Erika shared…
Earlier this week, the Lord woke me up early in the morning and He made me to know that I should look at the scripture in Exodus 31. It was concerning Bezaleel. He was under Moses. God was talking to Moses about the building of the tabernacle. He made me to know I needed to look that up and check on what He was saying. So I did that, but He also emphasized to my heart the importance and how we by the Spirit should begin to pray more for Vice President Pence. He made me to know the importance of his position in regard to our nation and the government and what an assistance he is. I think we have to think about more to our President. He is really a stabilizing force in this nation and the anointing upon him. And he knows that he’s anointed. And the way that he carries himself and the way he carries God with him wherever he goes. And in relationship to the scripture He brought me to, you can see how people working together produced desired results.
I want us today to have ears to hear, eyes to see, understanding and light. I desire the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts so we pray concerning the gifts and callings in the body of Christ and how that impacts the world in very specific ways. We’re going to read some familiar scriptures. But this is what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing to me. Let’s go to Exodus chapter 31. I will read out of the New King James.
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.” Notice who called. God called him by name. “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— 8 the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base— 10 the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”
So I want us to notice first He said in this scripture, “I have called by name Bezalel. I have filled him with the spirit.” Why did He do that? To design and to work. “I have appointed him.” “I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans that they may make all that I have commanded.” I like what the commentators said.
“This is one of the earliest references in scripture to being filled with the Spirit of God. The idea here is that God’s Spirit enhanced these men’s native abilities with wisdom.” Did you get that? “To fulfill His instructions, understanding to solve the projects complex problems.” Now they have to build all this. Did God ever tell you a project to build and you didn’t know how? “The workmanship and all the workmanship skill to accomplish the labor with accuracy.” I love that because He’s calling us in the body of Christ to do some things we’ve never done before. He’s calling us in a time we’ve never lived and we have to go according to the plan He gives us, working with the abilities… We can’t do it on our own. We have to have His direction and know that He has called us by name, that He has filled us with His Spirit and given us wisdom and understanding, the ability and capacity to do it.”
Let’s go to Matthew 16. Jesus is with His disciples and He said, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
I like what He says that “I”… this is what the Holy Spirit emphasized to me. “I will build My church.” That’s what He’s doing. I will build My church. And He’s not saying here He’s building it upon Peter. I’ll read this. It says, “The rock is not Peter as an individual since Jesus substitutes petra, a foundational rock for a builder for petras, a fragment of the petra. Jesus may have meant that He himself is the rock.” The rock of revelation that He is everything.
Then the Lord brought me to 1st Corinthians 12. The first thing that is said here, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” I like how brother Hagin said it. He said “Concerning spirituals, things pertaining of and to the Spirit.” I don’t want you ignorant. He goes on in verses 4 –11, he talks about the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. He says in verse 12, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
I like what it says in the commentary: “Independent says I can do it myself. Inter-dependence says I cannot do it alone. We need each other. The goal of inter-dependence in the church and among churches is to reflect the unity of the body of Christ in the midst of diversity. God has gifted different parts of the body including different congregations with specific missions to build up the whole. As the body functions in the way God intends, He uses it to draw alienated people of varied circumstances to the good news of Christ. Inter-dependence is difficult to develop in a culture that insists on its own way and own rights. But to minister reconciliation, we must learn it. In inter-dependent living, we learn to appreciate the uniqueness of the other and to need what the other is bringing to the relationship. This is reciprocal. That means back and forth. Where one’s abundant supplies the other’s lack, leading to mutual benefit of each other as inter-dependence supplies different needs balancing the whole.”
I like that. Then chapter 12 goes into 13. At the end it says, “earnestly desire the best gifts.” I’ve heard it said this way. The best gift is what’s needed at the time you need it. He says, “Yet, I show you a more excellent way.” That was in love. It goes into the love chapter of gifts operating in and through and by the love of God is the only way that it’s going to be effective. Then let’s jump to John 13. Jesus is with His disciples. Verse 31, “So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We’re talking about gifts, the power of God, the anointing of God to do a job, a task. We’re talking about the love of God and the importance and necessity of operating in the love of God so the world can know we are His disciples. We’re talking about influencing the world.
John 14-17, Jesus speaks of His relationship and interaction with the Father and our relationship and interaction with the Father and the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit. At the end in John 17, the great prayer in that chapter… Verse 20-26 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
Finally, let’s go to Ephesians 4:11, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
We see the five-fold ministry gifts here, for the equipping of the saints. God’s word for equipping implies a recovered wholeness as when a broken limb is set and mends. A discovered function as when a physical member is properly operating. The work of the ministry is the enterprise of each member of the body of Christ and not the exclusive charge of select leaders. Taken together, 11 and 12 reveal tasks of the gifted leader is to cultivate the individual and corporate ministries of those he or she leads.
