A Powerful Explosive Series Of Solid Compact Biblically Correct Sermonettes By Pastor Jim Ewing

Today I believe the Lord had me bring up this series of sermonettes by Pastor Jim Ewing.

Though they are short, they pack a wallop.

Pastor Jim has a way of presenting to us Biblical truths in such a way that it is very powerful and straight to the point.

Biblically correct truths shot from the bow of a man of God who knows were of he speaks.

It is rare to find such a man these days.

But we have been blessed to have found him and that which he produces through the Holy Spirit.

I am certain that you too will agree with me after you read these short amazingly relevant and powerfully timeless words from the man of God!

David Sloane

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2 Corinthians 4:10,11- "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." 

...verse 16, " For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day".

The life of the apostle Paul absolutely amazes me! Over and over again in his epistles, you cannot help but see his utter selflessness and devotion to Christ, and his God-given love for people.

 Today as I read through 2 Corinthians, I was again struck by his accepting- with joy- the pain and extremely rough circumstances in which he found himself.

No complaining, no self-pity, no pining for physical comfort or better days. He had one focus, and that focus was Christ.

I pray that God will cause us to see- with our spiritual eyes- this incredible devotion, and that in seeing this, He will cause us to yearn for Him, to desire Him, to covet Him in such a way that it in turn causes a life-changing passion in our hearts that nothing on earth can quench!

Read Paul's epistles- any of them- and in every verse you can feel the pain, the agony, the anguish of soul that brought him to this deep love for his Savior.

He never regretted any of what his Lord had brought him through to get him to the point of absolute surrender because he adored Jesus Christ so much that he did not regard his own life.....

Very different than so much of what passes for 'ministry' these days, isn't it? You don't hear any 'prosperity' or 'comfort' or 'your own rights', or even legalistic teachings coming from Paul, and you shouldn't be hearing these things from those who preach the Gospel today!

Why do we so desire comfort? Why do we covet 'respectability', or eloquence, or admiration? Why do we want to please man rather than God?

We Christians are to preach and teach Christ- crucified and risen-NOW, while there's breath left in us.

 Please understand that my aim here is not to look for faults or to castigate ministers of today, but rather to contrast much of what we hear today with the truth of the actual Gospel of Christ, and in so doing, I fervently pray that God would take hold of the hearts of His people and move them back to Him.

The apostle Paul would not tolerate error or false teaching concerning the things of God- His life was thoroughly Christ's, and he always pointed people to the cross. May we all imitate his example. 

Pastor Jim Ewing
En Agape,

***

Philippians 3:10..."That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death..."

How about that?

We can understand Paul's passion to 'know Him, and the power of His resurrection', but to honestly desire the fellowship of His sufferings?

 Most people prefer to flee suffering, yet the apostle actually YEARNS for it, because he knows that in it, he more perfectly identifies with his Lord, and the suffering that he refers to is all the direct result of his overt and aggressive stand for Jesus Christ.

What exactly is the secret to Paul's overwhelming devotion to Christ? We've seen that he had an uncommon passion for his Savior, and a sincere love that most Christians wish that THEY had.

Well, the 'secret' (and the truth) is that every single believer who desires this passion, this devotion, this love- may have it, may experience it, may receive it and give it out freely to others (the natural outflow of receiving), but how?

I've already mentioned how greatly I admire the apostle Paul, but the truth is that the apostle himself was not the author of the divine love in his own heart!

 Let's look at Acts 9:1-6..."And Saul (the name he was then known by), yet breathing threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way (followers of Christ), whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven; and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. An d he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."

Here Paul (Saul) is spending much of his time and energy attempting to destroy all the Christians he can, yet in a second, he is on the ground asking Jesus what He would have him do!

It was the Lord Himself who simply but powerfully intervened, and Paul was changed- forever changed- from that moment on- transformed from an enemy of God to a powerfully used apostle of that same Almighty God!

You see, only God Himself can truly change a heart and life by His Spirit, and He is able to take the lowest, the most selfish, the meanest, the most unlikely of people, and not only make him or her His child, but to give that believer a love that that one has never before known, or even thought possible!

Christian, do you want to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Do you want a Paul-like passion for Jesus that is genuine?

Then understand that it is the Holy Spirit in you, drawing you to that desire for Him, and simply surrender to Him.

You are not the author of this wonderful love, but you may have as much of it as you will, and as you receive it, you'll find that you're also giving it out to others, and THIS is true ministry! There is no telling what God will do in and through you- just ask the apostle Paul!

En Agape,
Pastor Jim Ewing

***

Galatians 6:12-14 "As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 

23

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."


The old testament, with the law and the prophets, the animal sacrifices, and all that they entail, points FORWARD to the cross of Christ.

The new testament points BACK to the cross, but the entire Word of God does indeed point TO that cross.

To the lost, Christ's death on the cross makes no sense, and is even ridiculed- 1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

Sadly, even in some Christian circles, the cross is minimized, with the preaching of the Gospel, in all of its power and glory, giving way to more pleasant, costless, self-gratifying teachings...

Oh, and don't forget the coffee, and the 'I'm OK, You're OK' pat on the back as you leave the church! I'll tell you, the world will never see the need for the cross unless and until WE see the need for it!

The crucifixion of our Lord is not only a painful yet wonderful event which took place 2000 years in the past- it is a God-ordained way of life for the believer. The cross experience is something that every single believer will go through- God sees to that as the Orchestrator of all of our circumstances. No one escapes it, as our God loves us too much to let us.

The cross in our lives brings us to maturity in Christ, causes to see life as we should and as it is (in reality, not mere fancy or opinion), and brings EVERYTHING that happens in this world into perspective.

The apostle Paul spoke so much of the cross- both the historical event and its work in his own life, because he was intimately acquainted with it. Are we?

God have mercy on us, we MUST be! When we truly know the cross in our own lives, it will guard us from doctrines of demons and every false teaching that may be thrown at us, because it is what God uses to check us.

Our emotions, our feelings, our intentions, our ambitions- they all must be put at the foot of the cross of Christ, and as they are, we experience life as we were intended to.

Listen to Paul, and listen intently- "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

He knew that the wonderful relationship which he had with his Savior was due to Christ's death on that cross, and he knew that the cross worked in his life DAILY.....

Lord Jesus, let us see this precious truth for ourselves, that we may submit to it and therefore more passionately follow You!

Pastor Jim Ewing

***

Romans 8:11 "If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you."
 

We have previously taken a look at the cross, both in terms of the historical event and of its continual work in the believer's life as we walk with Christ.

Now we will take a look at the resurrection of Christ, for without the resurrection, the cross would have been incomplete- and God never does anything in an incomplete manner.

We must always remember that the cross and the resurrection go together. Both were necessary to secure our salvation.

God sent His Beloved Son to a cross to take away all of our sins, and three days later raised Him up from the dead, guaranteeing our own resurrection from death's ugly, but now temporary grip. Because of this, praise God, we now have eternal life.

In the garden of Eden, man died- remember? Genesis 2:17- "In the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely DIE."

