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Sometimes God provides an illustration in our own lives that underscores what we are about to preach on or write about. “Gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
As I was starting to format God’s Plan for His Church in one of the key languages for a new area of the world, I ran into many errors that should not have been made. At first, I felt my spirit becoming impatient and not so gentle. The Lord reminded me of this verse in Ephesians 4:2, especially in the context which includes verse 3, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” One instruction is not without having a direct effect on the next instruction. Let me put this in my simple words. If I am not gentle and patient with others in the most difficult situations, I am NOT maintaining the unity of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is very jealous about how our actions and attitudes represent His presence in us and with others in the Church. It is no wonder that Paul says, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (4:30). Think about that for a moment. If our thoughts and actions misrepresent the unity of the Spirit, we cause Him to ‘be sad.’ Should we be more careful?
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I have blogged before regarding the essential quality in the body of Christ, the Church, which is unity. Let’s revisit Paul’s exhortation on this subject and again discover the elements that contribute to and are necessary for unity to exist among Christians.
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3). Just taking that phrase I have underlined, we see that in our calling in Christ, there is a divine standard or characteristic that is part of our calling. It is a walk that is proper, appropriate, or fitting for anyone who is a child of God. “Lowliness or humility” is an attitude of the mind and heart that puts our calling in Christ far above any personal wants or ambitions. The word “all” indicates that “humility” is applied to every aspect of life. We cannot separate parts of life into different categories and treating them without “lowliness and humility.” The whole being is to be marked by humility. That promotes the unity of the Spirit. If the Lord will, we will look at the other features tomorrow. As I was reading E. M. Bounds on prayer today, I was deeply challenged by his clear analysis of our need in the church.
“The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer” Paul’s prayers reveal the insight he had into specific needs in the churches he planted. Ephesus was a spiritually rich church. Yet, Paul prays with specific clarity for what they needed and for what every Christian and church needs. Read these verses as if Paul was praying for you.
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might” (Ephesians 1:16–19). Notice how Paul calls the Spirit, “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation.” He is the source of wisdom and revelation. How often do we appeal to Him when we are facing difficult situations? Or do we try to deal with life’s challenges by our human wisdom rather than in humility lean on the Spirit to reveal divine wisdom and follow His way. Solomon was right in his advice; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). One of the great concerns Roland Allen had for believers who receive the Spirit at conversion, is that their lives go on as if He was not there. This is a very dangerous condition to be in. We may conclude that the person was never saved and then treat that person as a pagan instead of nurturing their spiritual condition into a flame for the Lord.
Allen points out that persons who are truly saved and have the Spirit often neglect, fail to realize, or exercise the gift that is in them. He uses the analogy of a child that “must grow by degrees to learn the nature and purpose and character of the life which it possesses and the environment in which it is to exercise that life.” This should continue toward full development and maturity. How is this done in the body of Christ? We commonly call this “discipling others.” The mentor will help them develop in spiritual maturity. It is the responsibility of all in the body. When it is properly done, individuals will start manifesting the gift of the Spirit in them by the fruit of the Spirit in the way they live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). If you are not discipling someone, you can start right now. Take a piece of paper and write one or two names of persons you can start discipling. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF. The reward will be rich. As I picked up Roland Allen’s book, Essential Missionary Principles, I felt challenged again about my understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role in all God has done from before creation. He was “in the beginning” as part of the Godhead and “was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). Then we see His acting on individuals throughout the Old Testament to accomplish God’s will.
It was a special moment when the Spirit publicly identified with God incarnate Son, Jesus. “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”” (Matthew 3:16–17). This is complete identification of the Spirit with Jesus the Son of God. He is not only the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:3) and the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7), He is also the Spirit of Christ (1 Peter 1:11). Jesus’ mission was to the whole world (John 3:16) and therefore the Spirit’s mission is also to the whole world. It is impossible to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and not have God’s missionary Spirit calling us to carry the gospel to the whole world. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”” (Acts 1:8). Are we willing for that TOTAL INVOLVEMENT? REMEMBER, He is the power and the provision for doing God’s will and purpose. Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do. Though Abraham received a son through Hagar, it was not what God had promised to Abraham. Hagar’s laugh was offensive to Sarah as if their sons had equal standing. It is amazing that Sarah held on to the promise of God more than Abraham and she was not going to allow Ishmael to grow up alongside Isaac. She then gave Abraham an ultimatum, “cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac” (Genesis 21:10). That was final in her mind and heart.
