Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 23 No. 11 November 2014
Heb 12:15 (NIV) “See to it that …no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Isn’t there enough trouble in the world today without our getting entangled with it? Bitterness causes us to say and do things that ultimately defile us. We end up responding in ungodly manners to those we love. You have to choose to forgive in every circumstance and hold on to nothing that can burden your heart and mind. I sometimes have to forgive two or three times a day when things happen. But when I do, within a short time everything comes out and I hold nothing against that person or situation.
There is much anger today, anger that brings on frustration. We often expect things to happen a certain way; but when they don’t, we get disappointed and angry. In turn, our anger leads to dysfunctional personal, spiritual, and relational experiences. If we hold on to our anger too long, it can become a weapon that lashes out at others; and we become bitter people. God says in: Eph 4:31 (NIV) “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Like it or not, we must accept the Word of Truth. We must choose to release all bitterness. God won’t make you do it. But choosing to do so will bring strength to your life and to your faith. You will soon find your moods are pleasing to God, to your friends, and, yes, even to yourself! The result is a grateful heart of thanksgiving that blesses everyone.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Childlike Spirit
Psa 1:1-2 (KJV) “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Psa 19:14 (KJV) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
When the heart has received the Word through the mind and has had its spiritual powers exercised, the Word is no longer void, but has done what God intended it to do. It has become part of our life and strengthened us for new purpose and effort. We call this process meditation.
It is in meditation that the heart holds and appropriates the Word. Remember that the heart is the will and the affections. The meditation of our heart implies desire, acceptance, surrender and love. Out of the heart are the issues of life. Whatever the heart truly believes, it receives and allows to master and to rule one’s life. The intellect gathers and prepares the food on which we are to feed. In meditation the heart takes it in and feeds on that food.
Meditation needs to be cultivated. Just as we need to be trained to concentrate our mental powers to think clearly, a Christian needs to meditate until he has formed the habit of yielding his whole heart to every word of God.
How do we do this? The first thing we do is present ourselves before God. The Word has no power of blessing apart from Him. In Psalm 119, the word “meditate” is mentioned seven times, each time as part of a prayer addressed to God: Vrs.15; 23; 48; 78; 97; 99; 148. Meditation is turning the heart toward God and seeking to make His Word a part of our life.
True meditation is quiet pondering. Instead of striving, we must hide the word in the depth of our heart and believe that by the Holy
Spirit its meaning and power will be revealed in our inner life: Psa 51:6 (KJV) “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
In the description of the mother of Jesus we are told: “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luk.2:19).
IN MEDITATION, PERSONAL APPLICATION TAKES A PROMINENT PLACE. This is not the case with bible study, the object of which is to know and understand. In meditation the chief purpose is to appropriate and experience. It is in quiet meditation that faith is exercised, so that full surrender to all of God’s will is made.
Meditation leads to prayer. It provides what to pray for. It leads us to ask and receive definitely what has been seen in the Word and then to accept that Word.
We should have fellowship with God throughout the day. The habit of true meditation in the morning will bring us nearer to the “blessing” that God wants for us throughout the day: Psa 1:1-2 (KJV) “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
God says, “I will be with you, I will not fail you, nor forsake you, but you have to be strong and courageous and observe to do all that I have commanded…that you may prosper wherever you go. Don’t let the book of the law depart out of your mouth, but meditate day and night and you will have good success” (Josh.1:5-9).
Psa 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Let this be your aim so that your meditation may be acceptable and let this be your sacrifice. Know that true worship to the Lord is a living surrender of the heart to God’s Word and His Presence.
Mat 11:25 (KJV) “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
The wise and prudent are those who have confidence in their reasoning ability to help them in pursuit of spiritual knowledge. The babes are those whose chief work is not the mind and its power, but the heart and the emotions. Helplessness, dependence, meekness, teachableness, trust, and love are the qualities God seeks for in those whom He teaches (Psm.25:9,12,17, 20).
In order to receive the Word into our spirit, we must wait for the Father to reveal its truth in us. We must have a childlike attitude into which the Father loves to impart the secrets of His love. With the wise and the prudent, the more important thing is head knowledge. God will hide the true spiritual meaning of the very thing they think they understand. With babes it is not the head and its knowledge, but the heart and its emotions that are important. Because they have a sense of humility and love and trust, God will reveal to them the very thing they know they cannot understand.
What is a teachable spirit? Education tells us that there are two styles of teaching. The teacher will communicate the knowledge of his main objective. He will strive to cultivate the abilities of the child in order to help him attain this objective. But he will consider the amount of knowledge a secondary thing. The first aim is to develop the abilities of the child’s mind and spirit. In this way the child is helped both mentally and morally to use his abilities correctly in the pursuit of knowledge.
When a preacher teaches, he knows much of the result depends on the condition of the heart. There are churches that preach to the wise and prudent who listen with the idea that they can understand and that what they hear will profit them. However, if a preacher wants the listeners to be aware of their heart condition, they will have to receive the truth on the basis of a childlike spirit. They will have to wait for the Father to reveal the knowledge.