So the DEATH of Christ took away our sins, and the RESURRECTION of our Savior gave us back what man had lost way back in Genesis- LIFE. Give God praise for His unfathomable love! Catch a glimpse of that love and you will never be the same...

Just as the cross has both historical and constant, practical meaning in the life of the Christian, so also does the resurrection. God uses the cross in our lives to break us of our self-will, ordering our circumstances to bring us to a place of total surrender. He will not let up until we relent, so great is His love for us.

The resurrection experience, on the other hand, is what God gives us to overcome and be victorious in our circumstances. You will find yourself reacting, not out of your flesh, but with the power of God, and then wonder how you did that.

That is the resurrection of Christ working in your life. Slowly but surely, you will find yourself looking THROUGH the painful experiences on to the complete victory, because you will tend to (more and more) see the whole picture, rather than just the momentary suffering.

 2 Corinthians 4:17 & 18 - "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

The apostle Paul went through incredible and protracted suffering, yet he sees the hand of God in it so clearly that he refers to all of it as 'light affliction'! Can anyone say RESURRECTION POWER?

 I am humbled when I see the degree of the workings of both the cross and resurrection in Paul's life....Let us thank God now- for the historical reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and for its daily, moment by moment practical power in our own lives!

En Agape,
Pastor Jim Ewing

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Matthew 28:20 "...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." ...

Beloved of the Lord, I am about to delve into a subject that few believers even ponder, yet we all know the reality of it.

I can remember listening to a taped recording of the rev. R. Brant Baker, original pastor of Shekinah Fellowship, just over thirty years ago as he said very simply, We forget that Jesus is always with us...".

Now, those words were so elementary, so simple, weren't they?

I'm sure that they got a few 'amen's from the congregation to whom he was speaking at the time, but they caught my own attention to the point that my mind was absolutely fixed, as it were, on those words, and despite the fact that his message continued on, I could only keep hearing those words over and over again, "We forget that Jesus is always with us."

The reality of it all hit me that night- It is an absolute spiritual fact that our Savior is with us always...every moment of the day and night, and that fact will continue to be so until we either breathe our last and then die, or He returns to the earth, abolishing the ugly spectacle of death once and for all....

Did you just feel your spirit jump within you as you read those words?

Christian, this is a fact which can never be taken from the believer, and it is as real as the cross of Christ and His resurrection from the dead!

 If you are in Christ, then His Presence never leaves you. Hebrews 13:5 says,"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

This fact was very real to the early, persecuted Church- real enough that they were willing to die for their testimony of the Beloved Savior. We've forgotten that, haven't we?

 We have gotten so comfortable in our faith that we forget that many of those who went on before us suffered greatly for the Gospel 's sake, even to the point of death.

But they were never dissuaded from the truth that their Lord was WITH them unto the very end of their earthly existence, because they knew that His Presence was a fact, not as a principle, but as a total reality, one that they GLADLY staked their very lives upon.....

Jesus, when He was teaching His disciples, did not speak from the position of doctrine (we believers disagree on much of what we call doctrine, don't we?), rather, He spoke TRUTH, and He never spoke anything BUT the truth.

He always lived the truth, and in fact, He WAS and IS the Truth- John 14:6- "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life..."

His very Presence, just after telling Peter to "launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught" following an unsuccessful night of fishing, was enough to prompt the fisherman to entreat Him, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8)...

My point in all of this is that we as believers must see that, regardless of what we endure, no matter what or how we may feel at the present time (and times may indeed be extremely rough), He is, in absolute reality, our constant Companion.

We needn't try to imagine that this is so, we mustn't merely hope that it's true, we must reckon it so, and act upon that fact- FACT.

As we do this, He will burn the reality of His Presence deep within our souls. It will never be because we try to 'visualize' it, it cannot be because we wish it into being, or because we believe that we've been good and faithful to Him.

 He is with us always, because He said He would be, and He is faithful to His Word, and to His people.....

Believe Him, move in that truth, Christian, and you will never be satisfied with 'wishin' and hoping'' ever again. You have His word on it!

En Agape,
Pastor Jim Ewing

***

Luke 9:62- "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Sobering words, aren't they?

 But our Savior has brought us into new life, and He intends for us to walk continuously IN that life, from the moment that He wonderfully apprehends us, to the very last breath that we take.

The believer was never meant to be static in this faith that God has so graciously given us- rather, we are to constantly press forward, as the apostle Paul said- "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

Notice that I often quote Paul? It is because he realized that he was 'plucked from the fire', as it were, by the Lord- and he didn't want to waste one moment of the new life that God had given him. He was always grateful to Jesus Christ for having saved him, and it was so apparent in everything that he wrote, from the first of his epistles to the last.

 He actually desired to 'depart and be with Christ', rather than to go on living in this world (Philippians 1:23-24), thou he knew that it was more beneficial to the young body of believers in Philippi (and no doubt to the rest of the early Church) if he remained for awhile......

There is nothing more unattractive than a static believer, especially when God has given us so much to do!

 There are Divine appointments that God places in every believer's life, yet some of us live as though we think that we were called to sit back, relax, sing hymns, and wait for the Lord to 'rapture' us out of our Cadillac on the way to the church picnic!

 How sad. Where is the passion? Where is the 'fire' that seems to characterize so few of us, when it is the same Savior who calls ALL of His people from EVERY age and time to an INTIMATE relationship with Him?

Well, the blame certainly d does not fall on Christ! He has not changed (Hebrews 13:8- "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.") He still constantly woos us by His Spirit, but we must respond. Please RESPOND!.....

Now this is going to be a crude illustration, but it'll help get my point across. Back in the summer of '76, I worked in some wheat fields in eastern Washington.

The farm that this man lives on had a bunch of chickens inside a short fence.

 One of my co-workers showed me something that amazed me- he climbed over the fence and grabbed one of the chickens, putting it's left wing over it's head (covering it's eyes), and moved that chicken in a circular, clockwise motion for just a few seconds- that's all it took.

 The chicken fell fast asleep, and when my friend put it back on the ground, it just lay there in a slumber. I was shown this a number of times, and even did it myself, grabbing one of the chickens, and putting it to sleep.

The most fascinating thing about it though, was that every single time a slumbering chicken was placed back on the ground, one of the other chickens would see that it was sleeping, run over to it and 'peck' it awake!

It was as if the other chickens were saying, "Hey, wake up! It's not evening- what do you think you're doing? It is daytime. You need to be awake!" ....

Well, I warned you that it would be a crude illustration, but I tell ya'- Sometimes I want to go and 'peck' certain believers awake, "Hey, wake up! It's still daytime- the night has not yet arrived...

God has work for you to do!

 You still have breath in you- use it to pant after the Lord and to reach others while there's still time!

Pursue this dynamic relationship that Christ draws you to, NOW!

C'mon- wake up! For the love of our Savior, WAKE UP!"

Pastor Jim Ewing

***

John 4:24- "God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth."
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Now, here is a verse that we all know and can easily quote, but so few believers seem to know just what it means.

