Out talents should be used “for the edification of the church” (1Co 14:12 NKJV). The word edify comes from an architectural term which means “to fortify, construct, and build up.” Your gifts were designed by God to build others up. Only when you use them for that purpose will you find fulfillment. If you’re not familiar with that name “Joseph of Cyprus,” that’s okay. Most of us know him by his nickname, “Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement)” (Ac 4:36 NIV). When New Testament Christians were discouraged and needed to be cheered on, the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas, who “encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord…and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Then as the work grew and flourished, Barnabas asked Paul to join them, and he took on a supporting role (See Ac 11:25-26). Rebecca Barlow Jordan says: “The encourager may begin in the front row, but eventually he retreats to his rightful place in the background…After Paul and Barnabas had traveled together, Paul emerged as the leader and Barnabas faded into the background as many encouragers do. There are always orphans to adopt and…hungry hearts that need spiritual encouragement. Encouragers don’t look for honors, but the results of their work, like the works of Barnabas, are unmistakable.” What oxygen does for the body, encouragement does for the soul. It inspired us to persevere when it would be easier to just quit. The truth is, you’ll never look into the eyes of single person who’s not important to God! So help them “with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault” (Ro 14:19 TM).
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Courting God
Date Night. It’s become more stylish since President Obama took office. His much talked about Friday night dates with wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, have inspired many married couples to get giddy again; set aside time to court anew. Rekindle old flames. Oddly enough, date night got me thinking about my relationship with God. Have I set aside time to “court” Him more frequently?
One of the great powers of courtship is that it makes you feel so euphoric. Your partner showers you with constant praise. You speak well of each other and rejoice together. You feel adored and loved. Such assurance re-ignites the fire of affection. It empowers the relationship. It draws a couple closer.
We must also take time to stoke the fire of our passion for God. Lift holy hands in worship and adore Him. Speak well of Him. Rejoice and give thanks with the fruit of your lips because God is worthy. That’s praise. It pleases the Father. It prompts Him to draw closer.
For sure, God dwells in the praises of His People. As Psalm 22:3 puts it, “Thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.”
What’s more, our praise ignites God’s power. More praise, more power is present to ensure our victory in life. Do you feel stuck, discouraged or lonely? Offer up a praise.
In Psalm 100:4 God urges us to, “Come into His gates with thanksgiving, and enter His courts with praise.”
But which court will you enter? It depends on how much you desire to worship, and how much power you want to walk in.
Remember the ancient Hebrew Tabernacle? It was like a roving church while the children of Israel roamed the wilderness for 40 years. This tent-like structure represented the power and presence of God. It consisted of the Outer Court, the Inner Court and the Most Holy Place.
Any Israelite had access to the Outer Court. The more sacred Inner Court called the Holy Place was reserved for the priests. But only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, known as the Holy of Holies. That’s where God’s spirit dwelt.
Jesus’ death and resurrection destroyed this symbolic divide. God, the Son now offers all who accept Christ full access to God, the Father.
Hebrew 4:16 reminds us to now “come boldly to the throne of grace.” Still, some Christians park themselves in the outer court. That’s folks who go to church and just sit in the pews. They get an emotional charge from the music and the message. They worship with their lips. But their hearts are far from God. They have no power to command real victory in life. Their limited exposure to God limits their praise.
Others push closer in to the inner court and draw near to God. Those in the inner court know how to get their praise on. They experience the move of God now and then. They appreciate and even desire a closer walk. They try to live by the Book. But they are not fully committed.
But people running hard after God break though into the “Most Holy Place.” That’s like being on the mountain of transfiguration with Jesus and his inner circle disciples.
You can’t take your praise that close to God and not be transformed by His power, The Holy Spirit.
Praise is powerful because it gets God’s attention and acknowledges who He is. It glorifies God and ushers in our worship. When we draw near to him in praise, the Almighty draws near to us. That’s His promise in James 4:8.
Such access to God’s Most Holy Place requires dying to self, fully surrendering.
When you are that yielded to the Power of God, praise is not just what you do. Praise is who you become.
Such an intimate courtship with God is worth chasing on date night, and every day of the week!
By
Sharon Frame
One of the great powers of courtship is that it makes you feel so euphoric. Your partner showers you with constant praise. You speak well of each other and rejoice together. You feel adored and loved. Such assurance re-ignites the fire of affection. It empowers the relationship. It draws a couple closer.
We must also take time to stoke the fire of our passion for God. Lift holy hands in worship and adore Him. Speak well of Him. Rejoice and give thanks with the fruit of your lips because God is worthy. That’s praise. It pleases the Father. It prompts Him to draw closer.
For sure, God dwells in the praises of His People. As Psalm 22:3 puts it, “Thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.”
What’s more, our praise ignites God’s power. More praise, more power is present to ensure our victory in life. Do you feel stuck, discouraged or lonely? Offer up a praise.
In Psalm 100:4 God urges us to, “Come into His gates with thanksgiving, and enter His courts with praise.”
But which court will you enter? It depends on how much you desire to worship, and how much power you want to walk in.
