Divine Order

 

In my church, September 2012 is prophetically our month of divine order. I wrote in my posting last week that a woman who attends every church meeting against her husband’s will loves without intelligence because she is not mindful of divine order. God is not a God of confusion (of disorder in French translations) but of peace; He wants everything to be done peacefully and in order (1Cor 14.33). In other words, God does not act where there is disorder. It is pointless praying and hoping that the Lord would act, visit or deliver us, while we live in disorder. If we want to taste and enjoy all that God has planned for us in 2012, it is important that we bring order into our lives or that we put our lives in order. And divine order is simply God, then family, then the local church and then society.

God

He must be the First in everything. His name must be hallowed and His will sought and done in all things. Immediately after their creation, both Adam and Eve were respectively alone with God for some time. Therefore, before they could interact with whoever/whatever else in the Creation, their first relation was with God. That is why the return to divine order demands the restoration of the Lord’s primacy. Let us avoid as much as possible to talk to men before talking to God: i.e. before praying. Let us fear God, flee from sin and obey His commandments, even at cost to us.

Family

Here, the order goes as: first the couple, and then, the children and the parents (of the couple). The couple because marriage is the very first institution created by God. Before church and society even exist, marriage and the couple (a man and a woman) were. No other institution -human or divine- should therefore take precedence over marriage. It is not for nothing that the Bible says that marriage is honourable in all (Heb 13.4, KJV). Our job, business, hobbies, relationships (friends, etc.) and even our children should never become more important than our spouse. Some people (especially women, but many men are also guilty of this) tend to consider their children before their spouse: it is disorder. Children are merely the fruit of a couple; they cannot become its reason of existence. Moreover, the divine order is very clear in the couple: the husband is the head of the wife. Those who are not happy with this can always tear their Bible: I am just a messenger (1Cor 11:3). There is only one captain in a ship, one MD or CEO in a company, one president in a country etc. After deliberations, once the boss has decided, you execute; unless you are rebellious. Sara called Abraham her lord; why? Because the duty of a married woman is to please her husband (1Pe 3.6, 1Cor 7.34). A wife will be pleasing unto the LORD by pleasing her lord of a husband. This is why the Bible asks that she submits to her husband in all things (Eph 5.24). If she does not agree with a certain way of doing things, the solution is not in stubbornness; but she should rather complain to the BOSS of her boss – Christ is the Head of every man (1Cor 11:3) - and submit. It is God’s duty to take care of her own boss. The only case where she must say no is if her husband asks her to violate God’s commandments. And I say God, and not the local church... Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt have no other gods before me etc. Sapphira died like her husband because she agreed to lie and fool the church and thus, favoured her husband’s word over God’s command (Ac 5). Man is indeed the woman’s head; but he should never become her LORD: this would be idolatry.

After the couple, we have the immediate family in which parents must be respected, honoured and obeyed in all things (Ex 20:12, Eph 6:2, Col 3:20). Children must obey their parents in all things in the same way, conditions and spirit that a wife also submit to her husband in all things. Family comes before the church; i.e., when our attitude towards our local church threatens or may compromise our family’s interests, there is disorder. Using your children’s school fees or the money needed to pay for your parent’s hospital bill or prescription in order to ‘support’ God’s work, just to end up with your kids not going to school or your parent dying, would tantamount to madness. This is why Jesus Himself said: “Moses said, 'Honour your father and your mother'… But you say, 'If a man tells his father or his mother, "Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban"' (that is, given to God)-- then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do."” (Mk 7:10-13) And Paul added that if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Tim 5.8).’ Not to mention the fact that God does not need any help to do His work. Uzzah tried and was struck dead on the spot (2Sam 6:6-7). Let us be very clear here; I do not mean to say that we can misuse tithes -if we are in a tithing church- to support our family or that we should not walk by faith: God can also request such sacrifices from us. Just grasp the spirit behind my words and let us give honour to whom honour is due (Rom 13:7). Strong families make strong children, strong people, strong communities and nations.

May God bless you as you put your life in order and see you next week for the continuation and the end of this posting .

