Hi all,
During
my ‘dream’ series on my Weekly Thoughts I shared how the Lord described
a process over the next 2 years of economic turmoil affecting the whole
world. Since then China devalued their currency and our stock market
has seen wild swings. But the Father’s economy is not affected by the
world, and as He has provided and proven Himself in times past, so will
He in the future for each of us.
Yesterday
Chris and I were running errands, including taking some things to the
local dump/recycle station, and when we pulled in there were 3
firetrucks attending to a fire in a large semi-truck (large lorry) size
dumpster.
Chris just ‘happened’ to have a toy
firetruck on his lap he had insisted on bringing with us that morning,
which he’s never done before – one of those you can push a button and it
has a siren and the sounds of firemen calling to each other over a
radio. So he had his siren and lights going to match the trucks…I sat
amazed at the Lord’s care for him.
We were both thankful that ‘the Lord
loves firetrucks too’ and I was blessed how He orders our steps, unknown
to either of us a harmless fire in a dumpster happened just when Chris
and I were headed there, providing an afternoon’s entertainment for
Chris.
Unconsciously led
One of the biggest factors of that day is that Chris was unconsciously
led to grab THAT firetruck from the house to bring with us. Chris has
literally hundreds of cars, trucks, planes, and busses ranging from the
small “Matchbox” metal cars to larger metal cars – all sitting in a big
blue plastic bucket.
He always brings a Matchbox (small metal)
car of “Lightning McQueen” from the ‘Cars’ movies, and always his
larger number 12 NASCAR metal car, but he just grabbed the plastic
firetruck that morning for some reason.
Look
for ways you are unconsciously led of the Lord to do things, to go a
certain direction, to encounter this or that – remembering most of
Jesus’ miracles were interruptions to what He was doing. Today we get so
wrapped up in what we are doing we forget to look for divine
coincidences or divine interruptions to our schedule. We may not be
unexpectedly called upon to turn water into wine at a wedding reception,
nor called upon to miraculously feed 5,000 after an especially long
day, but we may meet someone who needs a kind word, a prayer right there
on the spot, or healing physical or emotional.
I’ve
seen these little coincidences referred to as times God ‘winks’ at us
to let us know He is ultimately in charge, caring, and arranging our
steps.
Thankfulness
One of the ‘required’ elements of a person’s heart is thankfulness. Romans 1:21
describes people who see God in nature yet refuse to honor Him as
Creator and ‘neither were they thankful’. Psalm 100:4 says we “Enter His
gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with praise.” Thanksgiving is
required ‘at the gates’ before coming into His presence.
In I Thess 5:18 it says to give thanks IN all things, not FOR all things; I’m never thankful for what the devil does, but am thankful in all things. In many of Paul’s letters he expresses thanks for those he is writing to, and urges them to be thankful.
A
heart that looks for things to be thankful for opens the door to
communion and fellowship with the Father and Lord. For years, one of the
first things I have done each morning is find something to express
thanks to the Father – often it is the sunrise, sometimes saying thanks
that Chris is sleeping in just a little longer than normal, often for
something from the previous day or expected event of that day – but I
find something to be thankful for, and when you do that you’ll find you
will notice throughout the day how He has ordered your steps and
provided for you in ways only His imagination could devise and time.
Remember,
He lives inside us, so look down inside, in your spirit for His
presence- it feels like peace and warmth- and hold onto what that
communion with Him feels like, and let thanks and worship pour out of
you in a conversational way throughout the day.
House church and leadership thoughts
In the first century words that are today
known as nouns and seen on business cards and advertisements for
churches or ministers, were originally verbs – action words describing
function in the body of Christ.
An
apostle is a ‘sent one’, and technically speaking, one who has seen the
Lord and has notable miracles in which the Lord has used them. A
prophet was ‘someone who speaks divine utterances’, national and
international in scope, as well as nature-related events, not just
simple prophecy described in I Corinthians 14:3 as an inspired word to
someone of ‘edification, exhortation, or comfort’. A teacher ‘taught
divine truth’ and a pastor ‘tended to flocks’ while an evangelist
‘heralds good news’.
Today these action words have become nouns, titles, and something seen on business
cards, and in front of names on Facebook, as if ‘Apostle’ or ‘Prophet’
is their first name. Yuck, run don’t walk to the nearest exit! It is for
that reason we don’t use ‘titles’ in CWOWI, for action words are to
describe function in the body of Christ, not a noun announcing who a
person is.
We
are all equal in Christ, saved by the same blood, but have different
functions. Therefore humility and approachability and ‘being real’ are
hallmarks of people who function as true apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers, evangelists, helps, governments, ministries of special
tongues, healings, miracles, etc.
And so it is we come to the word ‘elder’.
It is the Greek word ‘presbuteros’, meaning ‘old man’. In that culture
it described someone who had life experience, had strong moral
character, and had a heart to tend the people of God. Those 3 elements
are action words describing function – not a noun describing a person,
and it is also clear in the pages of Paul’s letters that many women were
recognized as elders.
I’ve
seen 8 year olds who are elders among other children; those children
mature in their life experience thus far, mature for their age in moral
character, and have a heart to tend to the people of God – among their
own peer group. I’ve seen 17 years old who were elders among other
teens. When Paul wrote Timothy descriptors of elders and deacons (those
who serve) his qualifications were character, and the quality of their
home life. He said nothing about if they moved in the gifts of the
Spirit, or if they had any other function in the body of Christ. It was
all about character and their relationships.
Paul
was talking to elders from Ephesus in Acts 20: 17, 28-30 and describing
their hearts and functions, but then cautioned them that after he left
there would be 2 categories of people who would harm the people: Wolves
who come in from the outside with ulterior motives, to ‘devour’ the
sheep, and those who would arise from within with ulterior motives to
draw away people after them.
These 2 cautions therefore reveal the
exact opposite of what an elder is: They are not wolves and they will
not draw people away to themselves, but will in fact always point people
to Jesus.
A
wolf is someone who preys on others, has their own agenda, and has
ulterior motives for entering into a relationship with someone. That is
the opposite of someone who has the heart and integrity of an elder. An
elder is easily identified as those of strong moral character, eager to
point others to Jesus while deflecting efforts to put them ‘on a
pedestal’. These people ARE interested in helping people along the
discipleship process, and helping them with practical matters of life.
They know they are under the authority of Jesus and so have a healthy
fear of God which keeps relationships just where they should be in
Christ. Look for function, not titles.
I am way behind in phone calls
to those of you who write your phone number on the offering envelopes
with their prayer requests, but know that what I do is take a photo of
your prayer requests/phone #, and then scroll through my phone through
the day at quiet moments – even at stop lights sometimes- to pray for
you, keeping them for 1 year or until I hear otherwise from you. I’m
still praying for B from last December about melanoma, for instance. I
say that not to say ‘look at me’, but just to let you know we aren’t
some big ministry where those who donate or send in prayer requests just
become a computer number. You matter, and your gifts and prayer support
mean a lot to us. We always give thanks for you!
Blessings,
John and Barb
New cd/MP3 series:
(2 CD's $15 or MP3 $5 each)
Based
on a 50 minute visitation with the Lord and unlocking key elements in
the Word, this teaching totally upended all John thought he knew about
holiness, and it changed his life. Most people think holiness is a sect
involving long hair and dresses, no make up, and a generally bland life,
but in fact it is simple and core to our being. Rather than rules and
regulations, understanding holiness is actually the key to walking in
love and learning to live from the inside out.
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