Remember the ancient Hebrew Tabernacle? It was like a roving church while the children of Israel roamed the wilderness for 40 years. This tent-like structure represented the power and presence of God. It consisted of the Outer Court, the Inner Court and the Most Holy Place.
Any Israelite had access to the Outer Court. The more sacred Inner Court called the Holy Place was reserved for the priests. But only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, known as the Holy of Holies. That’s where God’s spirit dwelt.
Jesus’ death and resurrection destroyed this symbolic divide. God, the Son now offers all who accept Christ full access to God, the Father.
Hebrew 4:16 reminds us to now “come boldly to the throne of grace.” Still, some Christians park themselves in the outer court. That’s folks who go to church and just sit in the pews. They get an emotional charge from the music and the message. They worship with their lips. But their hearts are far from God. They have no power to command real victory in life. Their limited exposure to God limits their praise.
Others push closer in to the inner court and draw near to God. Those in the inner court know how to get their praise on. They experience the move of God now and then. They appreciate and even desire a closer walk. They try to live by the Book. But they are not fully committed.
But people running hard after God break though into the “Most Holy Place.” That’s like being on the mountain of transfiguration with Jesus and his inner circle disciples.
You can’t take your praise that close to God and not be transformed by His power, The Holy Spirit.
Praise is powerful because it gets God’s attention and acknowledges who He is. It glorifies God and ushers in our worship. When we draw near to him in praise, the Almighty draws near to us. That’s His promise in James 4:8.
Such access to God’s Most Holy Place requires dying to self, fully surrendering.
When you are that yielded to the Power of God, praise is not just what you do. Praise is who you become.
Such an intimate courtship with God is worth chasing on date night, and every day of the week!
By
Sharon Frame
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Praise Parade
Parades create excitement. There is the beat of the rhythm section and the syncopated response of the pavement pounding marchers. There are the ruffles and flourishes of the brass section, the “umpa pas” of the tubas, the wave of the flag bearers, the swish of the majorettes, and the arrogant high steps of the drum major.
A parade has the power to create excitement and anticipation with or without marching bands, floral floats, beauty queens, circus animals or convertible cars with waving celebrities. A parade can be a source of inspiration. It can inspire people to learn, practice or replicate what they see. It can be used to sell an idea, make a statement or support a cause.
It can signal an event. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade announces the official start of the holiday shopping season. The Presidential Inaugural Parade signals a transition of power from one president to the next, a bloodless transfer of power.
A parade also has the power to draw a crowd. And, the parade described in Mark’s gospel was no different the day that Jesus was the divine dramatic drum major or the marshal of his own parade.
This parade made a statement. The people draped garments on a never been ridden donkey and spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. It was an act of honor similar to Israel’s pattern of royal processions.
This was a parade of praise. There is something powerful about praise. It is infectious. It inspires people to participate not just spectate. The praise in this parade was not done to manipulate the crowd or God. It was an honest to goodness praise for who God is and what God can or has done. There were perhaps those in the crowd who had just witnessed the miracle of he formerly blind man named Bartimaeus. Those in front and back of Jesus shouted Hosanna meaning save us or save now. Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord has become a liturgical formula for praising God.
Thus, this parade supported a cause, the salvation plan of God. As the people were rejoicing in a praise parade, they were also saying “Save Us” to the only person who could really grant them salvation, Jesus, the King of Kings, Lord of Lord, the only Savior who could save.
The praise parade signaled the transition that was about to take place. This would be no bloodless transfer of power, but a blood shedding event on a cross. Jesus had a date with death. The parade would culminate on Resurrection morning as Jesus rose from the grave with all power in His hands.
Those who have experienced the power of Jesus in their lives continue the praise parade daily. Let’s join the Hosanna crowd shouting “Save Now” to the only Savior who can.
By
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
A parade has the power to create excitement and anticipation with or without marching bands, floral floats, beauty queens, circus animals or convertible cars with waving celebrities. A parade can be a source of inspiration. It can inspire people to learn, practice or replicate what they see. It can be used to sell an idea, make a statement or support a cause.
It can signal an event. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade announces the official start of the holiday shopping season. The Presidential Inaugural Parade signals a transition of power from one president to the next, a bloodless transfer of power.
A parade also has the power to draw a crowd. And, the parade described in Mark’s gospel was no different the day that Jesus was the divine dramatic drum major or the marshal of his own parade.
This parade made a statement. The people draped garments on a never been ridden donkey and spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. It was an act of honor similar to Israel’s pattern of royal processions.
This was a parade of praise. There is something powerful about praise. It is infectious. It inspires people to participate not just spectate. The praise in this parade was not done to manipulate the crowd or God. It was an honest to goodness praise for who God is and what God can or has done. There were perhaps those in the crowd who had just witnessed the miracle of he formerly blind man named Bartimaeus. Those in front and back of Jesus shouted Hosanna meaning save us or save now. Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord has become a liturgical formula for praising God.
Thus, this parade supported a cause, the salvation plan of God. As the people were rejoicing in a praise parade, they were also saying “Save Us” to the only person who could really grant them salvation, Jesus, the King of Kings, Lord of Lord, the only Savior who could save.