I want to cut to the chase on the subject of idolatry, not because it is a characteristic of a lost and dying world, but because the Church herself is presently so involved in it.
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I do not want you think that I like 'picking' at faults among the Body of Christ, because I don't, and I do not believe in seeking out problems just to have something to write about.

The fact is, though, that many, many of today's Christians have such misconceptions of the nature of God, that they do not realize that we require the leading of the Holy Spirit- even in terms of how to worship our Lord.

 Because of these misconceptions, believers (and non-believers as well) will often reach for 'tangible' objects to worship in place of our Holy God. Sometimes this is done with the best of intentions, but it is idolatry nonetheless, and must be thoroughly avoided.
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There is absolutely no substitute for the living God in the lives of believers, and we must see that. Not our own ideas of God, not 'images' of Him, but Almighty God Himself- as He IS, not as we would have Him.....

The Israelites had such a tough time just being without Moses for a few days that they managed to convince Aaron to "make us gods, which will go before us" (Exodus 32:1-6).

A golden calf was the pathetic result. What an insult to our Holy, Righteous God!

You would think we'd have learned over the years that only God could satisfy our spiritual hunger, yet history is replete with examples and stories of people attempting to reach God in their 'own way', completely ignoring the fact that "God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth".

I believe that the Lord has hidden the arc of the covenant purposely, for He knew that if it had been found, generations of people would have worshipped IT instead of HIM...

The shroud of Turin is a prime example of believers worshipping something other than Christ. So what if it is genuine?

He's not there! He's not in the empty tomb either, and there's nothing sacred about a tomb, no matter who was laid in it.....

Did you know that Adolf Hitler searched for years for the spear that pierced Jesus' side?

Why?

Did he think that it would somehow bless or protect him?

It was a stinkin' spear, for goodness sakes! ...

Do you remember the big movie, "The Robe"?

If not, you can probably guess what it was about. But the robe that Jesus wore had no power- HE had power. Why has that always been so difficult for the Church to understand?

I'm so glad that there were no cameras in the days when Jesus walked the earth, for if t here had been, then photos of the Savior would have been worshipped, sold, looked to for help, and put in peoples' tunics for good luck- and you know that!

I've previously mentioned that there are people in certain countries who actually whip and even allow themselves to be nailed to a cross for a while during 'special' times of the year in order to get closer to the Lord.

What a ridiculous display of unbelief! Why is it so hard to believe that HE took our punishment, and that none of our own efforts are of any value whatsoever?

We believe the Gospel, yet we feel that we must add this or that to it, don't we?

 It's so difficult and so cutting to our pride to simply believe and receive what our blessed Savior has done for us, so we look to other things to make us 'spiritual' IN ADDITION to the cross and resurrection. How can you truly adore Him when you can't even believe Him?....

2 Corinthians 5:19 "...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Now, what does He desire that our response be? The next verse tells us- "Be ye reconciled to God."

So simple, right? Then why do we insist on adding to His wonderful work?

 When you attempt to add to the cross and resurrection, you take away from them. When you try adding to God's grace (and there are so many ways that we try), then you take away His grace, because you refuse to see that HIS work is complete and quite sufficient to have dealt with your sin FOREVER.

That refusal, beloved, is IDOLATRY, and it is a stench in the nostrils of God! Stop trying- start believing. Seek HIS face. Worship HIM in Spirit and in truth. Adore Him and only Him.......

I'm going to leave you with a beautiful scripture from the psalms.

 "When thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (Psalm 27:8)...

Make that your prayer as you worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

God bless you,
Pastor Jim Ewing


***

Psalm 139:7- "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence?"  

Proverbs 20:7- "The Lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; It searches out his inmost being." 

Luke 24:49- "I am going to send you what My Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.".....

Who is the Holy Spirit?

 He is nothing less than God Almighty.

We see from these verses that He is everywhere at all times and that we can never escape His Presence, that He searches the spirit of man and knows us to the very core, and that He desires that His people wait upon Him.

He knows that we absolutely require His constant Presence and makes Himself known to us, but do we allow Him to move as He would in every detail in our lives? We believe Him, yes- but do we allow Him to be what He intends to be in our lives?

Remember that He always points to Christ, always testifies of Christ, always draws people, by His power, to Christ (John 15:26).

 He enables believers to be passionate witnesses for our Savior- and the power is HIS. 

Why then, do we act as if we we're ashamed of Him? Many of God's own children treat the Holy Spirit like the proverbial 'ugly stepchild'.

We want to intellectualize everything spiritual and make the Holy Spirit fit into our nice, 'tidy', 'respectable' idea of our own churchianity- and then we have the gall to wonder why He doesn't move in and through us as we know He desires to!....

God have mercy on us, we must stop trying to be 'gate keepers' for the Spirit of God!

We cannot use Him (remember, He is God)- rather, we have the incredible privilege of being open, willing, yielded vessels through whom He can move, yet we want to relegate Him to the back room for fear that He may do something among us which brings us out of our comfort zone- after all, what would we do if lives were actually touched and changed?

What do we do if He steps out of the 'box' that we try to put Him into?....

Let's look directly into the mirror and ask ourselves, "How much of God do I really want in my life? Do I desire 'rivers of Living Water' gushing through my soul, as God would love to pour into me, or am I satisfied with an intermittent drip?

We're the ones who limit Him- it is He who would do so much more in and through us, if we were only willing!

Remember that as we receive, we also give out. We are the Body of Christ, and we were never meant to be stingy, either in receiving, or in giving out- that's simply not God's way of doing things. 

He is always robust, always so generous in His love, mercy and life changing power, and He would have us be the same- after all, we are HIS children!....

I urge every believer who senses a 'dryness' in his or her life to begin seeking- earnestly- the very heart of God.

 Allow His Spirit to move in you, first individually, then as a body, in a totally yielded and open manner, and ask Him to do all of the wonderful things in and through your life that He would. He will not lead you into anything silly or ridiculous, and He will never violate His Word.

 He WILL begin to move POWERFULLY in you, and He WILL give you a new-found adoration of Him, though. Are you up for it?


En Agape'
Pastor Jim Ewing

This is not how we celebrated birthdays when we were young.

Hit the big 64.

Psalm 118:24 [Full Chapter]

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

From Erik J this morning

http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/world-religions/22627-jesus-was-the-last-word-of-egyptian-christians-isis-beheaded

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11430239/Saunas-protect-middle-aged-men-against-heart-attacks.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-liepert/muslims-predict-jesus-def_b_6725486.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

God Dwells With Us And In Us

8-11-2011 On The Radio

While eating lunch today at work I turned on the radio to K~wave. There was a pastor on who I enjoy and respect. But...he said something right off the bat that hit my spirit and was like a small pebble in my shoe that I had walked on one time too many. I just couldn't shake off what he had just said over the air~waves to thousands of listeners.
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He basically said he had a skepticism to those who say "Jesus came to me and said." Then he proceeded to add some subtle aspersion upon such people by proclaiming that scripture says Jesus is seated in the Heavenlies on the right hand side of the Father. He isn't down here and that he was glad Jesus was seated up there or something to that effect. I turned off my radio and continued to eat. I just knew that I was going to blog on this when I got home from work. Don't get me wrong...I will still listen to this awesome pastor on the radio. It is just that I was disturbed by what he had just said.
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Allow me to vent now and open my thoughts to you:

My mind quickly sorted through my scripture knowledge and as you might image the first scripture to pop forward to the forefront of my attention was:
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Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
 
Ok...so here we see Jesus among Christians. Nothing is said about Him being there by proxy or any other way. He is there in their midst. If I correctly understand, Jesus is manifested in their midst, He is actually there with those believers, unless scripture is not telling us  the truth.
 
