Carriers of the Message
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is important that we understand that Jesus is Lord! The Church which He established through the shedding of His blood and His resurrection is “His” Church. As such, He is the One Who sets the rules, not us. He has directed us through the Holy Spirit how we are to understand the gifts He has given for the purpose of building His Church. It is a simple truth that if we vary from the course He has laid before us we will not accomplish the results that He has called us to accomplish. We see this far too often in the world around us where the Church is concerned.
What is the purpose of the Church in the world today? Is it a different purpose than when Jesus first established it? Are we to have a different agenda than those 1st century Christians who are our predecessors? Or are we the recipients of what they have handed down to us as those who are to continue their work for the Lord? So, answer the question, what is the purpose of the Church in the world today?
If we believe that our purpose is different than our predecessors in the faith, then we have an entirely new agenda. This is what we see happening in the Church today! The truth of Jesus has been set aside, or at least taken a back seat, to the driving principles of the social ministry agenda. While there is certainly nothing wrong with feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, they are a means to an end. In any way we choose to share the love of Christ it is for the purpose of opening the way for Christ to become Lord in someone's life. Simply put, it is that Jesus would become their Savior.
What we see today in the ministry of most churches has very little to do with the salvation of souls, and a whole lot to do with the justifying of sin which is present in people's lives. This would be a direct application of what the apostle Paul says to us in the text we have before us today. Hear him clearly!
Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. 21 It is written in the law, I will speak to this people by people of other tongues and by the lips of foreigners, and even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord. 22 Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 1Corinthians 14:20-22
What does he say to us? We are to be infants in regard to evil and adults in Your thinking. We're not going to chase the rabbit down the hole today concerning what is evil. I will simply say that we will stand upon the truth of the Word of God and declare to be evil what God says is evil and to be good what God says is good.
Paul's point in the context of First Corinthians is that we need to be focused on what accomplishes the purpose of the Church. According to Paul, what is the purpose of speaking in tongues? He tells us clearly Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. In other words when the church is gathered together for the purpose of worship, speaking in tongues really has no place. Speaking in tongues is for the communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the language of the people of different cultures as His people interact with the unbelievers of this world. Speaking in tongues is the gift given by which the saving Gospel of Jesus can be made known to the world.
On the other hand, when the Church does come together there is a need for the Word of God to be proclaimed clearly that Jesus might be known, and that His followers might grow in their faith. While speaking in tongues will not accomplish this, prophecy will! Paul tells us Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.
When we hear the word prophet or prophecy, we typically think of the Old Testament prophets who foretold future events and prepared God's people for what He was going to do through His Messiah. While that is true, it is a very short sighted understanding. While the Old Testament prophets did speak words which foretold the future, these were only a very small percentage of the total words which they spoke. The prophets of the Old Testament were the preachers God sent to His people. The words they spoke were applicable to their day and their circumstances. Intermingled in their words were revelations of future events.
The word prophet is really the combination of two words which together mean “to speak for.” Therefore, a prophet is a person who speaks for another person, or in this case, a prophet is a person who speaks for God.
How would you define a prophet in the strictest since of the word? A prophet is a person called by God who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, received special revelations from God, proclaimed them to God's people, and applied them to situations in the past, present, or future.
What is the role of prophecy today? Listen to what Paul said to the Christians in Ephesus, “So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). This passage declares that the Christian Church was to build on the foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles. These are the men who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and whose words are now recorded in Scripture. The foundation must have been completely laid before the remaining part of the building could be constructed. Therefore, the gift of the Spirit was vital to the building of the Christian Church.
While we do not look for new revelations of the Spirit through the “prophets” of today, the gift of speaking for God still exists in the Church. Many Christians receive the gift of prophecy which enables them to effectively proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without this gift, a Christian would be unable to do so.
Thank God there are still a few in the Church who are ready to answer God’s call to stand up and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Christians who will not compromise the truth of the Gospel or make it second to a different agenda.
We who know Jesus are given a “sacred trust!” It is “sacred” because it is holy and of God. It is a “trust” because God has given it to us, and we are the only people in all creation who can accomplish what He has asked of us. What is this “sacred trust?” Proclaim Jesus for the salvation of the world! We are it! God has chosen us! He has no plan “B”! May we be faithful in all things to be the Church Jesus died to save!
