Coronavirus Prayer

Coronavirus Prayer

We all know that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jms. 5:16). We know that God hears and answers the prayers of His children (Matt. 7:7-11). Even when they are so weak, weary, and without hope that they no longer know how or what to pray for, God still: hears them, helps them, and gives them the strength to bear up and come bursting through their worst of conflicts as more than conquerors in Christ (Rom. 8:24-39).

prayer corona

His purpose is not yet fulfilled.

It obviously goes without saying that many of us are praying daily for a very swift and sudden end to this Coronavirus chaos so that we can get back to life as “usual.” But because we have yet to see many real and positive results from those prayers, we may be tempted to think that God is either not listening like He said He would, or that our prayers as His blood-bought children are not reaching Him for some reason. If you are living in accordance with His word as much as you possibly can and know how, but have grown a bit weary and/or ready to give up praying because of a lack of seeing any real, positive, tangible results over this (or anything else for that matter), then understand this: Whenever you are seeing no positive results in response to your prayers, it does not mean that God is not listening; it simply means that God’s purposes have not yet been accomplished.

Do you remember the souls of the saints, slain for their faithfulness, who cried out from under the altar, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth” in Revelation 6:9-10? God’s answer?It was going to be “a little while longer,” because all He wanted was not yet “completed” (vs. 11). What about the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10? He repeatedly prayed that his “thorn in the flesh” would be removed. God apparently heard His prayer because He responded to it. But He did not remove Paul’s thorn because He had something far better in mind for him at the time.

Finally, there is Jesus – the perfect, sinless, flawless Son of the living God. He also prayed fervently and repeatedly that God might find another way for Him other than the cross (Matt. 26:36-44). We know without a doubt that God heard His prayers -according to Scripture (Heb. 5:7-8). But we also know that no matter how difficult the ordeal He would have to endure (Heb. 12:1-3), that God had millions of reasons why He simply could not answer His only begotten Son’s heartfelt prayers “yes” at the time… and you were one of them (Rom. 5:6-11; Gal. 3:26-27).

Aren’t you grateful that our Father in heaven is wise enough, and loving enough, to know when to say ‘No,’ or, ‘You must wait just a little while longer,’ in order to accomplish His purposes, whatever they may be? Then pray on without ceasing brethren – and just trust Him like Jesus did! Do yourself a huge favor: Take a moment right now to read Isaiah 40:26-31 and see just how true these things are! God bless!

 

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Honor Your Mother

Honor Your Mother

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3). The command “honor your father and mother” was one of the Ten Commandments given by God (Exodus 20:12). It includes both the concepts of obedience of children and caring for wizened parents. Jesus made this latter point in Mark 7:9-13. The Pharisees thought that by giving their money to the temple, they would be excused from taking care of their parents. They were wrong. Jesus taught that the commandment applied just as much to our elderly parents.

Honor to those it is due, is not something for only one phase of life.

On mothers’ day, we show respect for our mothers by praising their role as child bearers. For those who have reared children, we acknowledge their dedication and sacrifices, but mothers are not perfect, even the most saintly sins. The first mother brought sin into the world, yet she was honored with the title: the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20). Jesus died for his own mother’s sins, but He honored her by appointing the apostle John as her guardian (John 19:26-27). We should honor our mothers despite their faults; Jesus certainly did.

Some are fortunate to have their mothers nearby where they are available to have an everyday relationship. Other mothers are not so near and are celebrated when opportunity arises. Yet other mothers have passed on and are no longer with us, but their life and memories may yet be honored. God’s command to honor our father and mother, however, isn’t about superficialities, but a manner of living that extends to every day of the week. May God bless our mothers, and may our mothers be godly.

 

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A Dried Up and Dying Tree

A Dried Up and Dying Tree

I recently limbed out and then cut down a tree in our backyard. Its upper extremities were mostly dead and dried out. However, the lower down towards the root I got, the more solid, living, and filled with life-giving fluids the tree seemed to be. But no matter. By cutting it up and separating it down into fireplace-long pieces, I know that all of it, over time, will become more deadened, dried out, and fit only for the fire. It seems to me that Jesus said something very reminiscent of that, regarding His disciples in John 15:1-10.

tree separation

Don’t become separated.

The fact is that right now, many of us as Christians are hurting pretty badly because of our Corona virus-induced separation from one another. We miss working, worshipping, serving, studying, and simply seeing and being together with one another, to encourage and feed off one another as the family of God here in Chouteau – as well we should! You see, as a local body of God’s redeemed people, God never meant nor intended for us to be socially, spiritually, physically, or geographically distanced, separated, or cut off from one another for any length of time (Acts 2:37-42, 44-47, 20:7-8; Col. 3:12-16; Hebs. 10:23-25).

The Bible very clearly explains how God Himself designed the body (or church – Eph. 1:22-23) of Christ, to function just like a physical body; how vitally important it is that we always maintain our closeness and interaction with one another within the spiritual body of Christ, just as a physical body depends on all of its different parts to act and interact together as one, in order for it to live, thrive, and survive (Rom. 12:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:11-16). We all know that a severed thumb, finger, or any other limb (albeit a human, plant, or animal one) cannot long live, thrive, or survive, apart from its attachment to, and interaction with, the rest of the body.

