Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 23 No. 6 June 2014
Do you wonder sometimes, “What is wrong with me?” The enemy loves to put thoughts of doubt and defeat in your head so they will go down into your heart, making you begin to doubt what you are all about. If you are about your job or your family or what you get to do in life, then you will get trapped from time to time. The enemy will try to exploit you with an identity crisis.
What is your identity anyway? It is not your job; it is not your family; it is Christ in you. Our whole identity is found in Christ. And where Christ is King, the enemy cannot defeat you or drag you under. We need to keep a positive attitude about ourselves or we will be worthless on the job or to our families. Our security must be in Christ alone. Our worth and value are in Christ alone. We are created to bring Him the glory. And that will not happen if we are down on ourselves.
If the enemy brings you down, he will fill you with fear and intimidation. Fear paralyzes us from being all that the Lord needs of us to do battle against the darkness.
Heb 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
There is much intimidation going on today. Don’t be one of those who accepts it. The Lord is in you and for you in all that you are. Be bold!
Be strong! For the Lord thy God is with thee.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Increasing Your Blessing
Joh 6:35 (KJV) “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
Joh 7:38 (KJV) “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
Can the blessing that has been bestowed upon us be further increased? Can anything that is full become fuller? Yes! It can become so full that it overflows, especially the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
These words in this text point us to a double blessing. First, Jesus says that “he who believes in Him will never thirst.” That person will always have the satisfaction of having his needs met. Then, He speaks of something that is grander and even more glorious. He that believeth in Him, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water to quench the thirst of others. This difference is distinction between being full and overflowing. A vessel may be full and yet have nothing left over for others; but when the vessel continues beyond being full, it leaves something for others. It must flow beyond the fullness of the individual. This is what the Lord promises to His disciples. Faith in Him gives them the blessing that they will never thirst. But as they continue and become stronger in the faith, this abiding makes them a fountain of water out of which streams flow to others. The Spirit who at first only fills us, will overflow out of us to souls around us.
The rivers of living water can be compared with many fountains on earth. When we begin to open one, the stream is weak. The more the water is used, the more deeply the source is opened up, making the water flow stronger. In the realm of the spiritual life, we need to discover what is necessary to secure the fullness of the Spirit constantly flowing from us.
Don’t misunderstand the blessing God has given you. Be sure that you do not form any wrong concepts of what the full blessing may be. Do not imagine that the joy and power of Pentecost must be felt or seen immediately. The church is in a life-and-death body, and restoration takes time.
At first, we receive the blessing as a seed. The renewed soul has longed for it, surrendered himself for it, and believed in it. God has accepted the consecration and fulfilled the promise. In that faith the person goes forth with a refreshing that is unfounded in life -- this blessing is referred to as the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
But then life sets in and things become difficult both spiritually and naturally. The result is fear that something is wrong, that the experience wasn’t real; it was only an emotional outburst. We begin to doubt what we have experienced, fearful that we didn’t really get what we asked for. Within a short period of time the blessing becomes less and less. Discouragement moves in and we fear we are moving backward instead forward in Christ.
The cause of this condition is simply a lack of faith. We are bent on judging God and His work in us by sight and feeling. We forget that the whole process is the work of faith. Even in the greatest revelations of the Christian faith rests not on what is to be seen, but on the work of God as spiritual, invisible, deeply hidden and inconceivable.
If you come to this place of feeling empty, reflect on how much of your life you have already given to God with a perfect heart, rest in silence before Him, and hold fast to your integrity. As you do, the Holy Spirit within will strengthen you; and you will gain confidence in God.
If you are sure you have set yourself before God as an empty, purified vessel, then continue to regard yourself as such, and stop talking yourself out of that which is true. If you have done what you know to do to be filled and you are surrendered, continue to abide in that attitude of trust all day through. Then watch how you start to grow:
Isa 28:16 (KJV) “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD…he that believeth shall not be ashamed.”
In your surrender you have said in truth that you will sacrifice all in order to win Christ Jesus. Although you may not have understood all that you said, this offering of your life is acceptable to God. Know that the Lord still has to teach you concerning your “self”, how deeply rooted your sin nature is, as well as how corrupt and hidden it is.
Be willing to make room for the Spirit by a constant, daily denial of the self-life. Know for a fact that He will be willing to come and fill the emptiness. As long as you have forsaken and sacrificed your life for His, He will fill you. He will teach you by the Spirit. He will lead you onward and let you see that when the sacrifice of everything becomes the rule of your life then the river of life will flow freely.
Sometimes a little thing may hinder the increase of the blessing. For example, when you become angry at someone, forgiveness comes into question. If you discover you have been too sensitive or ambitious or emotional, then “you” must take the lowest priority. If a situation arises in which some earthly possession has been lost or you have done something that you ought not to have done and if your reaction in attitude or deed is not in harmony with the Spirit of God, your flesh is warring against your spirit for control.
In your temptation allow yourself to be strengthened and drawn by the Spirit of God for a greater outflow of His life. A full blessing will be given you, a measure shaken together and running over. THE MORE YOU USE WHAT THE SPIRIT GIVES, THE GREATER IT BECOMES. The less you use it, the less it becomes.
God is love! His whole being is nothing but a surrender of Himself in love to be a life that flows into others in holiness and blessedness. He blesses for this purpose. He puts all that He is at the disposal of His creation.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God’s love, the bearer of this love. He came, He lived, He suffered, and He died only to glorify the Father so that this love could be poured out. He came to show mankind there is no greater purpose than to bless men and to give and to sacrifice.
The Holy Spirit came to make us partakers of this divine nature. The Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts to secure the indwelling of the Son and His love to such an extent that Christ may be so formed within us that our whole inner man comes into His likeness.