So we’re seeing the impact of the five-fold ministry gift in the body of Christ. So as we pray about all of these, you see how the inter-dependence that we have as the created body of Christ is vital and necessary so that we can grow up into the fullness of Him and we can effectually minister God Himself to the lost and dying world. So that what I want us to pray about today, from all those things brought in… not just one thing but all those things. What we’re saying is God gives us a picture of whom He calls by name and anoints to do different jobs. They come from different tribes. They come from different parts, some are in positions of authority but He sends assistants to them. No one is greater than the other. But each one God has called by name, gifted and anointed them, given wisdom to them to bring about the desired results that God intends.
In Matthew, we saw Jesus will build His church. He is building His church. In Corinthians, we’re not to be ignorant of the spirituals but God has given us the Holy Spirit, His gifts, the knowledge of the body that each part, that we can’t function without one another. That He’s given us the five-fold ministry gifts to help us, to assist us, to equip us. We’re to desire these gifts earnestly. Finally, we see there is the more excellent way which is love.
In John, He tells us of the commandment, that you love one another. John goes on to say that, that’s the true heart. We see in John 17, He prays for us, that we would be one as He and the Father are one.
In Ephesians, we’re given practical instruction as to how we’re to walk and conduct ourselves in the last days, to walk worthy of the call, to keep the unity. There is one body but many parts, each one has a grace that’s given to them. And the five-fold ministry gift is given for the equipping of the saints and the reason is until we all come into the unity of the faith. They’re there to help us discover functions that we have so we’ll no longer be children tossed to and fro.
We’re going to pray about that and for America. We’re going to pray about the growth and development of the body of Christ. We’re going to pray for those in positions of authority, if they be right up next to the president, if they be a cabinet member we’re going to pray about governmental positions of authority in the church that they be filled with what they need. Their gifts and abilities would freely flow and function so they can deliver to the body of Christ everything it needs.
Prayed…
All these things are important to You and You’ve anointed and gifted each member to fulfill a task
That every member would see and know and understand their function
So we would be effective in doing all You’ve called us to do
Father, we’re powerless to operate in love on our own
You have given us everything we need to be all You’ve called us to be
We’re looking for wholeness in the body of Christ
We know there is more, Father, we desire more of You
We’re looking for more cooperation in the church
Not operating independent of You but being dependent upon You
Unwrapping the gifts in the believers
You are the one that is orchestrating the symphony
Let us be more and more responsive to Your leading
The body working as a whole with gifts and abilities and talents
Greater leaning and pressing into You and Your anointing by the Holy Spirit
To minister to the helpless and hopeless
Mary led group in worship…
♪ Welcome Holy Spirit… we are in Your presence… fill us with Your power… live big inside of us… ♪
Prayed…
Father, we know church is not about a building but You are building Your church
Let our eyes see beyond our local church, beyond our nation’s churches
Let us see “the” church… let us see what You’ve called us to do
The call to go into all the world and preach the Gospel
There is a call for the souls of men so by Your Spirit, You put that on the inside of us
Father, we pray for those in authority in our nation
Father, in the name of Jesus and according to your Word, we pray for those in authority in our nation. We lift up President Donald Trump, his family, his staff, and cabinet members. Let Your Word cling to them, and let them not depart from Your plan. Strengthen them with mighty power by Your Spirit to stand against wickedness, lies, and deception. Guide President Trump’s decisions; let Your light shine upon his path and show him the path of reversal for every evil way. Continually surround him with godly men and women who impart wise counsel to him. Cause the way of the wicked to be set to confusion and come to nothing. Deliver us from the traps and snares the enemy has laid for us, and let the wicked be caught in their own devises and be brought to shame. We take authority over the plots and plans of the enemy against this nation. Let prideful and lying lips be silenced in Jesus’ name. Slanderers will not be established in America. We pray for our congress, our supreme court, our military leaders, and our intelligence agencies. Let the wisdom that is from above reign in this nation and be constantly speaking to our leaders. We exercise the authority You have given us to tread down all the power of the enemy. We cast down and demolish imaginations and arguments that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and we bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. We bind spirits of strife and division, civil wars and tumults, spirits of hostility, lawlessness and blasphemy, and fires from hell that have burned in our cities.
We speak grace and peace over America. We pray and believe for the voice of truth, salvation, revival, and restoration to be proclaimed and heard across our land. Grant unto your servants everywhere that with all boldness we may speak your Word. We pray for a mighty outpouring of your Spirit with signs, wonders, and miracles. We expect the wisdom of this world that is earthly, sensual, and devilish to depart and vanish until Your mighty work in America becomes a beacon of hope for all people everywhere. We expect the voice of rejoicing to be heard in our nation for your goodness, mercy, and prosperity in Jesus’ name, Amen.
