. I think we picked it up in the middle. It took a few nights to settle in and we enjoyed watching it.
Recently we found it on Netflix and decided to watch it from the beginning. We enjoy the relationships and the character development occurring from episode to episode. After a watching a few of the series we realized we knew the future. We knew what was going to happen and could see how the choices being made would affect the outcome. Because we had seen the second half of the series we knew what was to come. We had a God like, timeless view of their lives.
"Father, help us to make choices each day to make us more like Christ. Help us decide to take the path that leads us closer to you. In Jesus name, we pray."
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Name
Philippians 2:5, 9-11 NIV
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When someone comes knocking we want to be sure we know who they are before we let them into our home or answer their questions. We are careful to check their identification; at least we should be. If it is a policeman, we expect a badge or uniform we recognize.
Their identification gives them the authority to enter or speak with us. In the matter at hand they have a higher place than we do and we acknowledge that.
God wants us to have the mindset of Jesus in our relationships with other believers. He wants us to treat them as we expect to be treated; as we would expect Jesus to treat us. God even gave Jesus the highest lace and the name above all names. And that name is Jesus.
So when we pray asking for anything we can ask in the name of Jesus and expect an answer. He did not say to pray in "your name" or in "your son's name" or in "Christ's name". He said to pray in the name of Jesus, the name above all names.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When someone comes knocking we want to be sure we know who they are before we let them into our home or answer their questions. We are careful to check their identification; at least we should be. If it is a policeman, we expect a badge or uniform we recognize.
Their identification gives them the authority to enter or speak with us. In the matter at hand they have a higher place than we do and we acknowledge that.
God wants us to have the mindset of Jesus in our relationships with other believers. He wants us to treat them as we expect to be treated; as we would expect Jesus to treat us. God even gave Jesus the highest lace and the name above all names. And that name is Jesus.
So when we pray asking for anything we can ask in the name of Jesus and expect an answer. He did not say to pray in "your name" or in "your son's name" or in "Christ's name". He said to pray in the name of Jesus, the name above all names.
Monday, July 08, 2013
Shout it Out
Isaiah 12:4 NLT
In that wonderful day you will sing: Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!
When we are excited about something, we shout it out to everyone we know. Think about that last great meal you had at a local restaurant. You told someone how good it was, I bet. And when your favorite team won, you let everyone know about it. You let them know how mighty your team is.
When was the last time you shouted out about our Lord and savior and what He has done? Sure we go to church on the weekend and listen to praise music, but do we even shout it out there? Many just stand there and listen. Is that what we do at the ball game? I bet they are on their feet screaming when their team hits a homerun.
Well Jesus has hit the ultimate homerun for all of mankind. All we have to do is believe and follow Him. So let's shout it out during praise and worship at church and let's shout it out to all we see; that Jesus Christ is Lord!
In that wonderful day you will sing: Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!
When we are excited about something, we shout it out to everyone we know. Think about that last great meal you had at a local restaurant. You told someone how good it was, I bet. And when your favorite team won, you let everyone know about it. You let them know how mighty your team is.
When was the last time you shouted out about our Lord and savior and what He has done? Sure we go to church on the weekend and listen to praise music, but do we even shout it out there? Many just stand there and listen. Is that what we do at the ball game? I bet they are on their feet screaming when their team hits a homerun.
Well Jesus has hit the ultimate homerun for all of mankind. All we have to do is believe and follow Him. So let's shout it out during praise and worship at church and let's shout it out to all we see; that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Monday, July 01, 2013
Faith Not Enough
James 2:17 NLT
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Being a believer and having faith by themselves are good things, but they cannot stand alone. Few do not believe in God. My father used to tell me about the men in war who with the bullets screaming over their heads all of sudden found God. They called them foxhole Christians.
Some that sit in the pews on Sunday mornings have made it to that first step. They believe in God and have gone so far as to show up each week to listen. But that is not an exercise in faith; perhaps it is hope. They hope their meer showing up is enough, but is it?
Step two is exercising that little faith we all have been given and expressing our heart's desire to believe in and follow Jesus making Him Lord of out lives. When that happens change occurs. We become new in Christ.
How do we know that has occurred? They can tell because of our fruit. The good deeds we do out of the Love of Jesus is an example of our fruit. Is there fruit growing on your tree?
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Being a believer and having faith by themselves are good things, but they cannot stand alone. Few do not believe in God. My father used to tell me about the men in war who with the bullets screaming over their heads all of sudden found God. They called them foxhole Christians.
Some that sit in the pews on Sunday mornings have made it to that first step. They believe in God and have gone so far as to show up each week to listen. But that is not an exercise in faith; perhaps it is hope. They hope their meer showing up is enough, but is it?
Step two is exercising that little faith we all have been given and expressing our heart's desire to believe in and follow Jesus making Him Lord of out lives. When that happens change occurs. We become new in Christ.
How do we know that has occurred? They can tell because of our fruit. The good deeds we do out of the Love of Jesus is an example of our fruit. Is there fruit growing on your tree?
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