I felt the pastor was the problem. His statement, I felt would cause others to back off from believing Jesus could come to them and or even expecting Him to. In essence the pastor quenched me by his statement.
 
Those of us from the Jesus people days can recall power and presence and manifested glory that is not to be found today in most of our church experiences.
 
Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jehoiachin, the last king of Judah, was the governor, and Jeshua was the high priest. Through the conspiracy of the enemy, the foreign king gave order that the temple was not to be built. There was to be no restoration or rebuilding of the Temple of God or the walls of Jerusalem.
 
This is an exact parallel of the present~day spiritual restoration that is taking place now. The wall was not rebuilt for 15 years after the order that the Temple was not to be rebuilt. It has been a very long time since the days of the Jesus People. And there are quenching lines of thought running rampant that keep us from restoring what once was.
 
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied the Word of the Lord that released the rebuilding of the Temple. These two prophets encouraged the people to go on and complete the work. When we are engaged in a project for the Lord, we need to do the same thing: prophesy strength to one another, prophesy the anointing of the Lord upon the work. The Haggai and Zechariah ministries are needed today also to break every impasse. An impasse that can be broken by the prophets proclamation.
 
There is a great deal of spiritual warfare. We need to learn how to rebuild our spiritual defenses and rebuild.
 
Haggai and Zechariah were the prophets who prophesied during this period when the Temple was being rebuilt under Zerubbabel. It is significant that it was during this time that Haggai prophesied, "The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former; says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I shall give peace, declairs the Lord of hosts."
Haggai 2:9
 
Solomon's Temple was the "former Temple." It far exceeded the glory of Zerubbabel's Temple, which was eventually desecrated and replaced by Herod's Temple in Christ's time. That too was destroyed in 70 A.D. None of these Temples saw greater glory.
 
No doubt the prophet was talking about the Temple that God is building today, out of living stones for a habitation of Jesus Christ by the Spirit. Are we entering into that period now?
 
According to the Scriptures, we can anticipate that the glory of God could be greater in our midst than it was in Solomon's Temple. The prophet spoke that in the Latter house of God's presence there would be greater glory than had existed at any other time.
 
There was little preludes of this glory in Solomon's Temple. When it was dedicated, 120 priests ministered and offered countless sacrifices. Thousands of animals were slaughtered in sacrifice to the Lord. ( II Chronicles 5:6). As the priests ministered, the glory of God came like a cloud and filled the building, and the priests could not stand to minister. That was the former glory.
 
The Temple that was rebuilt in the days of Ezra was never known to have the glory on it. Ezekiel prophesied about the glory. In vision he saw the Shekinah Glory hovering over the sanctuary. It moved several times and finally hovered over Mount Zion for about a year, before disappearing completely ( Ezekiel 10,11). At a later time Ezekiel prophesied about the glory that will return ( Ezekiel 43 ). However, the temple that he saw was symbolic; it was never built by the actual physical dimensions given.
 
There is for us the promise of a greater glory. Are you thinking, " I am not at all satisfied with the measure of the glory of God that rests on me. This troubles me more than anything else."
 
We have a promise that the glory of the latter house will be greater than the former and in that house the Lord will give peace.
 
2 Corinthians 6:16
... For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
The prophets provided an under girding strength. This is a picture of the phase we are now in.

1 Timothy 1:18

Prophets are needed to rebuild the Temple of God today. Built of living stones one upon another, the temple of the Living God. Bearing the presence of God and the glory of God each and every stone! Stones down here on the planet earth right now right here...Jesus is in each stone.

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

Who gave Timothy prophecies? What was the reason they were given? Prophets in the church gave prophecies to Timothy so he would be encouraged and equipped to do battle. How many prophets are allowed to give prophecies in your church? Does your church recognize that there are prophets? Prophets help to build this last great Temple built of living stones upon the earth in these last days. The Body of Christ on the earth.

One last thought...

Recall the sinner's prayer? Jesus come into my heart. I know he did come into many living stones which make up the Body of Christ. A body that bears His presence, the Temple of the Lord. The last days Temple filled with His Shekinah Glory. The last Temple has been built and it is filled with Him and it is still growing.

1 Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple...


A Living Temple where He dwells in His people.

Immanuel

This name, which Matthew refers to in his Gospel (Matthew 1:23), was first given to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14). And this very special Christmas name, as Matthew tells us, means "God with us." Jesus Christ is Immanuel, "God with us."


`Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the LORD." (Jer. 23:23-24). The God of the Bible, the true Creator is omnipresent, everywhere at the same time. He fills all of creation with His presence; every mountain and every molecule; and yet He is not a part of that creation. He remains Creator distinct from His creation. And so a God who is everywhere is certainly a God who is with us.



St. Augustine's familiar words hit the mark, "For You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until we find rest in You." The human race needs God, the Creator, because it is built into the very core of our nature to know Him intimately. Without Him, we are incomplete, empty, unfulfilled, restless, all because we are living life contrary to the purpose for which we were made.


When the creature no longer has fellowship with the Creator, he seeks to find a replacement to make the gnawing emptiness go away. Some call this "man's drive to succeed", others "finding myself", and still others refer to it as "self-actualization." But these restless strivings are the creature trying to fill the void left by the Absence of the Creator. Some try to make the emptiness go away with romance and relationships, family and friends; Others throw themselves completely into a career hoping that will give their life meaning. Others find themselves almost obsessively buying one thing after the other, desperately hoping to find fulfillment under the sheer weight of the new. Sadly, many turn to the dark side of drugs, alcohol, crime, and other deviant behaviors to drown out the emptiness and lack of meaning in their lives. We need "God with us" because without Him we are incomplete.


 "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them." (2 Co. 5:19). Through Jesus Christ, Immanuel, our sins are forgiven and we have fellowship with our Creator again.
Immanuel. In this one name, everything humankind needs and the entire plan of God's salvation is subsumed. How blessed we are that Jesus Christ became Immanuel, God with us.

Found this on the net a few days ago. Seems to be a Christian oriented Facebook of a sort?

https://christianfaithbook.net/welcome-to-christian-faithbook/

We all have to be submissive, one to another.

 O come on...don't let the title chase you off.

It is not what you think it is.

It is not a form of voluntary bondage of a sort.

2 Thessalonians 2:7

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

The opposite of lawlessness is submission.

Few teachers of the Bible teach on submission in these days of mega churches.

In today's lesson you will be given an understanding of how joy is the fruit of submission.

*** 

When you voice your submission, with real faith and intercession, to those whom God has set over you, you actually open the door to walk on with God in a way that you may not realize.