So; if you are feeling a deep and abiding sense of loss and loneliness due to your currently being cut off and separated from your spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ right now, know that that is a really good thing. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. However, if you either have, or are becoming accustomed to and feeling quite comfortable with being cut off and separated from your spiritual siblings, then please know that it is only then, when it no longer pains or bothers you, that you could be in some real, serious, spiritual trouble (Rom. 1:8-12; Phil. 1:3-8, 4:1; Col. 2:1-3; Phlm. 1:4-7)… you know, sort of like a dead, dried up, cut-off branch, looking quite natural and comfortable in a soon to be burned up woodpile?

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Churches Without Elders Still Have a Shepherd

Churches Without Elders Still Have a Shepherd

We have often pointed out that there is a way of remembering the six words used to describe elders that can be easily remembered. Take the first letter of each of the six words and form a new word. Because an elder must have children, just remember this truth, “Elders must BE-POPS.” Those six words? B=bishops; E=elders; P=presbyters; O=overseers; P=pastors and S=shepherds. Each of these words emphasize an important aspect of what an elder must be and what he must do.

elders bepops

Only plurality of elders may oversee the Church.

God’s desire is for every church to have elders. Paul, on his first missionary journey, established many churches in Asia Minor. After he arrived at the most distant city, Derbe, he began appointing elders. “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch…So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:21-23).

It is important to notice the importance of every church having elders. Because of abilities imparted when receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, these infant churches were able to develop elders more quickly than in our day.

Elders have no authority outside of the local congregation.  Peter described their work and the limits of their authority. “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers” (1 Pet. 5:2). God limits the work of the elder to the flock where he lives. He cannot rule over multiple churches.

Because elders must be spiritually mature men, some congregations do not have elders. One of the qualifications for an elder is that he cannot be a novice, a new convert (1 Tim. 3:6). Those who preach in those places and those who are leaders should set as one of their highest priorities to develop elders. Appointing men to be elders who are not spiritually qualified, just so a church can have men called elders, creates many problems. Until that time arrives, church leaders must ensure that the church is fed, restoring the wayward is not neglected and the church is led to have peace—still waters and green pastures.

Even without elders to shepherd them, a church is still God’s flock. One point overlooked is that Jesus is described as the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:6). Churches without an eldership still have this Shepherd. He may not be physically present, but He is in their midst overseeing them and providing food for every sheep. If you are a member of a congregation without elders, do not think that you have no Shepherd.

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Real Tragedy

Real Tragedy

Each, any, and every individual death is truly a tragedy – no doubt about it and no matter the reason for it. People are irreplaceable. However; contrary to what you will see and hear in the news today, even the approximately 63,861 U.S. citizens who have lost their lives to date (at this writing) due to the Coronavirus, is,sadly, not the most tragic and far reaching news story of the day. Nor are the approximately (estimated, based on 2017 and other data as of 4/8/2020): 47,000 who will commit suicide; 55,000 who will die of influenza and pneumonia; 83,000 who will die of diabetes-related complications; 150,000 who will die due to stroke; 170,000 who will die from an accident; 600,000 who will die of cancer; or, the nearly 650,000 people estimated to die of heart disease in this country in 2020 (according to the CDC, American Cancer Society, and others). No; although these are terribly tragic, truly staggering, and unimaginably mind-numbing statistics, they are still – even when taken altogether – not the most horrifically terrifying and far-reaching news of the day…

tragedy souls

Every day, every year, souls are being lost. This is a tragedy.

Instead, this is…: Where only about one in every two hundred and twenty-six people in America (or 0.4%) are Biblically-defined, born-again and blood-washed members of the Lord’s one, New Testament, called-out group of saved people (Acts 2:38-42, 47), that means that of the nearly 3,000,000 Americans predicted to perish in 2020, that approximately 2,986,726… wouldn’t be… (Of course, this figure doesn’t reflect or have subtracted from it the number of those who have not yet reached the so-called ‘age of accountability,’ but, you get the idea).

Yes, since 2020 began, our world has been changed in ways we never could have imagined. But the most powerful and important things have not changed, not at all, and not for the last nearly 2,000 years. This, despite deadly Jewish opposition, Roman occupation, and/or Catholic persecution; and despite all of the famines, plagues, wars, tyrannies, deaths, destruction, and other terror-causing atrocities that have occurred ever since (2 Cor. 4:16-17). Those eternal and unchanging things are: God (Mal. 3:6); Christ (Hebs. 13:8); God’s word (Ps. 119:89); and Christ’s command for us to join Him in His ultimate mission to seek and to save the lost. As you remember your Savior today, do not forget what He said, did, and instructed, in places like Matthew 9:35-38, 10:24-28, and 28:18-20, as well as Mark5:19 and 16:15-16; nor, how we see the early church carrying out His commandment despite being right in the midst of the very life and death struggles which they were enduring (See: Acts 8:1-12 and 11:19-21). Let us never, ever forget, that God’s intended purpose for the church, is that every, single, one of us, does everything we personally, possibly, can: to seek, save, and see that the lost get into Christ and then ultimately into heaven (Eph. 4:11-16)!

The Coronavirus has not changed Christ’s mission nor our part in it – no, not one iota. If you want to know what real tragedy truly looks like, then try this: First, memorize 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10… and then burn the phrase “Over 2,000,000 million just this year alone” into your mind…

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