God told Abraham to respect Sarah and confirmed her demand to “cast out this slave woman with her son”(21:10). How does Abraham carry out this difficult assignment? He “rose early in the morning” (21:14). It became a priority for Abraham, but also had to be done in a right way. He provides food and water for Hagar and Ishmael and does it before any other morning activity. Hard assignments do not need to be done without grace and compassion, but they must be done. Early in the morning is the best time for hard assignments because our minds are fresh, and we will experience the presence of God in doing them. Procrastination will steal the joy of obedience and leave behind regrets that remain the rest of our lives. Just two days ago we sent out our August Newsletter with a report on the visit to Sweden and a trip this week to Morocco. Within hours of sending out this newsletter, we learned that COVID cases are spiking in Morocco, and they have banned gathering. Some of those who we were going meet with now have COVID. PRAYER FOR THEM! This meant that the trip had to be cancelled. While this is disappointing, we believe the Lord will open this door again in His way and timing. Please continue to pray for “a wide door for effective work to open” (1 Corinthians 16:9).
Keep in your prayers the planned trip to Turkey, September 11th to 20th. With uncertain conditions in the world, we need to be diligent in prayer that God’s work will move forward despite what is happening. Words hardly convey our appreciation for your prayer support. May you be rewarded by seeing His work unfold in these days for God’s eternal glory. If only Israel had known and understood! Like most of us, there are times when God gives us the greatest privilege - worship. If we fail to grasp its importance, we will miss the glory of worship. Moses had been called by God to go up Mount Sinai to receive that law, write it on stone tablets, and then bring it down to the people.
In this amazing transaction, “Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do”” (Exodus 24:3). This is followed by Moses rising “early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. And he sent young men of the people of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings” (24:4-5). Worship was a public acknowledgement by the people that they would keep the words of the law. The problem with this is that they did not have the same commitment Moses had in following the Lord in truth. By the time we get to chapter 32, the people fell into idolatry - a golden calf. We must be very careful to make the intentions of our hearts equal to our outward actions. God knows both and will reveal any hypocrisy. Jesus told the woman in John 4, “God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (4:24). How do we worship God?  (From Randy) - Thank you for going with us in prayer to another country in northwest Africa. I will be traveling with Tim as we introduce God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD). Please pray with us that the key leaders in this great country would find an effective biblical way to employ this tool in their ministries, and that they would be prepared to use God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC) in developing new leaders.
(Important Note: Many of you knew that Tim had to cancel his trip to Sweden because of a serious medical condition. God has been merciful to him and us, and he is cleared for this trip.) “The state religion (in Morocco) is Sunni Islam, and ninety-nine percent of the population is Muslim. Unlike in many other Muslim nations, Christians and Jews are tolerated, though some freedoms have deteriorated in recent years. Despite this tolerance, Christians are monitored by authorities, and some have been imprisoned. Dozens of Christian workers were expelled in 2010. The majority of Moroccans have a strong prejudice against Christians and are resistant to the Gospel, and the media helps fuel these attitudes. In an effort to avoid the religious violence and conflict occurring between Muslims and Christians in other African nations, the Moroccan people and government try to keep all Christian activity secret. The government is opposed to an indigenous Moroccan Church, but one is emerging nonetheless, and an estimated 2,000 Moroccan believers meet in small house churches. Unity of the church is difficult with believers scattered around the nation, sometimes isolated from other believers.” (https://www.prayercast.com/morocco.html) Prayer Requests:
“I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named…” Romans 15:20 |
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