The moment you become submissive to someone to teach you, you lay a great deal of responsibility upon him for the way that you are led.

The teachings of Christ concerning the end time speak of the harsh judgment that will rest upon the ones who do not lead the sheep right.

The parables of Jesus that describe this judgment point to outer darkness, weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

Abuses of the responsibility and authority that God gives to spiritual leaders today will bring some of the most frightening consequences that a person could ever face.

With the voicing of your submission to those whom God has set over you, there should be a great deal of faith to pray for them, but not just for your own interests.

Much depends on the chain of command of those in authority.

It must be right.

These men must be led by the Lord, being submissive and teachable themselves, so that the flock is led into what God has for them.


  A strong vehemence of prayer in seeking the perfect will of God may offend passive religious people, but it is more effective than they know.

However, effective intercession is not based on the sound of your voice or the force of your emotions, but on the focus of your faith to see God's will accomplished.


  In this hour, God is separating His people from the Church age, with its weaknesses, and leading them into the Church-Kingdom age.

The ruling force in the Kingdom will be the Bride, the remnant of the Church that is coming forth.

Set your heart more than ever before to enter into this, so that the transition in your thinking, in your way of praying, and in your way of worship will be perfect.

The Kingdom is very different from the Church.

In His Sermon on the Mount, at the dawn of the Church age, Jesus spoke about the Old Testament commandments, saying, "You have heard that it was said of old...but now I say to you..."; and it shook up the religious order of that day.

Again God is saying, "That is what has been preached to you in all your life, but this is the way it will be now."

After you have put your hand to the plow, you dare not even look back, or the result will be devastating.


  Set your heart to walk with God .

Set your heart to pray with faith for those over you.

When a man of God speaks a Word from God over you, you should be submissive to that Word.

But he also must be submissive, and with faith and diligence he must watch over the Word that has been committed through him.

It is hard to say which is more difficult- to be submissive to someone who gives you a Word or to be submissive to someone to whom you have given a Word.

We all have to be submissive, one to another.

The line of command in God's authorities cannot be without the submission and the humility required of bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, Oh,that we would determine to walk humbly before the Lord.


  When Satan sends a spirit of division into a church, certain ones reach impasses in their relating to one another.

Satan assaults the unity that God brings to His people.

He attempts to bring division through separation from divine order.

Our unity and our oneness depend upon the divine order that God has established.

Satan would like us to be a little rebellious and unsubmissive, yet thinking all the time that we are doing the will of the Lord.

That spirit of division cannot reach us unless there is also deception within us.

If we are grounded in the Word of God, we can meet Satan's assault with a violent refusal to be deceived or divided.

We can hold on to the Word of the Lord and press in with all of our hearts to a spiritual level which we never had attained before.


  Christ was crucified at the time of Passover, and then followed fifty days until Pentecost, including His three days in the tomb.

He appeared to the brethren during a period of forty days before He ascended.

Forty is the number of judgment.

Those forty days were the days allotted to Jesus' followers to establish a new relationship with Him- no longer on the human plane, but as servants of a risen, exalted Lord.

After Christ had ascended, and the establishment of His Lordship and judgment among His disciples had been accomplished, there followed seven more days of waiting for the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost was fully come and everything broke loose.

Likewise, God gives us a period of time for a new relationship to be established in the family of God.

Within this time, Christ becomes Lord over our lives in areas where He has not reigned before, and we then relate to one another in the way we are supposed to- in the Spirit.

Every bit of rebellion against divine order will be taken out of the Body of Christ.

We can look for a breakthrough that will be greater than that on the day of Pentecost if we really press in with all of our hearts to what god has for us.


  During a time of judgments within the house of God, the sifting of men's hearts can be so extensive that it is almost discouraging.

After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to five hundred brethren at once who gathered together to see the risen Christ ( I Corinthians 15:6 ).

But when the day of Pentecost came, there were only one hundred and twenty in the upper room
 ( Acts 1:15 ).

The earmarks of a sifting are found in the testings God brings to see who will keep pressing in to walk with Him.

This is frightening; but remember that the key to prevailing is not in your strength; it is in your submission to the Lord and in your submission to one another as you adamantly pray and wait before God, contending and possessing.

That is to be the whole focus.


  Let there be a cold, calculated determination in your heart, that regardless of what you are facing among the brethren, you will adamantly set your heart just the same to walk as one.

Your feelings and the issues of the past are not of the least concern, because unity is the result of the dedication of your will.

Shove the lies of the devil out of your mind and set your will not to be deceived.

No matter how things appear to be, determine to be one.

Determine to walk with God.


  Live to have a right relationship in the Lord.

Every relationship to the Lord will be shaken sooner or later.

People who have wrong motivations and who have not related to the Lord correctly will suddenly find the Lord dealing with them very deeply.


  You can never really be effective for God as long as you do not accept God for what he is to you, and as long as you do not accept what God says you are.

Even then you cannot progress very far until you accept what God says concerning your brothers and your sisters.

Whenever you see a brother going through testings in his life, stop and think, "What did God say over that man?"

Then begin to relate to the Word of God over him with a great deal of faith in your heart, because you will not go on with God unless you believe for one another.

You may see times when many seem to be going through problems, and there is no way that you can evaluate what is happening to them.


Just open your heart and believe for them.

You can determine to walk with God yourself; but even so, you cannot make it alone.

We all make it together.


  The apostle Paul emphasized this truth in Romans 8:17.

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ( all of us together ); if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Together we shall all be glorified with Him.

You do not work to be the only one sitting beside the Lord; you work toward the time when all will join in to be glorified together.


  God is no longer requiring from His people submission to those who are not submissive; nor will there be teachers who are not teachable, or ministries of authority who are not humble themselves.

All will walk by the same rule; he who would be greatest is to become the minister and servant of all ( Mark 9:35 ).

The true relationships of the Kingdom are being established now among a remnant of believers.

As you enter into the Kingdom relationships, you will be amazed at the revelation of the Lord.

He will appear to many and commission them; the impartation will flow freely.

Meanwhile, if you are being shaken, just ask the Lord to help you and give you strength to hold onto Him while this happens, because God is shaking all things.


  We must set ourselves to become oracles of God to speak the Word of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:26-28 describes how the lord will speak and shake all things.

The things that cannot be shaken will remain.

That is the way in which we shall receive the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

The Word of the Lord is coming now, and it is shaking everyone who is exposed to it.

Do not draw back from the shaking, or you will be drawing back from the Word that is doing it.

The living Word of the Lord comes on such a high plane that it will loose you into the will of God.

It will shake you up, and everything that can go will go.

Before you are through, God will shake out of you a surprising number of things that you have been clinging to, thinking that they were right.

Where will it all end?

The big breakthrough into the Kingdom will come.


  Progressively fewer people will be getting away with evasiveness and lying to others.

No one will be able to hide what is in his heart.

Many believers are beginning to sense the ways in which Satan has been lying to them and deceiving them into thinking that their motivation was right, when God was actually dealing with something wrong in their hearts.


  Keep contending that none of your brothers or sisters in Christ will miss out with God.