Must-pray prayers of the New Testatment (V)

 

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians

Phil 1:3-5a, 9-11, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel... And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Once again, Paul writes whilst in jail. He is an unusual prisoner who forgets his chains and suffering to strengthen the churches through letters, instruct them, exhort them and intercede for his spiritual children and the Body of Christ. He was a prisoner, but the Gospel and his ministry were not. His greatest desire was for the Philippians to be pure, blameless and filled with the fruit of justice for the day of Christ; but for this to happen, they needed to grow in love. They were not cold though; their love for the Lord and the brethren was well known; but apparently, it had some flaws and was also their main weakness. So, Paul prays for their love to grow in knowledge and all discernment (all intelligence, Darby). He prays for their love not to be merely a blind affection, but intelligent and discriminative; based on an enlarged view of divine things and in proportion to the proper value of things. He prays that they should not disperse themselves, but focus on the good and right thing. Paul said that the Romans were zealous for God, but without intelligence (Rom 10.2); one can also say that the Philippians loved without intelligence.

A married woman who spends her days in church, cleaning, praying for the brethren, exhorting the sisters and evangelising the neighbourhood; but who left home without minding what her family will eat or her husband who will love to see her when he comes back from work, loves without intelligence. A wife who takes the money needed to run the house for a week or a month and gives it to the church for whichever project without her husband consent, loves without intelligence. A woman, who attends every meeting in her church while her husband is against, loves without intelligence: there is a divine order. When a child who still lives with his/her parents spends their days in the church instead of doing their chores, or attends an all-night vigil before going for their final exam in the morning, loves without intelligence.

Paul also realised that for his greatest desire for the Philippians to be accomplished, they needed to be filled with the fruit of justice; i.e., everything that testifies that they are truly righteous before God. It is the mark of favour in the life of a believer; these are the works of faith. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. God swore by Himself, and promised to multiply and bless his seed and bless all the nations of the earth because of him (Gen 22:16-18).

Drawing from this prayer of Paul, let us also pray for ourselves and for our Beloved in Christ that our love will grow in knowledge, that we will always discern the best things, and that we may be filled with the fruit of justice.

Phil 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

It is a wish, a prophecy, a promise, but for me it is like a prayer; it is the response of Paul’s heart to the generosity of the Philippians. They had fully met his needs and he was in abundance. In return, he also wants his God to supply all their needs, not parsimoniously, but according to His riches. Can you imagine that? However, this prayer does not concern everybody. It is pointless praying it if you know you do not actively support the Gospel. It is pointless praying it if you give parsimoniously in church. It is pointless praying it if your hand does not open to meet the needs of brethren. It has to do with the law of sowing and reaping: it is a just return of things. You can only ask God to supply ALL your needs if you supply the needs of those that He puts in front of you and if you contribute financially to advance the cause of the Gospel. He gives the seed to THE SOWER and not to the storer or the spender. Let us note that the promise concerns our NEEDS and not our WANTS. Indeed, we often desire things that we do not actually need. A second or a third car, a tenth pair of shoes, a fourth or fifth meal… God will not help us to become more materialistic than we are already: He takes care of our NEEDS.

Have a wonderblessed week in CHRIST JESUS.

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament(IV)

 

Paul’s second prayer for the Ephesians

Eph 3:14-21, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory...”

Beyond the power of this intercession, I am particularly fascinated by Paul’s careful choice of words. He truly believed that it was possible for a human being other than Christ, to be filled with all the fullness of God. It was not an announcement effect; he really believed and prayed every word he wrote. We should therefore set for ourselves a goal and pray for such an in-filling…

His prayer also reminds us of the origin of each family. We generally have no problem understanding and accepting that we come from God individually; but it is not always easy to realise or accept that every family also comes from Him. Indeed, some families are so dysfunctional; and some parents can be so cruel that we can have a hard time believing and understanding how God's love could have given us birth in such environments. I recently watched a movie on television, Precious, from the name of a black American teenager sexually abused by her father with the complicity of her mother before she was even 7. The man even impregnated her twice! Her mother, madly in love with him, let him do it because she feared he would leave her otherwise and she hoped to win his heart back by 'pleasing' him in such a manner. Eventually, she developed a deep aversion and a fierce jealousy for her once precious 'husband snatcher' of a daughter. She even almost killed her grandson by throwing him unto the ground a few days after his birth, because he was the spitting image of her husband, the father and grandfather of the child! How can we believe that such a family can have its origin in God? Yet, it is the case...

