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Tuesday 1 September 2015

Doing the Lord's work with His authority

Matthew ch. 9 vs.6-8 declares that God had given authority to Jesus:-

'But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then says He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go up unto thy house.
And he arose, and departed to his house.   But when the multitudes saw it, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority unto men.'
 Mark ch. 3 vs. 13 - 16 declares that Jesus gives this same authority to man, His twelve whom He called to Himself to be with Him:-
 
'And He went up onto a mountain, and called unto Him whom He would have, and they came unto Him.  And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach,  and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils:'


 Once we are called to Jesus and become born again of God's Spirit then, as infants in Christ,  we are first given the milk of the word as stated in Hebrews ch. 6 v. 1 and 2 '.......the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.' , and then the strong meat which changes us from walking according to the flesh to walking according to the Spirit.
Luke ch. 8  vs.15 - 18 implies that first the Holy Spirit has to change people before they can do service without hypocrisy :-
' And that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience.  And no man, when he has lighted a lamp, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that they that enter in may see the light.   For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to light.   Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever has, to him shall be given; and whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he thinks he has.'
 
Those who hear the word and hold it fast in an honest (where truth is) and good (only God is good) heart, and bring forth fruit with patience, are like the good soil that receives the seed of the sower.

Being a Christian and worshiping God, to me, is not about learning how to get people into the church.  God adds to the church.  It is about working out my own salvation through being taught by the Holy Spirit how to become like  Jesus, and understanding what part I play in the body of Christ.
True worship, as I understand it, not only means to honour and to adore, but 'to be in submission to'.  The more I come to know God, the more I adore and want to honour Him.  As I can only know God through Jesus Christ Who is the Word of God, then to worship God is to honour, adore and be in submission to that Word, and if Jesus is the express image of Him, then God's image will be reflected in me as I submit through the renewing of my mind in Christ, as instructed in Romans ch. 12  v. 2:-
'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will'


It is an on-going transformation as stated in 2 Corinthians ch. 3 v. 18:-
' But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.'
So it is impossible for me to say that I worship God without confirming my adoration of Him by my actions, therefore I must strive to demonstrate in my life what I confess with my mouth.

Each one of us in the body of Christ are given gifts, and 1 Corinthians ch. 12 vs. 11 and 12 states regarding these gifts:-
'but all these work the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as He will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.'


We can not recognize mentors by a title or physical appearance:-   2 Corinthians ch. 5 vs. 16 and 17:-
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.



There are times when the 'skills of a shepherd boy ' are used as opposed to the 'armour of a king'  King Saul was not as tuned in to the word of God as was the shepherd boy.  David did not use the physical armour of the king to defeat the enemy. 

Saul tried to clothe David with his own armour, but David was not used to it, and went to fight Goliath in his own clothes using the word of God, saying to him ' You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.' , and a stone, eventually killing the giant with the giant's own weapon.

We too can come in the name of the Lord to fight our spiritual enemies, who may have become giants in our lives, when we are led by the word of God enlightened to us by the Holy Spirit.  It is not in our own strength, but the strength of the Lord that the battle is won through trust in that word.
 
What are we asking of God?

When Jesus initially called the twelve, He called them to be with Him, Mark ch. 3 v. 14, and to be sent out to preach.  In Mark ch. 10v. 35  two disciples ask Jesus to do whatever they ask of Him.  Verse 36 states that He says to them, 'What do you want me to do for you?'  They ask for position.
 
Jesus goes on to tell them that it is not His to give, that it is already determined who will sit at His right and His left (v. 40)
He tells them that position is in reverse amongst His disciples, that just as He came not to be served but to serve, so must they do likewise. 

Jesus later asks the same question to a blind beggar who persists in asking Jesus for help even when he is rebuked for it.  In verse 51 Jesus speaks exactly the same words to him as He has said to the two disciples:- 'What do you want me to do for you?'

But instead of asking for position this poor blind beggar asks that he might receive his sight.

I, too, do not seek position in the Lord.  I seek spiritual insight and direction, in order to do
what I am called to do in the body of Christ.

wherever You lead me
I will follow You
through hail, wind or fire Lord
I will cling to You
For what should I fear Lord
in a foreign land
if You are there with me
holding my hand
Wherever I am Lord
I will worship You
whenever I can Lord
I will speak of You
To every nation,
kindred and tongue
I'll tell of salvation
through God's Holy One




25 comments:

Laurie Collett said...

Beautiful post and poem, Brenda! May we follow our Shepherd, grow in His grace, and become more like Him each day as we yield to the Spirit and follow His Word.
God bless you, your lovely writing and your ministry.
Laurie

Brenda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brenda said...

Hi Laurie,(spelling mistake on first comment)
thank you for your kind comment, and 'amen' to becoming more like our Lord.
God bless you and your lovely ministry too.

Brenda

Sandi said...

"...There are times when the 'skills of a shepherd boy ' are used as opposed to the 'armour of a king' King Saul was not as tuned in to the word of God as was the shepherd boy. David did not use the physical armour of the king to defeat the enemy."

I absolutely love how often this premise appears in scripture. Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.

Brenda said...

That is so right Sandi,
I love the way the Lord reveals spiritual truths through the scriptures, and it is always good to remember that the battle is not ours, it is the Lord's:-
'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.'

Ceil said...

HI Brenda! I really love the idea of constant transformation. I never want to be the same. I want to keep marching slowly toward what God wants me to do. I hope that I'll be a good image of Him!
Yes, God does call His children to church and to be church. I hope they're listening. I need them to be wonderful images of God to me, letting me know that God is here, in them!