Some have walked with God for years and have come to a time of crucial shaking.

Should you reach out your hand to steady the ark because they are going to the threshing floor?

No, for that would mean death ( II Samuel 6:6-7 ).

Just reach into the Lord and determine to walk with Him right through the time of testings and trials.

Even when you do not know what the price will be, tell the Lord that you will pay it through His grace; and He will help you.


  In I Corinthians 16:15-16, Paul spoke further about submissive relationships.

Now I beseech you, brethren ( ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to minister unto the saints ), that ye also be in subjection unto such, and to every one that helpeth in the work and laboreth.

Notice that they set themselves to minister to the saints.

This is necessary.

A true bond servant does not serve just because he gets a good feeling from doing something for the church.

It is actually a dedication that goes very deep; it is a set state of heart.

His will is determined.

The firstfruits of Achaia were the first ones in that whole province of Greece to open their hearts to the Lord.

These ministries were set and determined to minister in the name of the Lord.

Notice what the Lord commanded concerning them.

The Apostle Paul entreated the Corinthian church to submit themselves to these, and to all who were laboring in the work.


  The principle of submission is misunderstood when only the aspects of a wife's submission to her husband, or a church's submission to its elders and to the apostles and prophets, is acknowledged.

All of these are very important because they are elements of submission, but Body ministry involves more than a determination on the part of the people to be submissive to the authorities over them.

The authorities must also be submissive to those whom they have commissioned.


  Casualties from the assaults of the enemy do not come very often to those who minister the Word, because the submission and faith of the Body holds them up.

Where does the devil go to pick off the saints?

Many times it is not even to the weak ones, but to deacons and deaconesses and those who work at various labors that the Lord has given them to do.

They become occupied with their labors, and if no one is burdened for them, they do not receive the flow of life that submission from the rest of the Body would bring.

They are submissive to divine order, and there is a flow of blessing that comes to them; but there ought to be submission from the rest of the Body and an appreciative respect for the dedication of those who labor in the work of the Lord.

That is what Paul actually said about the house of Stephanas: "They have set themselves to minister to the saints.

"You also be in subjection to such, and to everyone who helps in the work and labors."

This is another aspect of submission.


  There has to be within an apostle the submission to every Word from God that he has ever spoken over another person.

There cannot be remoteness in his heart to that Word.

A Word from God is the basis and the prime factor in submission.

Whether we receive a Word from God or we give a Word from God, we must not consider it as unrelated to us.

The moment we hear a Word of God spoken over an individual, we are given the responsibility for the fulfillment of the Word.


  When parents present their little baby for dedication to the Lord, it is not just a function of the pastor or the elders to bless that little child; it is every one's function.

Everyone becomes involved when the Word of consecration is spoken over that little child.

A baby receives a degree of impartation, but he has no understanding.

He does not know his right hand from his left hand, but the rest of the church is bound by the Word that is spoken over that baby.

They carry the responsibility for the fulfillment of that Word.


  Churches that follow the divine order which God is restoring seek His wisdom and direction before a couple is married.

When the ministries have prayerfully examined the relationship to the best of their ability, and have seen that the marriage in not only in the will of God, but that the couple is ready and prepared by God for the marriage, then ministry is given to them.

When that couple is married, they are given a Word from God.

The congregation bears witness to that Word, and they all enter in with faith.

From that time on, everyone in the church is bound by faith to that couple.

Those two people have received a Word that regulates them, but more is required than that.

They can be as submissive to the Word committed to them as they know how, but it is the Body's faith for them that helps their marriage.


  Faith is found in submission.

If you are submissive to a man of God, you believe for him.

If he is submissive to the Word over you, he believes for you.

When the Body relates in this way, it is healthy.

The Body becomes involved with every new person who comes into their midst.

There is no such thing as living in the will of God without this type of submission.

Another passage of Scripture that brings out this truth is Ephesians 5:18-21.

Be filled with the Spirit; speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.


  Paul speaks of the joy, the songs, the psalms, and the Word dwelling in our hearts, but we notice that he also tells us to subject ourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

A man of God cannot preach submission without his being submissive, or his words will go amiss.


Whenever a Word is ineffective, it is either because that Word is not received by those who hear it, or because that Word has not been worked in the one who proclaims it.

When a pastor gets up and preaches love before God has worked that love in his heart, his congregation will get the impression that he is beating them down.

But if he is filled with love, he can deliver a stern rebuke, and those who receive it will thank him for it.


  When the ministries see you going astray, don't you want them to tell you what you need to hear?

The one thing that guarantees that their Word will work for you is the fact that you feel love behind it, just as you feel God's love when He chastens you.

Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives ( Hebrews 12:6 ).

When He chastens you, it is because He loves you.

He is dealing with you as a son.

He is being a father to you.


  Let us consider another aspect of being subject to one another in the fear of the Lord.

We find it easier to be submissive to a Word when it is brought by someone who is submissive himself.

When God lets authority rest upon a person, and he abuses that authority just one time, technically it may not seem like a serious offense, but God marks it.

( I know of an arrogant faith healer who made his subordinates kiss his ring on his finger.)

That is what causes a man to be limited in his effectiveness in fulfilling the perfect will of God in his life.

Look at the example of Moses.

We must say that Moses did the will of God, but we must also say that he missed Canaan.

The time finally came when he was not completely, totally submissive; he was filled with anger against the children of the Lord.

He took the rod as he had done years before, and he smote the rock.

But this time God had told him to speak to rock ( Numbers 20:7-13 ).


  This incident was symbolical: we complete our wilderness, not because the rock is struck, but because the prophetic Word opens up the flow.

Moses took the rod in anger, and he smote the rock.

Because God was not honored before the people, Moses lost his right to enter Canaan.

In other words, Moses was not being submissive to the Lord; he did not glorify the Lord.


  If we hear an anointed sermon from someone who is moving in rebellion, we may not be able to figure out what is wrong, but we will find that something is missing in it.

There must be submission to the Word in those who speak it and those who hear it.

This is what causes them to change into the image of Christ.

When the human vessel who speaks the Word of Gd is submissive to the Word, the hearers find themselves being submissive to it too.


  I Thessalonians 5:12-13:

But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake.

Know them that labor among you.

First there has to be knowledge.

Deception comes in when you do not know your brother.

Many times when a misunderstanding with a brother has been cleared away, you realize that you actually did not know how he felt about the situation.


  What is it that veils our understanding of one another, so that we do not really know those who labor in the Lord and are over us in the Lord?

It is a lack of submission.

Christians do not know one another when there is no submission in their hearts.

They do not even understand how to be submissive or what is required of them.

But once they come into submission, then they begin to know each other.


  In Ephesians 5:21-22, Paul tells us to subject ourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Just as the Church is subject to Christ, so are wives to be to their husbands.

Subjection is often interpreted in people's thinking as suppression, that wives are to be suppressed by their husbands.

But that is not what Paul was saying.

Your submissiveness to the ministries over you and the Word that they give should not suppress you; it should prod you and move you into a closer relationship with God.

It should liberate you and loose you.