The praise parade signaled the transition that was about to take place. This would be no bloodless transfer of power, but a blood shedding event on a cross. Jesus had a date with death. The parade would culminate on Resurrection morning as Jesus rose from the grave with all power in His hands.
Those who have experienced the power of Jesus in their lives continue the praise parade daily. Let’s join the Hosanna crowd shouting “Save Now” to the only Savior who can.
By
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
Monday, March 21, 2011
Praise Is What I Do
I have come to know that as the challenges and temptations of life come my way, that if I can just make my way into a praise, if I can just turn my attention to the goodness of God, if I could just position myself to praise him, it is in my praise that I find the strength to deal with whatever it is facing me.
There’s something about the praise. It’s in the praise that I recount how good God is, has been, and will be to me. It’s in the praise that the pain lessens, the struggle subsides, and the spirit begins to rise.
We spend every day, sometimes all day, tangling with temptation, fighting with frustration, following God’s voice with hesitation...and that will wear you out. Every time we deal with a challenge, we have to release a portion of what God deposited in us the last time we spent time with him. He can only deposit in us if we’re hooked up to him. We hook up to Him through worship; we hook up to Him through prayer; we hook up to him through praise. When you feel like you’re running on empty, just praise Him. When you need refueling, praise Him. When the day has you feeling defeated, the situation has you subdued, and the problem has you paralyzed, just praise Him. Praise is what I do.
In 1 Samuel 30, we see David and his men coming home to Ziklag after battle only to find that the Amalakites, the enemy, had raided Ziklag and burned it to the ground. In addition to this, the Amalakites, the enemy, had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
What has it been like when you have come home only to find that your home has been broken into, your car has been broken into, your personal stuff taken; your material possessions messed with? The flesh rises up, the pressure goes up, your vision is blurred; you’re just angry. When you have to battle the flesh in the moment, it takes every ounce of strength you have to stay holy.
When the emotions take over, that’s when we must dig deep and allow the Holy Ghost to stay in control. The bible says in verse 3 that when David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. What does this say to us today? There will be tears, there will be discouragement, there will be fear, but it’s through our praise that we remember “greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.”
It is through our praise that we remember that if God be for you who can be against you?
It is through our praise that we remember, we’ve been through this before, we’ve seen this before.
It is through our praise that we remember how God delivered us last time.
Acts 16:25 tells us that at around midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.
Somebody called on the Lord in the midnight hour. And when they called on the name of Jesus, he answered them.
He turned their midnight into morning.
He turned their sorrow into a shout.
He turned their problem into praise.
He turned their worry into worship.
When Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, the prisoners heard them.
There are some prisoners sitting right next to you.
There are some prisoners who need the bands loosed.
There are some prisoners who need to know what to do to get loose.
The answer is simple. Tell them, “Praise is what I do!”
By
Pastor Marvin Moss
There’s something about the praise. It’s in the praise that I recount how good God is, has been, and will be to me. It’s in the praise that the pain lessens, the struggle subsides, and the spirit begins to rise.
We spend every day, sometimes all day, tangling with temptation, fighting with frustration, following God’s voice with hesitation...and that will wear you out. Every time we deal with a challenge, we have to release a portion of what God deposited in us the last time we spent time with him. He can only deposit in us if we’re hooked up to him. We hook up to Him through worship; we hook up to Him through prayer; we hook up to him through praise. When you feel like you’re running on empty, just praise Him. When you need refueling, praise Him. When the day has you feeling defeated, the situation has you subdued, and the problem has you paralyzed, just praise Him. Praise is what I do.
In 1 Samuel 30, we see David and his men coming home to Ziklag after battle only to find that the Amalakites, the enemy, had raided Ziklag and burned it to the ground. In addition to this, the Amalakites, the enemy, had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
What has it been like when you have come home only to find that your home has been broken into, your car has been broken into, your personal stuff taken; your material possessions messed with? The flesh rises up, the pressure goes up, your vision is blurred; you’re just angry. When you have to battle the flesh in the moment, it takes every ounce of strength you have to stay holy.
When the emotions take over, that’s when we must dig deep and allow the Holy Ghost to stay in control. The bible says in verse 3 that when David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. What does this say to us today? There will be tears, there will be discouragement, there will be fear, but it’s through our praise that we remember “greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.”
It is through our praise that we remember that if God be for you who can be against you?
It is through our praise that we remember, we’ve been through this before, we’ve seen this before.
It is through our praise that we remember how God delivered us last time.
Acts 16:25 tells us that at around midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.
Somebody called on the Lord in the midnight hour. And when they called on the name of Jesus, he answered them.
He turned their midnight into morning.
He turned their sorrow into a shout.
He turned their problem into praise.
He turned their worry into worship.
When Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, the prisoners heard them.
There are some prisoners sitting right next to you.
There are some prisoners who need the bands loosed.
There are some prisoners who need to know what to do to get loose.
The answer is simple. Tell them, “Praise is what I do!”
By
Pastor Marvin Moss
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