The reason any soul seeks and receives the fullness of the Spirit is so that that person can be a blessing of love to others. The Spirit comes to expel the life of self and self-seeking and replace it with His love.
The Spirit is the outflowing of the life of God. If we will yield ourselves to Him, He will become that river of living water flowing from the depths of our heart.
If you want the blessing to be increased, then live in order that the love of God may work through you. Love all, even the weakest. Exercise your love in every way possible. As you present yourself to the Spirit to love Him, you will find yourself living a godly life that hungers for more of Him.
If you don’t have enough strength to carry on, then go to the mercy seat in your time of need and cry out for His strength.
True faith keeps the soul open for the Spirit to have His way. The Spirit is always flowing as a bearer of life and love. The Spirit allows Christ to come in with the blessing that takes possession and fills all things.
Learn it and live it – if you keep believing, you will see the glory of God.
A believer can encounter and strive against sin in two ways. The first is to endeavor to ward it off with all one’s might, seeking an increase in one’s own strength through prayer and the Word. This way is called “will-power.” The other is to turn to the Lord at each moment of doubt and say, “Lord, I need Your strength. You are my keeper.” THIS IS YOUR FAITH. This confession is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (I Jn. 5:4). As we exercise our faith without ceasing, the blessing will continue flowing.
Endeavor to be filled again and again with the Spirit of Life. Then His word will become true: “He that believeth in Me, out of his heart, shall flow rivers of living water.”
-Pr. Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2013
June 6: I am beyond words of gratitude for what God has done and is doing. He has been faithful, faithful, faithful through great distress. I have finally come to the place where I see God at work in everything that happens in my life and the life of His church. WOW! It takes time to come to this place. And it came through on-going tribulation and suffering. But, I have never been more convinced about God’s personal involvement in my life. He cares about every detail. And He cares about it as much as I care about it.
I have never experienced such love and involvement in my life from others. People really do care about others. I have always been a giver. Now people are giving to me and it is pure, holy love. God amazes me more and more.
I am still saddened by the people who don’t understand the heartaches. They have much to learn. And I know they will. I truly love the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
June 7: The Lord rewards me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. (Psm 18:20-21)
June 16: My life dissolves and weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up and strengthen me according to the promise of Your Word. (Psm 119:28)
June 18: No matter what, You remain first and foremost in my life. I will keep pressing into Your life until I am complete in You! Through the storm I will hold on, Lord. And by faith I will walk on, Lord. And I will trust You through it all.
June 19: Enter into His rest and you will find peace for your soul.
June 22: Having done all you know to do, STAND!
June 24: Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Eph 6:10)
Too Busy For Abandonment
Mat 19:21 KJV “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
Do we realize how great a request Jesus makes by saying that we have to abandon everything and then follow Him? Or do we immediately begin to reason in our hearts as to what we are not willing to give up? Like us, the first disciples of Christ had to make life-changing decisions every day; and as twenty-first century professing Christians, we have agreed to submit ourselves to God the same way they did over 2000 years ago. The only difference today is that we are responsible to keep our relationship with Christ as our first priority but without being able to see the Lord. The first disciples were with the flesh and blood incarnate Jesus Christ; but now, after His death and resurrection, we are responsible to follow Him by the leading of His Spirit and by adhering to His written Word. It seems that following Jesus Christ today, with the unlimited devotion that most of the original disciples exhibited, is a rarity.
Mar 8:34-37 (KJV) “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Notice in verse 34 that Jesus had called the people unto Himself, along with the disciples; And He spoke unto all of them together when He exhorted them to follow Him, forsake all, and take up their crosses. People must realize there is a problem before they can apply a solution; and one of the main problems is that most people do not want to submit themselves to God the way the people of great faith did. People don’t naturally want to fast and pray; they do not understand how to die to self. The root word for “disciple” is discipline, and that is what disciples have to learn to embrace. Most people do not want to get up early and seek God by reading His word, by singing, and by praying. They don’t take the time to be quiet in His Presence and to hear His voice. Instead, they are filling their hearts and minds with the things of this world and the cares of this life. Even avid church-goers are negligent in bringing something from God with them to bless others in the congregation. They are waiting on others to serve them God’s Word. Some are depending on the pastor and others to bring them into the Lord’s Presence. Yes, the ministers are supposed to feed the sheep, but they are not supposed to be a replacement for a person’s relationship with God.
It is time to awake from stupor and to rise up and cast off our slumber so that we all may walk in the new life that Jesus Christ died to restore in us. Sometimes when we feel so far away that we don’t know how to find our way home, we must remember that the first step is always to draw near to God with all our heart, mind, and strength and to pray.
(Charles Spurgeon) said, “To pray, is to mount on eagle’s wings above the clouds, and get into the clear heaven where God dwells, entering into an inexhaustible storehouse.”
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes:
"Though the cross of Christ has been beautified by the poet and the artist, the avid seeker after God is likely to find it the same savage implement of destruction it was in the days of old. The way of the cross is still the pain-wracked path to spiritual power and fruitfulness. So do not seek to hide from it. Do not accept an easy way. Do not allow yourself to be patted to sleep in a comfortable church, void of power and barren of fruit. Do not paint the cross nor deck it with flowers. Take it for what it is, as it is, and you will find it the rugged way to death and life. Let it slay you utterly."
-A.W. Tozer
"You must GO forward on your knees."
-J. Hudson Taylor
"God is presently seeking for a humble, praying people that He can pour His glory through. If we will not yield to the Holy Spirit in humble obedience, He will find a people who will!"
-David Smithers
"No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it."
-Guy H. King
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
Summer Break! Classes resume in August
