God Is Calling You, Equipping You, And Preparing You According To His Plans And Purposes
Jesus Is The Head Of The Whole Body
1 THESSALONIANS 2:17-20
“But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.
”I Thessalonians 2:17-20 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1th.2.17-20.NKJ
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Satan is real. He is called the god of this world (2 CORINTHIANS 4:4) and "the commander of the powers in the unseen world (EPHESIANS2:2).
He has many schemes and strategies to stop you growing in Christ, sharing the Good News or to hinder your service to God, and to stop you helping your brothers and sisters in Christ. He will bring as much pain upon your life as he possibly can. He is ruthless and without moral conscience or limits of evil.
Therefore my “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”
I Peter 4:12-14 NKJV
The devil always attacks within our souls; our mind, will, and emotions with whisperss of lies, particularly one’s emotions so that we will believe his lies. Little whispers reminding us of our past sin and failures to convince us we are not good enough, or that our prayers are not being heard. Whispers telling us no one respects or cares about us, little whispers to destroy our souls.
Anything that can hinder and cause us to give up the race of salvation, that we quit praying because we are convinced God’s not listening, or we ignore those dreams and visions because we find it difficult to believe they are God given.
He will try to bring sickness and all kinds of troubles and tribulations to stop us in our walk and service to God.
We don't know exactly what hindered Paul from returning to Thessalonica; opposition, illness, travel, complications, or a direct attack by Satan. But Satan worked in some way to keep him away, and in the same way, many of the difficulties that seem to prevent us from accomplishing God's work can be attributed to Satan (see EPHESIANS 6: 12). But the truth is, nothing can stop God’s plans, we can do all things through Christ who is our strength (PHILIPPIANS 4:13).
Furthermore, when the devil seems to be hindering one’s service to God, our Almighty uses the time for our good; He uses the time to equips, prepare, and strengthen us to do the job in hand.
Paul's ultimate reward for his ministry was not money, prestige, or fame, but rather the knowledge that new believers lives had been changed by God through the preaching of the Good News, which is why he longed to see them.
No matter what ministry God has given you, your highest and greatest reward for your service should be the fruit, those who come to believe in Christ and are growing in Him.
Sharing the Good News, encouraging people to turn to God, supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ, isn't just for our pastors, ministers, and church leaders, all believers are all called and gifted to serve God within the body of Christ. Furthermore, you can make a difference simply by sharing the Good News at every opportunity, telling your testimony, and every believer has one, and actively taking part in meetings, uniting in prayer and speaking out with boldness Gods word. And of course, help and support your brothers and sisters in Christ through their trials and challenges.
The Apostle plants, sows, and waters, he is a representative of the congregation, a messenger for God, a person who has the task of founding and establishing churches.
The Prophet Is a messenger of God; his place is not to manipulate, but to reveal what is coming to prepare the congregation, for “Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
Amos 3:7 NKJV
The teacher is to teach the Gospel in all truth.
The Pastor is not there to control, but rather to organise and host, and the Evangelist is to reach out to the lost. Christ is the head of the whole body, and it is He who leads, guides, teaches, and brings about the signs and wonders through the whole body.
That is the Apostolic five fold ministry of Christ and every believer is called gifted, and anointed in one or more of these categories.
It was never God’s intention that the church operate from the control of one minister or pastor, that is man’s church. But rather through the whole congregation by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Nor was it His intention that the church would operate once a week in a building. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.””
Mark 16:15-18 NKJV
That is church in the streets and communities, and with it comes the signs and wonders of God as a confirmation (MARK 16:30).
The fruits are growth in numbers as we witness lives become changed through teaching, revelation, deliverance, healing, and transformation.
But the truth is, real growth comes from brokenness. Therefore “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:2-8 NKJV
My beloved, God is calling you,equipping you, and preparing you, according to His plans and purposes for such a time as this.
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Ephesians 4:1-4, 6-16 NKJV
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
