Month: November 2020

We hear much said about prophets related to the recent presidential election. Some good, and some bad but very few people are neutral on the subject. The word “prophet” is used 477 times in the Bible. The writers of the Gospels generally spoke highly of and often quoted the prophets of the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus Himself often quoted something the prophets had said.

Prophets nor any other ministry gift is perfect in its operation because they flow through flawed individuals who are in various stages of maturity. Because of that, we find warnings given in Scripture about how to relate to or receive from the prophetic ministry (Matthew 7:15-20, Matthew 24:4-5,11,24).

Some of the things we can use to determine the truthfulness of what they are saying include:

Does what they say come to pass?

What fruit is their ministry producing?

Are they attempting to draw followers after themselves instead of pointing them to Jesus and His Body?

Where and to whom are they submitted. Do they have a home church where they are committed?

JESUS SET PROPHETS & MINISTRY GIFTS INTO THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 12:28 says, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Ephesians 4:11-16 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

SOME OBSERVATIONS

Jesus set these ministry gifts into the Body therefore they are needed and the Church must have them to do its ministry.

They are needed for the church to mature.

They aid each member in finding and fulfilling their personal calling and ministry.

They help bring stability in the church when winds of adversity blow.

They speak the truth in love which enables believers to become more Christlike.

Their ministries disciple individual believers to fulfill their function in the church so it grows to be and do all that the Father desires.

One of the reasons we have anemic churches is that some of the ministries Jesus placed in the church are not allowed to function in divine order. Every person has a place in the Body of Christ and a calling to fulfill. If they are taught how to recognize it and do it, the whole church will be blessed and will fulfill its ministry.

All of us know there is something greater outside of ourselves. We want to know about it. What is it? How does it work? or Who is it? We have often heard that there is a void inside of us that can only be filled or satisfied with this supernatural being that we call GOD. We wonder what does He think about this world situation? Can He speak to me? How can I learn to hear His voice if He does speak?

THE BIBLE IS HIS NUMBER ONE WAY TO SPEAK

It is composed of history, poetry, law, and prophecy. It is divided into two covenants or testaments; Old & New. The New Covenant or Testament is the one we live under now.

John the Baptist or baptizer came on the scene to announce the coming of Messiah Jesus. Luke 16:16 says, “The law and the prophets were until John, since that time the Kingdom is preached.” The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) tell us of Jesus’ earthly ministry and His work on the Cross, His teachings about His present and future kingdom, and His ascension back to Heaven.

The other books in the New Testament, many of them written by the Apostle Paul, teach us how we are to live in this present age. And part of that teaching instructs us about learning to hear the voice of God.

PRACTICAL WAYS TO HEAR HIM SPEAK THROUGH HIS WORD

We need to read the Bible. There are many different ways we can do that. Reading through the Bible in a year is a good way to start doing it. Study topics referred to in the Bible is also a good way. A good reference Bible is helpful in studying as is a Bible concordance & dictionary. I encourage each of us to read, re-read, meditate in, and personally apply it to our lives by obeying what it says.

A good truth from the Bible that is applicable to all of us is knowing who we are in Christ and who He is in us. I encourage each of us to start in Romans chapter one and read through Revelation chapter one to discover what has been provided for us. We will find that He has provided 168 things that we possess and are in Christ. Then we should memorize & meditate in these Scriptures until our mind is renewed (Romans 12:2) to that truth and becomes engrafted (James 1:21) into our soul. As we do that, we will hear God speaking to us personally on various levels. This is a life-long process of being renewed in our minds and learning to hear Him speak to us!

Solomon said about 3000 years ago in Proverbs 24:7, “For as he thinks in his heart so is he…”

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.”

The power of our thoughts is immense! I am reading a book by a Christian psychiatrist Daniel Amen called Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Kindle version) that I think is very good along this line. I have given some quotes below.

“Did you know…every time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals? That’s how our brains work. You have a thought your brain releases chemicals, an electrical transmission goes across your brain and you become aware of what you are thinking. Thoughts are real and they have a direct impact on how you feel and how you behave.