In the secret chamber of prayer, every man is his own teacher and preacher. You have to come to the Lord with a childlike simplicity and a teachable spirit. There must be individual revelation of divine truth to each person by the Holy Spirit. With this attitude you will and receive the Kingdom as a little child and thereby exercise the childlike spirit.
Until we come back to this type of understanding we will not receive what God wants to give us in this hour. SUCH UNDERSTANDING REQUIRES A CHILDLIKE DEPENDENCE ON GOD FOR TEACHING AND STRENGTH. The Lord pronounced that the poor in heart, the meek, and the hungry would be blessed. He often spoke of humbling ourselves and becoming as little children. The first sign of being like Jesus is an absolute dependence upon God for any real knowledge of spiritual things.
If you feel that you have not maintained your personal time in this spirit, confess and forsake at once the self-confident spirit of the wise and prudent. Pray for the childlike spirit and then believe you have it. Although it may be neglected and suppressed, it is in you. You can begin to experience it at once, for the life of the spirit which resides as a seed within you produces a childlike spirit.
Living like a child before God must become the permanent habit of your mind, and the state of your heart. Then you will enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit over your life. Meditate on what God says about your experiences. Let your heart remain childlike – teachable to obtain the objective with a humility that says only God can direct my heart.
-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
Nov 02: If you are going to live a godly life, you are going to suffer persecution.
Nov 09: “The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace” (Num.6:26).
Nov 13: This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope, that God’s mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness.
Nov 16: Thank you, Lord, for divine joy, divine love, divine peace, hope and inspiration that guide my soul and bring me into Your protection and provision and Presence. I live in the Divine Presence of My God; Christ Jesus is Lord and King!
Nov 17: My spirit is a reflection of my soul!
Nov 23: Perfection with God is simply giving Him your whole heart. “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God” (Deut.18:13).
Nov 27: The Sovereign Lord seeks for loyalty and obedient service.
Fear Factor
At one time or another we all experience fears and doubts, but such encounters do not mean that we have to live our lives being subject to them. Fear and doubt can be debilitating; and when not dealt with properly, they can and will cause you problems that will not go away without intervention. These struggles may be spiritual, physical or psychological or a combination of these areas. As such challenges arise, we must realize that it is time to make up our minds about who we are going to believe for the cure. If we trust in our carnal understanding, and if we continue to do what we want to do instead of doing what we should be doing; we will be subject to every worldly influence that plagues the human heart today. Never before in the history of the world has there been such blatant disregard for the Biblical truth as there is today. Neglect and disrespect for the Word of God is even overtaking the hearts and lives of multitudes of those that have previously named Jesus Christ as their personal savior. For this dilemma, only one true and eternal help exists: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” Rom 8:5-8 (KJV).
We must first truly believe that God is the answer and that He holds all the answers. In His wisdom God has given us His all-powerful Word! That Word is sufficient to cover any concern that we may have. Every person who owns a Holy Bible has God’s Word, but just owning the book will not suffice. If we expect to benefit from the Word of God, we have to take what the Word says and apply it to our everyday lives. We must always remember that the Holy Bible is not just a book. It is the very Word of God and contains all that pertains to life and godliness.
Joh 1:1-5 (KJV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
I have heard people say, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!” But then when something happens that brings fear and doubt to their hearts; they react as though they have no hope and no faith. We cannot live an overcoming life just by quoting clichés, but we can overcome by receiving and walking out every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
1Pe 3:13-15 (KJV) “And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? (14) But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
Don’t let fear and doubt be factors in your life; just delve deeper into the Lord than you ever have before, and let the Lord your God take you far beyond all your hopes and dreams.
“I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; yea, I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate on all thy work, and muse on thy mighty deeds” Psalms 77:11-12 (RSV).
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes:
“Christianity today is so subnormal that if any Christian began to act like a normal New Testament Christian, he would be considered abnormal.”
-Leonard Ravenhill
"How can you pull down strongholds of Satan if you don't even have the strength to turn off your TV?"
- Leonard Ravenhill
"A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God."
- Leonard Ravenhill
"If we displease God, does it matter whom we please? If we please Him does it matter whom we displease?"
- Leonard Ravenhill
"Beware, I pray thee, of presuming that thou art saved. If thy heart be renewed, if thou shalt hate the things that thou didst once love, and love the things that thou didst once hate; if thou hast really repented; if there be a thorough change of mind in thee; if thou be born again, then hast thou reason to rejoice: but if there be no vital change, no inward godliness; if there be no love to God, no prayer, no work of the Holy Spirit, then thy saying "I am saved" is but thine own assertion, and it may delude, but it will not deliver thee."
-Charles Spurgeon
"Fix even the smallest amount you purpose to give of your income, and give this regularly... If you neglect in habitual giving, a regular giving, a giving principle based upon Scriptural grounds, and leave it only to feeling and impulse, or particular arousing circumstances, you will certainly be a loser."
-George Mueller
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
Winter Break! Classes resume in January
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