Paul’s second prayer to the Ephesians finds its meaning in such situations or when the grip of events begins to tighten too much on us or our loved ones –He feared that the Ephesians would eventually lose heart because of all tribulations he was enduring for them (see vs. 13). His prayer teaches us that what we need most in times like these is:

· That the Holy Spirit will powerfully strengthen our inner being. Paul asks that this be done liberally according to the riches of His glory. It is not in vain that he could say: ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’ Depending on what test we go through, people may think that we are at our lowest; at the bottom of the pit; whilst we are actually stronger than ever after the Lord has comforted and strengthened us. It is in this way that Paul used to endure beatings, torture and imprisonment.

• That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. Jesus insists on the need to abide in Him, because it is possible not to do so. It is possible that He may only be a casual visitor who quickly goes when the fire of testing breaks out.

· That we may be rooted and grounded in love. We start and stand with/in love. Like Paul, let us pray that God helps us understand and be filled with the vastness of the love of Christ. Our foundation, the basis of our every action and thought must be this love and our roots –which should be as strong and deep as possible- should also be the love of God. This is what will enable us not only to remain confident in the goodness of God despite all the hardships, but also to obey the Lord by loving our enemies. God knows what He is doing and there is a reason for everything. He is always ready to turn any calamitous situation to our advantage, if only we give Him the chance. And coming back to Precious, a vile father is a father in need of the love of Christ. If we do not perceive it like that, it will be difficult to bring the Gospel to people like him.

Finally, Paul ends knowing that God will do infinitely beyond what he has asked for and which was not small! Is not that wonderful? Let us imitate his faith.

God bless you.

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament (III)

 

The Colossians’ prayer for Paul

Col 4.3-4, “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

Paul’s request to the Colossians teaches us to pray for a servant of God. They are called to proclaim the Gospel. Indeed, people cannot call on the Lord if they have not previously heard of Him and believed in Him - hence the need for preachers of the Gospel (Rom 10:14-15). Therefore, He Who sends them to preach must also open doors in order for them to accomplish their mission. It is Him Who has the key of David: He opens and no one shuts, He shuts and no one opens (Rev 3:7). Thus, it is not because God calls you to do something -a job, a business, a project, evangelise etc. - that the door is necessarily open. He can speak to you, call you and send you while the doors are still closed. He sent Jesus to His own, but they did not receive Him: they closed the door on Him (Jn 1:11). It also took some time for Moses to finally have a favourable access to Pharaoh to who he had already been sent. God had to force Pharaoh Himself to let the Israelites go worship and serve Him; He had to open the doors Himself. “Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: "I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.” Is 45:1-2

While we intercede for our leaders that God may open doors for them within the confines of their calling, let’s also pray for ourselves that God will also open doors for us wherever He has sent us. And when a great and efficient door is finally open, let us not forget that the adversaries are many (1Cor 16:9): let’s be vigilant.

Paul also wanted the Colossians to pray for him to preach the mystery of Christ as he should; i.e., rightly and faithfully. Indeed, God's revelation often comes as a dream, vision, impression, feeling, word, figure, a parable etc. to be decoded and translated for the masses. Paul knew the responsibility that weighed on his shoulders. He knew what he would have risked if he had erred in the interpretation and said: “Thus says the Lord…” for something that the Lord had not said.

The Ephesians’ prayer for Paul

Eph 6.19-20, “(Praying) and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Paul was imprisoned in Rome and in chains when he wrote this letter. Some would have taken the opportunity to sit back and twiddle their thumbs until God releases them before getting back to work. But Paul was fully aware of his role as an ambassador of the Gospel. He may have been chained, but the gospel was not. As he still aspired to freedom, he asked the brethren to pray for him to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel. The French version adds the word, freely, which is to say, other than in chains. Who knows? By being frequently jailed and whipped, he may have become a little cooler and hesitant in his choice of words and could really do with more spiritual courage.

We need to pray that our pastors and leaders should always be free to preach the Word of God and that they should always have the courage to say exactly everything that God asks them to say. It does not necessarily take physical chains to deprive a servant of God of freedom. The issue of gay rights, and their right to marry in particular, is gagging many men and women of God in the United States and even in Europe. The often-constitutional law/rule of political correctness has become an invisible prison for many of them. The Lord can even ask a pastor to talk about a specific issue, but the latter decides to cut corners and dilute the soup in fear that some members of their congregation will feel personally attacked by his sermon. And at the end, the message has little to do with the warning that God wanted to give to X, Y and Z. That is why we must pray for our pastors to always have the courage to tell us the Gospel truth without any dilution or manipulation whatsoever. After all, it is the knowledge of the truth which sets us free (Jn 8:32).