  Submission in relationships is active and full of faith.

A general who is in active service is not interested in some sergeant who is continually saying that he is submissive.

He wants one who is aggressive to obey and aggressive in his submission.

When the general gives that sergeant an order, he wants him to salute and instantly go about getting the job done.

In the same way, wives should be quick to respond to their husbands.

Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it ( Ephesians 5:25 ).


  Old Testament phrases that speak about marriage act and procreation often say that a man "went in to his wife and she conceived."

The original Hebrew words indicate that this meant reproduction.

But once in a while a word is used that denotes more than a sexual relationship.

And Adam knew his wife....Genesis 4:1.

He knew her totally as a person.

When a wife complains that she is merely a sex object, and she does not feel that her husband really knows her or relates to her as a person, she is actually saying, "I would like to have a Bible relationship.

I would like to have my husband know me, know my feelings, and understand my weaknesses.

I want him to treat me with tenderness and love."

This must exist in a marriage relationship.


  The man can assert the fact that he is her authority, but that in itself is meaningless.

Christ loved the Church, and He gave Himself for it.

That is the way a husband is to love his wife.

The wife can give herself to him in submission, but he must also give himself and be willing to even lay down his life for her.

The husband cannot be an authority in a marriage unless he takes that submissive role as Christ did for the Church.

Many husbands need to back off from the idea that they are the boss and therefore have a the right to suppress everyone around them.

That is not God's pattern.

The man is the giver to his family.

He is the provider for the family.

Again we see the importance in our relationships together of submitting one to another in the fear of the Lord.


  Subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ is the springboard to the passage in Ephesians 5:22-23 which tells hoe husbands and wives are to live for each other.

Verse 33 says, ...love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she fear
 ( reverence ) her husband.

This verse describes the kingdom level of marriages that are really dedicated to do the will of the Lord.

The husband and wife become submissive to each other.

There can be more oneness and fulfillment in one hour's work in which a husband and wife are doing the will of God together than in all the physical relationship that has ever existed between them.

They reach an ultimate fulfillment when they strive together, with one heart and one mind and one soul, for the faith of the gospel.

Then they are instruments in the hand of God, welded together into one instrument that is framed to do the will of God ( Philippians 1:27 ).


  Knowledge is related to submission.

Adam knew his wife.

Christ knows all about us.

Paul prayed, That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.... Philippians 3:10.

Faith brings you into a level where there is no deception in your relationship.

There are no walls or even a veiling of the understanding of each other.

You have probably heard this common complaint among men: "My wife doesn't understand me."

Supposedly that triggered off all the problems that he ever had, and he is looking for someone who will understand him.

But who put up those walls?

Was it the husband, or the wife?

In a marriage, what causes one person to designate areas of living that the other cannot invade?

A husband may refuse to share the inner recesses of his heart and yet continue to relate physically.

He may hold back from knowing his wife in the areas where true communication comes.


  In the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, our unity comes by our determination to submit to one another and to have no walls against another.

The minute our walls come down, we begin to perceive the other person more clearly than we ever saw him before.

As we set our hearts to be submissive to God's calling of a brother, and we pray for him, we receive further revelation of his ministry.

This causes us to submit ourselves to him all over again.

It is an endless cycle of submission and revelation.


  About the time that you feel you do not understand a brother, look to see if you have put up a wall; no doubt that is the cause.

If you do not see it, remember that walls were not made for seeing through.

You put up a wall because you are walling him off.

Take down the wall and relate to your brother in Christ, so that you can say freely, "I love You, Lord, and I love my brother."

Take down all the walls, so that you can love your brethren, your spouse, and your children.


  Of course, if you take down your walls, you can be hurt.

But you are not to put up walls against a brother, even when you are being harassed by your relationship with him.

When you are ordained by God to walk together with a brother, you must never shut each other out by building walls in your hearts.

What should you do?

Suffer, rather than to sin against the unity.

Determine to be one with him even if it humiliates you.

You may feel like you love a brother so much that you would be willing to lay down your life for him.

Giving your life in a nice, neat execution might be the easy way out.

It is more difficult to live than to it is to die.

When your heart is set to love the brethren, to be submissive, and to have no walls against them, you will find it hurts.

When you start suffering and dying under it, then you are on the right track.

When they stick pins in you, and you no longer feel it, you know that you are finally dead.


  Mark 9:34-35 teaches us a beautiful lesson.

The Lord asked His disciples what they were reasoning about.

But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest.

And He sat down, and called the twelve; and He saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.

That Scripture could disturb your ego if you meditated on it long enough.


  Matthew 20:20-28 Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping Him.

And he said unto her, "What wouldest thou?"

She saith unto Him, "Command that these, my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy kingdom.

But Jesus answered and said, "Ye know not what ye ask.

Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?"

They say unto Him, "We are able."

He saith unto them ( James and John ), My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for them to whom it hath been prepared of My Father."


  And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren.

Isn't it human nature to become furious with someone who audaciously claims the place that you wanted for yourself?

But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, "Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister ( or your servant ); and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Jesus discerning their ambitions, straightened them out.


  There is very little ambition among those who walk with God.

The Lord cuts it out of their hearts and gives them a pure motivation to see Him glorified.

Rather than looking for a pat on the back, they are content just to do the will of the Lord and to serve.

Little recognition is given them, even though they give their very lives and their last ounce of energy.

There is no hand clapping over God's dedicated workers; their job is simply done in the name of the Lord.


  As you enter into a greater submission to the Lord, you will find joy in it.

After the Lord said in John 13:14, "You ought to wash one another's feet," He made a most beautiful statement in verse 17: If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Joy comes in submitting to one another.


  Some of the most joyful days that you will ever know are the days when you work with the brethren, cleaning the church and preparing it for services.

Some of the greatest blessings that you can receive are found in the way you become a servant.

You may also spend much time studying the Word, but that is not all that counts in becoming a servant.

You can fill your heart with the Word; but as you serve, the Lord speaks directly to you and reaches in to make real to you the truths that you have hidden away in your heart, and they begin to roll out.

your ministry of the Word to God's people will come forth from your own submission to be a bond servant.


  If you serve the Body with all your heart, it cannot bring you anything but joy from the Lord.

There is no real joy without this submission.

When you know these things, and you serve one another, you are in a safe place of protection.

The real danger comes when you forget your dedication as a bond servant of Christ to serve and to be submission to that service.


  Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Verily I say unto you, that he will set over all that he hath.

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expected not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:45-51.


  When arrogance enters into the hearts of the leaders, their ministry is short-circuited.

(How many leaders have gotten wealthy from the ministry? They enter into the privileged few realm where the treatment of the wealthy is like being a "Roman citizen" with the perks that go along with those who are not of the "Working class."

It affects them. They began to feel special, lifted above others because of their wealthy status. They start to project attitude of subtle arrogance)

Judgment comes upon those who should be leading the flock and feeding them, but are not.

The ministers who begin to eat and drink with the drunken and to beat their fellow servants do so because they are not submissive themselves.

Therefore, their authority becomes oppressive over those to whom they minister.