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
It is important that we understand that Jesus is Lord! The Church which He established through the shedding of His blood and His resurrection is “His” Church. As such, He is the One Who sets the rules, not us. He has directed us through the Holy Spirit how we are to understand the gifts He has given for the purpose of building His Church. It is a simple truth that if we vary from the course He has laid before us we will not accomplish the results that He has called us to accomplish. We see this far too often in the world around us where the Church is concerned.
What is the purpose of the Church in the world today? Is it a different purpose than when Jesus first established it? Are we to have a different agenda than those 1st century Christians who are our predecessors? Or are we the recipients of what they have handed down to us as those who are to continue their work for the Lord? So, answer the question, what is the purpose of the Church in the world today?
If we believe that our purpose is different than our predecessors in the faith, then we have an entirely new agenda. This is what we see happening in the Church today! The truth of Jesus has been set aside, or at least taken a back seat, to the driving principles of the social ministry agenda. While there is certainly nothing wrong with feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, they are a means to an end. In any way we choose to share the love of Christ it is for the purpose of opening the way for Christ to become Lord in someone's life. Simply put, it is that Jesus would become their Savior.
What we see today in the ministry of most churches has very little to do with the salvation of souls, and a whole lot to do with the justifying of sin which is present in people's lives. This would be a direct application of what the apostle Paul says to us in the text we have before us today. Hear him clearly!
Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. 21 It is written in the law, I will speak to this people by people of other tongues and by the lips of foreigners, and even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord. 22 Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 1Corinthians 14:20-22
What does he say to us? We are to be infants in regard to evil and adults in Your thinking. We're not going to chase the rabbit down the hole today concerning what is evil. I will simply say that we will stand upon the truth of the Word of God and declare to be evil what God says is evil and to be good what God says is good.
Paul's point in the context of First Corinthians is that we need to be focused on what accomplishes the purpose of the Church. According to Paul, what is the purpose of speaking in tongues? He tells us clearly Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. In other words when the church is gathered together for the purpose of worship, speaking in tongues really has no place. Speaking in tongues is for the communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the language of the people of different cultures as His people interact with the unbelievers of this world. Speaking in tongues is the gift given by which the saving Gospel of Jesus can be made known to the world.
On the other hand, when the Church does come together there is a need for the Word of God to be proclaimed clearly that Jesus might be known, and that His followers might grow in their faith. While speaking in tongues will not accomplish this, prophecy will! Paul tells us Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.
When we hear the word prophet or prophecy, we typically think of the Old Testament prophets who foretold future events and prepared God's people for what He was going to do through His Messiah. While that is true, it is a very short sighted understanding. While the Old Testament prophets did speak words which foretold the future, these were only a very small percentage of the total words which they spoke. The prophets of the Old Testament were the preachers God sent to His people. The words they spoke were applicable to their day and their circumstances. Intermingled in their words were revelations of future events.
The word prophet is really the combination of two words which together mean “to speak for.” Therefore, a prophet is a person who speaks for another person, or in this case, a prophet is a person who speaks for God.
How would you define a prophet in the strictest since of the word? A prophet is a person called by God who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, received special revelations from God, proclaimed them to God's people, and applied them to situations in the past, present, or future.
What is the role of prophecy today? Listen to what Paul said to the Christians in Ephesus, “So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). This passage declares that the Christian Church was to build on the foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles. These are the men who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and whose words are now recorded in Scripture. The foundation must have been completely laid before the remaining part of the building could be constructed. Therefore, the gift of the Spirit was vital to the building of the Christian Church.
While we do not look for new revelations of the Spirit through the “prophets” of today, the gift of speaking for God still exists in the Church. Many Christians receive the gift of prophecy which enables them to effectively proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without this gift, a Christian would be unable to do so.
Thank God there are still a few in the Church who are ready to answer God’s call to stand up and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Christians who will not compromise the truth of the Gospel or make it second to a different agenda.
We who know Jesus are given a “sacred trust!” It is “sacred” because it is holy and of God. It is a “trust” because God has given it to us, and we are the only people in all creation who can accomplish what He has asked of us. What is this “sacred trust?” Proclaim Jesus for the salvation of the world! We are it! God has chosen us! He has no plan “B”! May we be faithful in all things to be the Church Jesus died to save!
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
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