Let us also pray for ourselves, that we may always be free to boldly do what God asks of us and free to always worthily represent the Christ. Let us pray that we may always have the courage to stand on the side of truth and defend it. Let us pray that He who works in us both the willing and the doing, always gives us the right words to convey what He gives us to say with the confidence that the Spirit communicates, whether inside or outside of the church.

May God bless you with a great week.

Beware, danger (II)! Need for discernment

 

I was supposed to write on another must-prayed prayer this week; but the Spirit of God laid something else on my heart which forced me to make a break in the series on prayer.

If we take a poll asking Christians what spiritual gifts they would like to have, prophecy, miracles, healing, word of knowledge, tongues (speaking and interpreting), will probably be on top of the list. Yet, there is a gift that should be particularly sought after, especially in these last days: the gift of discernment; the ability to know if something or someone comes from God or not.

The devil has many ways to attack the men, but he does it primarily through the realm of thoughts or through human channels. I will not speak of his action in the field of thoughts today; I will focus on his second mode of action.

When God wants to bless someone, He sends them a man / woman to help them move to another stage of life or breakthrough. Similarly, when the devil wants to destroy someone, he also sends them a man or a woman. However, neither Satan nor his agents will ever come to us with horns and a forked tail. Far from it; Satan disguises himself into an angel of light (2Cor 11:14), and so do his agents. When someone gets closer to us; if we have to walk together in any way whatsoever, the first question we should ask ourselves and which must imperatively find a clear answer, is to know who is sending them: God or the devil? Some people often seem so nice and friendly, so not ‘witchy’, that we just rule aside the possibility that Satan may be behind the encounter. Let us not forget that Jesus warned that the road leading to destruction is wide and spacious and many are those who go through it. All that glitters is not gold…

We also tend to think that Satan only uses wizards, witches, Freemasons, Rosicrucians or their likes. Therefore, once we are convinced that our new acquaintance is not one of them, we remove them from the list of ‘suspects’. However, the majority of those used by the devil are not even aware that they are puppets into his hands; and yet, this does not change the goals of their manipulator. So, the question is simple; and it is a matter of life or death: Can I say with certainty that God is at the origin of our meeting?

Because, if it is the devil who is unfortunately pulling the strings, my brother/sister, you will bitterly regret it. Satan has no good intentions vis-à-vis men, and worse,  Christians. The Lord warned us that he only comes to steal, kill and destroy. This is his only agenda. If Satan directs someone to you, it's either to steal something (a blessing, your peace, your health…), or to physically kill you, or to destroy you (your spiritual death; to ensure that you loose your salvation). We do not play with fire. Do not think you can control the situation, that there is no harm and this person is all ‘soft, innocent and nice'. The French playwright Jean Racine said in Britannicus, “I hug my rival, but it is to better choke/smother/suffocate him.” Beware, danger! Run away. Do not be fooled by whatever good thing this person / encounter may seem to bring or offer: it is only an apple full of worms inside. If you pursue this relationship, no matter how long it will take (Satan is patient), you will only have your tears to cry.

Pray for the gift of discernment; and while waiting for it, know that if you sincerely want God to tell you where you are putting your feet, as a Good Father, He will never let you embark on a destructive adventure: He will always respond. The problem is that very often, as James says, we ask when we are already lured and enticed by our own desire (Ja 1:14). This was the case with Balaam. He had a weakness: the love of money and honours. The devil knew it and used Balak to destroy him. God had told Balaam not to go. The message was very clear from the beginning; but Balaam still did as if God was supposed to deny Himself and deny His Word. He went back to Him in order to make another request of what God had forbidden. So, the Lord delivered him to the lust of his heart and Balaam set off. But God is Good. He did not want Balaam’s misfortune. There were signs on the way showing that He had neither agreed, nor was happy with this decision; but Balaam's heart was hardened. He desperately wanted to received the money promised (Nu 22). The rest is history. Indeed, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin brings forth death when it is fully grown (Ja 1:15); and Balaam did die of a horrible death (Jos 13:22).

Caution, danger! Beware of relationships; beware of angels of death looking like angels of light. Jesus said: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.” In other words, if God is not in a business and you are a Christian, you have nothing to do in that business either.

May the LORD GOD Almighty bless you with prudence.

