100117
May Nicholas
I would not have you ignorant!
In the New Testament, we are told 5 times not to be ignorant on certain doctrinal matters.
In Rom. 11: 25-27- Paul instructs the church not to be ignorant regarding the prophetic future of Israel
In 1 Cor. 10:1…., again Paul talks about the place of Israel-and sadly for the church there is gross ignorance regarding Israel and the Jewish people and God’s bigger plan for both.
In 1Thess.4: 13-end-Paul want us to be ignorant about those events around Christ’s return-and this passage end with the exhortation that we are to encourage one another as we see the time drawing near.
In 2 Peter 3:16-Peter refers to Paul’s writing however the whole chapter is about Christ’s return and some of the events that will happen at that time.
In today’s reading from 1 Cro.12-Paul writes “ Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. Its these 3 areas-the place of Israel and the Jewish people in God’s big plan; the return of Christ as King with the end of the age; the Holy Spirit’s work both in us and in the world-that many in the church are very ignorant of.
I wasn’t going to look at the gifts of the spirit; however as I waited and prayed, meditated and thought, it became clear that this is what I am to share on.
The gospel tells of the 1st miracle Jesus performed-changing water into wine,; the result of this was that ‘his disciples believed in him!’ The vessels were filled with water and as we grow in faith out “water” can become gospel wine. I don’t know if any of you have been slightly tiddly-I know I have and I have also experienced being drunk in the Holy Spirit-the later has a far better & longer lasting effect.
My holiday reading, indeed my reading for the past 6 months has awakened in me the simplicity of the kingdom, the simplicity of ‘walking in the Spirit’. It is simple. What makes it complicated is out human expectations, our speech which exudes unbelief over belief and speaks death more quickly than life, however as we ask God to be the ‘tamer of our tongue’, then the tide is turned and it becomes much easier, to learn how to speak life, speak words of encouragement, to have faith to believe that a random act of kindness can and will make a difference in some persons life. It takes practice, it takes trust, it takes belief that our good God, our Heavenly Father is so eager to make us count for His kingdom that He runs to meet us the moment we acknowledge our utter dependence upon Him.
So how can we prepare our hearts to live in the kingdom with the presence of the Holy Spirit with/in us 24/7.
I came across the following and share it with you in closing-
(taken from Book-Light belongs in the darkness by Patricia King)
Development of a Godly character is the most important aspect about operating in spiritual gifts-especially the prophetic. The condition of your heart before God is always important. The following areas need to be considered:
1] A single heart-does the Lord have our full attention in Life.
2} Posture-a posture of waiting on God will allow us to hear Hid voice-away from the world, and the distractions, we need to cultivate a precious relationship with the Lord.
3] Repentance from sin-take time to ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin, remembering “that He is faithful and will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
4]’Childlikeness- The prophetic word is best received when we embrace childlike simplicity, we are His beloved covenant children, Heirs with Christ, children don’t strive, they trust.
5] Faith-believe that you can prophesy. Eph. Says that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing(includes prophecy). Also believe that He desire to bless the person you are ministering to, you can reach into God’s heart and hear the special word for that person.
6] Humility and servant-hood-the prophetic gift is not to be used to puff up a minister’s reputation. The gift allows you to serve others with the blessing of God. Most non-believers have never known the honour of receiving a word for them from the Lord.
7] Faith in a little- a good place to start is to begin using the phrase “God loves you with an everlasting love” It is extremely simple, yet extremely effective as most people are not even aware that God loves them so much. As the simple becomes part of you so you begin to exercise your faith that God’s words become more fluent as you exercise your faith.
So how can we know that what we are saying is true- check the source-Gods words will primarily be words of edification, exhortation and comfort, they won’t conflict with scripture, they represent God’s nature, it bears witness in the persons life, and often confirmed by an outward circumstance.
Carol Arnott of Toronto Airport Fellowship writes-God loves everyone. Its just that simple. He is intensely interest in each and every person, whether they are Christian or not. It is so important for unbelievers to hear that God truly cares about them…I prefer to just take Daddy by the hand and follow His leading each day. If I walk close to Him, I will understand His heart. I will then hear His words and that’s what being prophetic is all about…. When I approach someone to share the gospel, I know He’ll be there, when I pray for the sick, He’ll be there. When I need to give an encouraging word, I am confident that He is there to give me the inspiration,
At the start of this year, let us become childlike in our walk with God, trusting Him to lead us day, by day, moment by moment. We’ll be careful to give all the glory to Him!.
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