“Every time you have a mad thought, an unkind thought, a sad thought, or a cranky thought, your brain releases negative chemicals that activate your limbic system and make your mind and body feel bad. Think about the last time you were mad. How did you feel physically? When most people are mad, their muscles get tense, their heart beats faster, their hands start to sweat, and they may even begin to feel a little dizzy. Your body reacts to every negative thought you have.

“Every time you have a good thought, a happy thought, a hopeful thought, or a kind thought, your brain releases chemicals that make your body feel good. Think about the last time you had a really happy thought. What did you feel inside your body? When most people are happy their muscles relax, their heartbeat and breath slow. Your body reacts to your good thought.

“Your body reacts to every thought you have! We know this from polygraphs or lie detector tests. Almost immediately, the body reacts to your thoughts, whether you say anything or not. Now, the opposite is also true.

“Thoughts are very powerful! They can make your mind and body feel good or they can make you feel bad Every cell in your body is affected by every thought you have. That is why when people get emotionally upset they often develop physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches. If you can think about a good thing, you will feel better.”

This reminds us of the need to renew our minds to think only things that are aligned with Scripture. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Over the years, I have heard many people reference this passage when praying for America. Usually, they put a strong emphasis on the phrase ‘if my people’ as if YHWH was talking about America.

WHO WAS GOD TALKING TO IN THIS PASSAGE?

The context tells us that this was when Solomon was dedicating the Temple. After it had been accomplished the Lord appeared to Solomon and, among other things, gave him this promise. So the first application was to Israel. But as is true with many of the promises of God, there can be other applications.

Does it apply to America? It certainly can, but because it can does not mean that we should think of ourselves as having a ‘favored nation’ standing before God simply because we are America! And this is how I have heard it used many times. It appears to me that it can be applied to anyone who meets the conditions mentioned herein.

THE CONDITIONS

“If my people who are called by my name…” Anyone who has a genuine relationship with the Lord.

“…will humble themselves…” Place themselves secondary to the Lord.

“…and pray…” Intercede on behalf of someone beyond themselves.

“…and seek my face…” To discern His will, fellowship with Him.

“…and turn from their wicked ways…” Repent. Follow His ways.

“Then…” Now they have a relationship and fellowship with Him and He can begin to do things for and in them.

“…I will hear from heaven…” Old Testament people basically assumed that YHWH dwelt in heaven. We know under the New Covenant that Jesus lives in us.

“…and forgive their sins…” Self-explanatory.

“…and heal their land.” This seems to imply that He will heal, deliver, and make right all that is wrong. Perhaps it has both present and future manifestations.

So, should we use this passage when praying for our country today? Yes. But do so with the understanding that as Americans we are not something special with God more than other nationalities. All who KNOW the Lord and have made Him their Lord can claim these promises continually.

My wife and I became the pastor of a new church plant a short time after getting married. The church met in a rented building. Debbie and I lived in the house next door. We pastored the church for a year. The church was composed of good people who, like us, were doing something for the first time. There were more than enough missteps to go around.

There was one man in the church who thought he was supposed to tell the pastor and everyone else how things should be done. I had pastored a church before this for a year and a half and had been removed because I got filled with the Spirit. So, I had a little experience but dealing with this type of thing I was a novice.

My wife and I prayed about how to handle the situation and determined that because nothing we did seemed to be working that it would be best for us to move somewhere else. Which we did.

The night before we were to load the truck and leave, he came by our house to pick up the keys to the house and the shop where the church was meeting. He sat on our couch and proceeded to berate me and tell of all the things he thought I had done wrong.

While this was happening, I kept my cool and did not get angry. Finally, he left. Then I made a big mistake. I started thinking about the things he said. The more I thought about them the angrier I became. I told Debbie, “I am going to his house and beat him up!” She suggested that before going there I should pray about it. I was so angry I couldn’t pray. So, after a while, I cooled down and did not go to his house.

The next day, we moved to our new location. About a year later, the church had a special service and we were invited to be there. We decided to go. But I kept wondering how I would face this man if he was still there. I had prayed extensively about him and the whole situation and had forgiven him for what he had done and said.

When we arrived, I immediately saw him across the building. He saw me and started walking toward me. We greeted each other cordially and had a short conversation as though nothing negative had ever happened. I believe the grace of God was working the whole situation out. I saw him a few more times and everything seemed to be fine between us.

To God be the glory! Great things He has done!