ACTS 4:1-22 THE BEGINNING OF PERSECUTION
I greet you in Christ Jesus who has established us as a church (or body) of people for the expressed purpose of comfort for and a safe haven for those whom are either new in Christ or still weak in their faith to grow without interference from this world. That becomes a very difficult task when we must become defenders of our faith as well as defenders of their faith in Christ as well.
From the very beginning of the development of the church this has been true. I believe that God has created the church to be more like a family than an organization or corporation because of that. You see for the world it makes perfect sense for us to be like any other corporation or organization in the world because it means greater security through the eyes of men who do not ; nor can they see or understand spiritual things. The big difference is that these organizations exist to gain profit and materials possessions around them. They must increase that profit each year or they will not be counted as successful. That is the way of the world, and it is very easy to see how much the world in general has influenced the church of today. We are not called to be anything like that at all, and when the church starts behaving and showing forth the signs of becoming a family like we have been created to be we will begin to suffer persecution from this world.
I believe just because we are concentrating harder to become a family in Christ at the Gathering we are also beginning to suffer a persecution from the world as well. People in general do not understand the reasons we do what we do in Christ. We do not seek a building at this time because we are working on the more important parts of what it takes to become a part of the Bride of Christ. God has began to unlock the hearts of various people to see the truth about what they should be doing with the various gifts they have received from God. We are finding it does not take many people, but it does take people who are sold out to God...who are committed believers in what we stand for as a church body. In a huge way we must be able to walk in a blind faith walk with God when it comes to our daily lives. We must learn how to depend on one another in Christ by trusting and loving one another through breaking down walls between people.
Just as it was in the first church we need to see the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of people, and that alone has sent some people heading for a place to hide out. That is not the same thing as persecution. It is called purging, and it starts within the church before any real power can start in God's Spirit working through a family in Christ. There is nothing in this that will look like the church of today, nor will it give off that sense of comfort or stability that most people are looking for today. You see the real family of God is just that...it is a family which we marry into and grow with. It means that we are not together worshiping Christ to build up programs that draw people from this world into our midst. We are called to be witnesses to what God has done for us. In doing that we will attract the attention of those who are actually searching for the truth about having a relationship with God in their lives, and the Holy Spirit may well start to draw them to ask questions of us or maybe even be drawn into a service, but it are those whom God draws into our midst that we need to actually worry about ministering to because that is our job...to show people the truth about Jesus Christ and the Bride of Christ. Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and they told the simple truth about Christ; His power and message, and what He had done for their lives. They brought with them a perfect example of what Salvation means to someone through the Beggar who danced and praised God all around them. We are called on to bring an example of what Christ has done in our lives as well, and it all starts within us. Do you have any fruit to show in your life? We will be talking more about this during the week ahead...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
From the very beginning of the development of the church this has been true. I believe that God has created the church to be more like a family than an organization or corporation because of that. You see for the world it makes perfect sense for us to be like any other corporation or organization in the world because it means greater security through the eyes of men who do not ; nor can they see or understand spiritual things. The big difference is that these organizations exist to gain profit and materials possessions around them. They must increase that profit each year or they will not be counted as successful. That is the way of the world, and it is very easy to see how much the world in general has influenced the church of today. We are not called to be anything like that at all, and when the church starts behaving and showing forth the signs of becoming a family like we have been created to be we will begin to suffer persecution from this world.
I believe just because we are concentrating harder to become a family in Christ at the Gathering we are also beginning to suffer a persecution from the world as well. People in general do not understand the reasons we do what we do in Christ. We do not seek a building at this time because we are working on the more important parts of what it takes to become a part of the Bride of Christ. God has began to unlock the hearts of various people to see the truth about what they should be doing with the various gifts they have received from God. We are finding it does not take many people, but it does take people who are sold out to God...who are committed believers in what we stand for as a church body. In a huge way we must be able to walk in a blind faith walk with God when it comes to our daily lives. We must learn how to depend on one another in Christ by trusting and loving one another through breaking down walls between people.
Just as it was in the first church we need to see the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of people, and that alone has sent some people heading for a place to hide out. That is not the same thing as persecution. It is called purging, and it starts within the church before any real power can start in God's Spirit working through a family in Christ. There is nothing in this that will look like the church of today, nor will it give off that sense of comfort or stability that most people are looking for today. You see the real family of God is just that...it is a family which we marry into and grow with. It means that we are not together worshiping Christ to build up programs that draw people from this world into our midst. We are called to be witnesses to what God has done for us. In doing that we will attract the attention of those who are actually searching for the truth about having a relationship with God in their lives, and the Holy Spirit may well start to draw them to ask questions of us or maybe even be drawn into a service, but it are those whom God draws into our midst that we need to actually worry about ministering to because that is our job...to show people the truth about Jesus Christ and the Bride of Christ. Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and they told the simple truth about Christ; His power and message, and what He had done for their lives. They brought with them a perfect example of what Salvation means to someone through the Beggar who danced and praised God all around them. We are called on to bring an example of what Christ has done in our lives as well, and it all starts within us. Do you have any fruit to show in your life? We will be talking more about this during the week ahead...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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