Erika shared…
I don’t think I’m ever not thinking about the body of Christ. Is that unusual? I’m always thinking about the body of Christ. I was going through some things and I was drawn to the Study Bible. I believe this will help us in our prayers because it’s crucial now for the Church to be more and more like Him. It’s always been crucial but now because we have to have His light shining through us because it is dark out there! We need to stay really close to Him.
I was listening to a teaching the other day about the Good Shepherd and what He does. The minister was talking about staying really close to the Good Shepherd, so close that you bump into His leg. That means you got to be so close you can hear what He’s saying. That means you’re so close that if there’s any wolves out there, He’s right there and you just stay behind Him. He goes, “You can even go ‘na, na, na na na.’” But you better stay behind Him. It is imperative that we stay really close to the Good Shepherd.
I’d like to read a couple verses today. Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).” If we just lived by that, we’d be better off.
V. 13, “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” Father, we thank You that You are doing this right now in the Church, even while we sit here. We’re so agreeing with You and praying also that Your power and desire is at work in us.
V 14, “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves],
15 That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.
Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 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; 14 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, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 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.”
Now I want to read some notes from the Study Bible. We’re talking about the church, the five-fold ministry gifts, what He desires for us, the purpose He desires for us so that we can be bright and shining. We have a purpose and we have a plan and He gave us everything we need in order to do it.
Speaking about the gifts in verse 8 it says he “gave some.” “The five ministry offices listed here are gifts that Christ gave for the nurture and equipping of His church, not for the hierarchical control or ecclesiastical competition. Beyond the distinct role filled by the original founding apostles, the NT mentions enough additional apostles to indicate that this office with that of prophets, is as continuing a ministry in the church as the more commonly acknowledged offices of evangelists, pastors, and teachers (some make pastor-teacher one office). There is no prescribed formula or “gift-mix” for any particular office as God uses different people in different ways in each of these five ministries Christ has given. Uniqueness is manifested in individuals according to the varied gifts God the Father has given them (Rom. 12:3–8) and joined with whatever gifts the Holy Spirit distributes to or through them (1 Cor. 12:4–11). The distinct gifts of the Father (Rom. 12), the Son (Eph. 4), and the Spirit (1 Cor. 12) ought not to be confused, nor should any of the five ministry offices in this text be limited to the operation of any particular gift. [end]
God gave the five-fold ministry gifts to the church for the equipping of the saints. They come in varied things. We need some varied gifts operating in five-fold ministry gifts in this day and hour! We’ve never walked here before. We’ve never seen what we’re seeing before. We have to have that which matched what we’re called to do right now. So we’re looking and calling for that in the Church. We’re praying for the five-fold ministry gifts. We’re praying that there would be such a diversity of operations and manifestations of the Holy Ghost that it would give greater equipment to the church, to us, so that we can grow up and be bright shining lights in this world.
Do you think you can separate yourself from any of that? So for the evangelist who is out there on the front lines and preaching the Gospel… That comes in various levels and degrees. But there are various levels and giftings for each one. If you’re called to the inner-city you’re going to need something different than if you’re called out on “little house on the prairie.” Right? So we’re believing for that. We’re praying for something from heaven to come down to rearrange and change them, to give to them utterance in the Holy Ghost, to give them a spiritual supply that they can impart to the saints, so that the saints can grow up and go out and shine.
Let’s continue to verse 12 on the word equipping: “The Greek word for equipping implies 1) a recovered wholeness as when a broken limb is set and mends, 2) a discovered function, as when a physical member is properly operating. The “work of ministry” is the enterprise of each member of the body of Christ and not the exclusive charge of select leaders. Taken together, verses 11, 12 reveal that the task of the gifted leader is to cultivate the individual and corporate ministries of those he or she leads.”
We’re looking for all that to be happening. We’re looking for that whole anointing that when the pastor steps up in front of people that the operation of the gift of God … something happens for the whole body.
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Prayed…
Father, we want Your Word to sink down into the very core and fiber of our beings about what You are asking of the Church
Your great design and purpose was from the inception… a glorious church
We’re looking for growth in the five-fold gifts
We’re looking for utterance for these gifts
For the perfecting of the saints
That we have been prepared for such a time as this
A change in the perception of why we are here
The function of the church… You cause us to will and do of Your good pleasure
A turning up the desire to do Your will
Your Spirit is working in us and changing us… bringing about growth and increase
Give us courage and boldness to step out
The love of God displayed in the church
Father, that we would encourage and exhort one another
Internal strength by Your Spirit… the lightnings of God
We must move in to the higher way
Every member of the body—be made whole in Jesus’ name… be restored
We speak to the bones, so to speak, and declare “Be whole, be restored, and be made right in Jesus’ name”
A lifting of the body… not like it was yesterday but how it shall be in the days to come
Bringing the puzzle back together… may have been mixed up… parts in the wrong places… we see a rearranging… arrangements in Jesus’ name… getting it just right… getting every member in the position they were predestined to be in
Wholeness! Health! Strength in the body!
We remove the limits in Jesus’ name… every lying demon power that would cause us not to press on
We speak freedom and liberty in the name of Jesus
Now you can make a move… now you move… it’s time to move… take the step… it’s time to accelerate… to move into great momentum from heaven above
And then there’s more… and more than that… a furtherance from that
We lift those events and activities and procedures that must be implemented
Execution of the great plan of increase for the church
We’re looking for cooperation and collaboration among churches
Enemy, get out of the way! Hindrances be removed
The body of Christ is breaking through to victory
These are the days… this is the time… we are the people… hallelujah!
Doors… open doors of opportunity … to go there and there…
You do take it… seize the opportunity
No longer sitting back on your heels…
Straining, pressing, leaning ahead for the prize
This is the time for the church to rise up