May God bless you with the insight you ask for, and for direction to His place for you too. You are needed!
Blessings,
Ceil

Brenda said...

Hi Ceil,
I know that only God could change me and, like you, I love the idea of constant transformation. I love the way we are all different in the Lord, and yet all one in Him. I know that the transformation in my own life has been hard sometimes, but know that what the Lord offers is far better than what I searched for in the world. Thank you for your prayer for insight and direction for me, may God bless you on your journey too Ceil.

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Brenda,
May we always yield to what the Holy Spirit would have us do, and not impose our own agenda.
May you continue to be blessed in your lovely ministry,
Laurie

Brenda said...

Hi Laurie,
that is right Laurie, when we each do what the Holy Spirit leads us to do then the church operates as the scriptures show us it should. In two churches I have been a part of that operated in this way I have seen wonderful moving of the Holy Spirit, including miracles, healings and amazing happenings that absolutely fall into line with scriptural prophesy regarding the body of Christ, God's church on earth. The Holy Spirit must not be quenched by the traditions of men, otherwise we will not receive the fullness of what God has to give in Jesus.
God bless you Laurie.
Brenda

Keith said...

Wouldn't it be great to come down from the mountain with a glow of God's Glory? I do believe that we can, the closer we get to God, through the Word of God, Y'shua, Jesus.

Brenda said...

Hi Keith,
I find it amazing how we can come to know God more and more through the Word of God, which is Jesus. Before I became born again the Bible was a book, but one which I knew was special. After I became born again it became God's voice speaking to me. I believe absolutely that all things are possible to him who believes - it is just a matter of leaving God's Holy Spirit to convince and convict.

S. Knowles said...

Hello, Brenda
Wonderful post. I really like all the poems you share.

Brenda said...

Sateigdra,
I have missed you. I really enjoy your input into discussions with other Christians, and I love the passion with which you believe. I hope that you will put up another post soon and hope very much that you are well in the Lord. I truly believe that as we share our testimonies and our thoughts that the whole of the body of the Lord grows closer.
God bless you Sateigdra, lovely to see you again.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Brenda,
It is truly a wondrous thing when we stop struggling to do things in our flesh and simply yield to Him. On the last 2 Sundays the Holy Spirit truly worked in our church -- you could feel His presence, and as a result, 3 young people were baptized on the first Sunday; and on the next, one young man was saved from a very dark place, and he and his brother were both baptized. These young people have already shown the fruit of the Spirit in their faithfulness and desire to follow the Lord.
God bless you,
Laurie

Brenda said...

Laurie how beautiful,
I have always felt that people who are in very dark places are some of the most receptive of the gospel when my friend and myself are out in the streets. I think when we are in deep darkness, that is when we search most for the light. This was in my own life and I used to find this when I was a prison visitor on the 'lifer's' wing. One person who responded dramatically to the gospel was actually released from prison much earlier than he expected, and went on to be an elder in a church. Praise the Lord.
God bless you Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Brenda! He who is forgiven the most will love the most. Until we come to the end of ourselves and realize how lost we are, we cannot begin to seek the One Who will save us. Praise God that where sin abounds, grace does so much more abound.
God bless you too!
Laurie

Brenda said...

Amen Laurie,
aren't the scriptures beautiful? They are able to speak into every situation that every person on earth will find themselves in.
God bless Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Praise God for His Word, speaking all things to all people, provided they take the time to hear it.
God bless you, Brenda, and your lovely ministry.

Brenda said...

That's right Laurie,
and we are told to not just be hearers of His word, but 'doers' of His word. God bless you too Laurie and your lovely ministry. I feel I know you even though I have never met you.

Crown of Beauty said...

Dear Brenda, this is my first time to stop by your blog. The lighthouse photo and poem written on your header caught my attention. It is beautiful, and I assume that you were the one who penned the lines. I read this post of yours slowly, for your words are deep. I appreciated the Scripture passages that you shared. Transformation only happens from the heart... and yes, I could sense from your words that your heart is passionate to be more like Jesus with each passing day. Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a kind response. I look forward to developing a blog friendship with you. Will definitely visit here again. Meanwhile may your day (or evening) be blessed and may you be surrounded by our Father's sweet presence. Shalom, Lidia

Brenda said...

Hi Lidia,
it is nice to meet you. Yes, I did write the poem, all the poetry and songs on my blog are what I have written unless quoted otherwise.
I can't remember what led me to your blog, but I felt that your words were very sincere too. I love interacting with people, both through writing and on the streets, but I can only write as I am inspired to, and led by the Holy Spirit to do so.
God bless you Lidia, Shalom to you too.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Brenda,
Amen -- we are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. I include this in every prayer before starting a Bible study lesson, whether to the adult ladies, assisted living facility residents, or girls that I teach.
God bless you,
Laurie

Sandi said...

This is quite timely for me...even though I am about a month late to the post! Hmm...nothing is a coincidence. :)

I have been praying for something today, well, for a while. While I praying, I've been reminded of how the Lord has led me in the past. I was thinking how that is like the story of David. You gave me victory over the bear, and the lion, and you will do this too. It's a small thing, on the surface, but has deep and entwining roots. I need to forgive an old friend.

Brenda said...

Hi Laurie,
that is right. How can we be transformed into His image if we are only hearers of His word.
Sounds like you are a very busy lady Laurie.

God bless you too.

Brenda said...

Hi Sandi,
No, nothing is coincidence. I haven't written anything new for over a month. We have to forgive Sandi, the Lord showed me a long time ago that keeping a record of wrongs and not forgiving others prevents me from being forgiven for my wrong doings. I know that when I ask the Lord to take all unforgiveness from my heart, then I feel much better.
God bless you Sandi, and your old friend.