When a Shepherd loves the sheep, he does not beat them down.

When he is submissive to the Lord and to His commission to him for the sheep, he does not best them.

But when he loses that submission to the Lord in his own heart, something else enters in that becomes oppressive and beats the people down.

Can you see how God intends for our relationships to work?

This shows how we ought to regard those over us and those under us in the Lord.


  The parable in Luke 20:9-16  tells us about the severe judgment that comes upon those who beat their fellow servants.

James 3:1 advises that many should not be teachers, knowing that they will receive heavier judgment.

Whoever becomes your teacher, God will judge, if he does not teach you humbly and lead you carefully.

The judgment upon him is greater if he leads you astray.

A pastor is responsible to lead the people correctly, according to the submission and faith of their hearts.

If he leads them wrong, when they are submissive, then God lays their sins upon him.

He receives the heavier judgment when he fails to walk with God.

The judgment he must bear may seem harsh, but it is fair.


  If the ministries of the church do not stand before you as humble servants, then they are not exhibiting Christ.

Christ came as a humble servant to give His life a ransom for all, not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

He is the Lord, and we bow before Him.

Every servant and minister that He raises up should exhibit the Spirit of Christ, who said, Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29.


There is no rest or joy except in following the path of being a submissive bond servant of the Lord and a submissive servant to one another.

There is no other way to please God.

From Erik J

I Don't know where Erik comes up with some of the discovery's he sends my way. This is another incredible clip of someone who moves in the Spirit. 

You Can't Discourage A Humble Man

  God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble (James 4:6)

This is a principle.

If you write it on tablets of your heart and review it often, you will discover that much of the resistance in your life is based upon divine resistance, rather than upon demonic assault.

When a person who strives to do the will of God is motivated by a proud arrogant spirit, God will resist him.

His actions and words may be correct, and the activities he performs may be according to God's perfect will, but God will resist him until there is a humbling of his heart.

God does this so that whatever that person produces will have the quality of spirit that God really wants.


  Can you fight two fronts at once?

Do you want to fight the devil and be resisted by God at the same time; or would you rather be assured that your efforts toward the Kingdom of God will be blessed by the Lord?

Then remember-God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

When you humble yourself, this opens the flow of God's grace which gives the assurance, the support, the strength, the encouragement, and the comfort in everything you attempt to do for the Lord.


  You cannot discourage a humble man.

When a person experiences periods of depression, it is because of a personal frustration within, which proves that self and pride are in evidence.

Many times believers find that they are barren, or that their efforts are aborted and fall short of fulfillment.

They do not find satisfaction in what they do.

Even if they do see fulfillment, it is only a small measure compared to what they know they could have.

Why?

There is divine resistance to that which is a product of the pride and arrogance of the flesh.

Even though it parades as being very religious and very dedicated to doing the will of the Lord, it is something that God rejects.

He resists it.


  Be subject ( submissive ) therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you ( James 4:7 ).

When you are totally subject to God, when you are humble and submissive, you reach a level where you can resist the devil; and he will flee from you.


  Every assault of Satan that is successful to any degree in distracting you, oppressing you, or hindering you, comes because you have the same trait in your nature that exists in the nature of Satan.

Satan is the arrogant one who said, "I will exalt myself above the heavens. I will be as God. I will set my throne in the north'" ( Isaiah 14:13 ).

There was a lofty self-praise in Satan at his fall.

He was lifted up with pride.

Pride and selfishness are basic to every sin, because it is that arrogant pride that resists God.

It was in Satan, and it also was in the angels that fell; therefore, if you have that same thing in your nature, you have a kindred quality with Satan, and that is why he can successfully assault you.


  Do you really want to overcome Satan?

Repent until there is no pride within- only humility.

Christ was the most humble person who ever lived; He was meek and lowly at heart.

How He humbled Himself!

How humble He was before the Father!

He said, "When the prince of this world comes, he shall find nothing in Me" ( John 14:30 ).

Christ had none of the arrogant rebellion or pride that exists in Satan.

Therefore, Satan had no way of contact; there was no door of openness in Christ.


  You have an openness to Satan when you harbor pride, but you have a complete ability to reject him when, in humility, you submit totally to God.

When you resist the devil from that place of submission, he flees from you.

He does not just leave you; he does not merely depart from you.

He flees!

He flees because he cannot cope with the authority that is turned loose with humility.


  Philippians 2:7-11 explains that when Christ humbled Himself, taking upon Himself the form of a servant, the Father highly exalted Him and gave Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

All authority is concentrated where humility is found.


  As long as you have pride and arrogance in your heart, you will be in constant battle.

God will resist you and you will have no defense against Satan; but when you come into a deep humility, you also come into a place of total authority.

Whenever you see a humble man, you will also see the devil going in the other direction- fleeing!


  What is the process of becoming humble?

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. James 4:8-10.

This chapter of James contains verses that are very familiar to every believer; however, they take on new meaning concerning your authority in Christ over Satan.


  Authority is a believer's ultimate destination when he is on the path of humility.

humility always leads to a throne.

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall ( Proverbs 16:18 ).

On the other hand, humility always comes before God enthrones your life in a new level of authority.


  Open your heart to God.

Can you see where your own pride has stood in the way?

Has it been a factor in your receiving so little when you knew that there was so much more?

Has demonic assault been effective in your life?

If so, you have an open door.

Somewhere in your nature is the same kindred characteristic that is found in the heart of Satan; and that is why he can get through to you.

Paul said, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ( not the mind that was in Satan ) Philippians 2:5.

Let that same thinking, that same nature be in you that was in Christ Jesus; then you will find perfect release.

Only the humble and submissive heart can make demons flee.


  Does this change your approach to spiritual warfare?

Does it mean that you should be less vehement in your prayer?

No.

In fact,you should be even more persistent in your intercession; but humble yourself so that you will not get into battle and find that you have no defense because of pride that still exists in your spirit.

Do not tangle with devils that you cannot cast out!


  Pride is a weed that grows in all climates; it grows in those who dwell in the high and lofty places, and it grows in those who live in the valleys.

Pride grows in the heart of the rich, and it grows in the heart of the poor.

Pride grows anywhere.

It is a very destructive force that will sap the very life and flow from God to your heart.

You have everything to lose by being proud.

You have nothing to lose by being humble.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall exalt you.

Humble, submissive relationships to God and to one another will make God's people totally effective as the Body of Christ.


  Is there a proud arrogance in your nature that exalts itself against the dealings of the Lord?

Be submissive to Him.

Subject yourself to Him.

Humble yourself in His humility.

The purpose of humility is to bring God's grace upon your life.

You want to be subject to Him so that in every encounter you have in this world- with the flesh, with sin, or with Satan- the devils will flee and you will be more than a conqueror.


  Pride will destroy all the fruitfulness that God brings forth in your life.

Repent of it!

Ask God to forgive and cleanse you from all unrighteousness and to teach you humility.

Let the Word of the Lord speak to you and guide your steps before Him.

Let Him make you a person of humble prayer, and therefore of bold faith.
Humble yourself before the lord, and your focus and effectiveness will be greater than ever before.