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament (II)

 

First prayer of Paul for the Ephesians

Eph 1.16-19, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might”

I really like this prayer; it is so rich and profound. As with the Colossians, Paul was particularly happy with the Ephesians. He had only heard good things about their faith and charity. So, it is with a heart filled with joy and gratitude, that he constantly prayed God for them, asking:

· That He gives them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in His knowledge. The Holy Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God whom He knows the things (1Cor 2:10-11). However, Jesus promised that He would take what belongs to Him and reveal it to us; and as everything the Father has is also His, the Spirit actually takes and declares what belongs to the Father (Jn 16:14-15). Thus, Paul is praying that the Holy Spirit may reveal to them things that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, that God has prepared for those who love Him (1Cor 2:9). He will even later say that it is also by revelation that he himself had had knowledge of the mystery about which he wrote (Eph 3:3). He then prays that they would be wise in the management of these revelations and of what they will know from God. That’s why Jesus often commanded those who had known Him as the God who heals (those He had healed or delivered), not to mention it. Paul also spoke of someone who was caught up into the third heaven, into paradise, and heard unspeakable words which are not lawful for a man to express. It was him (2Cor 12:2-4). This is the kind of prayers that we can also do for ourselves.

· That they may realise the riches of their glorious inheritance. Paul knows that with persecutions, Ephesians might wonder if all this is worth it and if they are not chasing a lure. So, he prays in advance that God should open the eyes of their heart and give them a glimpse of the glory which truly awaits them. As long as Peter and John had not seen, their faith wavered. However, the day God opened the eyes of their heart and they saw the resurrected One, they no longer feared any intimidation, nor blows, nor prison. They said to those who threatened: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Ac 4:20). For the same reasons, we must also pray that the eyes of our heart be enlightened and that the Lord may reveal to us the wealth and glory that are attached with doing His will and fulfilling our mission on earth.

· That they may realise the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe. A power that He deployed by raising Christ from the dead, and sitting Him at His right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named (vs. 20-21). As I said, with the persecutions that would not fail to come – especially as Paul himself was writing from a prison -, they had to experience the power that could transcend any opposition so as to persevere and not to become discouraged. We similarly need this power because the world is increasingly hostile to anything that just alludes to the Gospel. On the other hand, what the Lord expects of us is not necessarily easy. We already know God is powerful and we know we received this power when we were baptised in the Holy Ghost; but we need to realise how great this power really is.

Have a wonderblessed week in CHRIST JESUS, the LORD!

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament

 

It is the prayer of Paul to the Colossians that inspired this article and I will therefore begin with it. In this series, I would like to look at a few prayers which I consider to be the most powerful of the New Testament (NT); those that any serious Christian should regularly pray. I will not mention the Pater Noster (Our ​​Father) - I have already written something on it in a previous article – which is more than a prayer to me: it is a way of life. Looking at these prayers, I hope we can find what the main concerns of those who prayed them (Paul and Jesus, particularly) were, what they deemed were essential to the first century believers and, by God’s grace, this could also help us transform our own prayer life.

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians

Col 1:9-11, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”

Paul wished above all things that the Colossians – Christians who bore the fruits of the Gospel and whose faith in Christ and brotherly love were renowned -, be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. He did not want them to only know it from time to time, but he prayed that they be filled with it. He wanted it to be revealed to them through the wisdom and knowledge that the Spirit communicates. In a way, he wanted them to be filled with spiritual knowledge and wisdom which would always enable them to discover the will of the Lord. Paul prayed like that because he knew how advantageous it was to be thus filled with His will. He knew it would help them to:

• Walk in a manner worthy to the Lord
• Be totally agreeable to Him
• Bear fruit in everything, because all they do would be a good thing
• Know God and grow
• Experience God’s power in trials so that they could cope with perseverance, patience and joy.

These are just as many things that we should ardently desire. I have largely discussed the importance of God's will in many articles and I will not repeat myself. Just click on the corresponding label on your left and you will have access to all of them. I will simply remind us that: “This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1Jn 5:13-14

Instead of focusing solely on material things, may the daily bread that we ask God rather be our daily measure of spiritual wisdom and understanding. In this way, filled with the knowledge of His will for each new day, we can honour Him and our day can glorify Him. Let us pray that He helps us to bear fruit and do EVERY thing well. Let’s ask Him to help us grow in Him by revealing us something new about Him. Let’s pray for Him to grant us the grace to endure with patience, joy and perseverance, any possible setback or testing during the day. If we pray like that, we can be certain that He is listening to us and will grant our requests because such prayers are made in accordance with His will.

Have a ‘wonderblessed’ week in CHRIST JESUS, the LORD.