GodSprings - 30 November, 2016

Is my Prayer Helping Anyone?

  

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.

Philippians 1:19

Philip Yancey in his book Prayer: Does It Make a Difference? tells of a young American soldier in Iraq who learns that his wife back home has advanced cervical cancer. Doctors gave a bleak prognosis. In desperation, he sent an urgent email to his church with the request that everyone in turn forward his prayer request to every praying person they knew.

The email said, “Pray and forward. It only takes a second to hit “forward.” Please don’t delete this, your prayer can and perhaps will save her life. Please pray and ask everyone you know to pray for the HEALING of Cindy, removal of the cancer in her body so she may enjoy all that life has to offer, and continue to be the wonderful mother to our 5 year old son.”

Yancey goes on to ask, “Does prayer operate like a pyramid scheme – the more people who pray, the more likely the answer? Does a sick woman who happens to have praying friends stand a better chance for recovery than an equally deserving person who does not?”

This verse reminds us that there is power in corporate prayer. There is a special dynamic that comes into play when God’s children come together, united in faith and purpose, to seek the face of the Lord in prayer.

There is only one real problem in the Church these days, and that is the prayer life of the Church. We could enumerate many other problems that God’s people face. The problem of finance, or the problem created by the lack of love and unity that can prevail. But these are all secondary and almost superficial; they only touch the circumference of the situation. The real problem is the prayer life of the Church, and if that is solved every other problem at once finds solution.

Paul was having a tough time. But he says he is confident of having victory over it. The reason being the prayers of the faithful in the Philippian Church.

One of the most difficult things for us to grab a hold of in intercessory prayer is the fact that it doesn’t appear to be doing anything. If you bake a cake and take it to the neighbors, you are doing something. If you stand at the church door and pass out bulletins you are doing something. The hardest thing to get past when trying to understand intercessory prayer is that it somehow seems we aren’t doing anything. Most of us want to do something for God.

Most of us do not look at ourselves as "world-changers." We do not see ourselves as having the power or influence to change the direction of nations. As Christians, however, we affirm the power of God to impact the nations. That power is released through the prayers of people just like you and me.

Can we make a commitment today to change our world? It begins with a simple yet difficult step in prayer. Begin to pray more for the people around you, as well as for world leaders and the flow of world events. Bring the amazing power of God to bear upon this world and see what our awesome God will do!

GodSprings - 29 November, 2016

Can I Preach Christ if I am Jealous?

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Philippians 1:15-18

Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other's business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!"

In trying to deal with false accusation it's important to understand that Paul is not talking about doctrinal difference. He’s talking about something else.  The detractors here were not attacking Paul's theology. It was his person that bothered them.  And so they are preaching Christ.

They are not proclaiming another Jesus, like 2 Corinthians 11:4 and 13.  This is the same gospel and the same Jesus Christ.  They are not the Judaizers of Philippians 3:2, called “the false circumcision.”  They're not “the dogs” or “the evil workers” of that verse.  There's no difference in their content.  There's no difference in their gospel. There's no difference in their preaching.  The difference is in their motive.

It's their motive that messes them up. They were jealous.  Jealous of what? They were jealous of Paul's giftedness, Paul's success. They were jealous that Paul was so beloved.  They were jealous that everybody found Paul to be the touchstone of truth.  They were jealous because more people followed him than them.  They were jealous because he had so eminently upon him the blessing of God. They may have been jealous of the fact that he on three occasions had encountered the living, resurrected, and exalted Christ personally.  They were jealous - jealous of his gifts, jealous of his blessings, jealous of his ministry, jealous of his success, jealous of his high esteem.  He was a menace to their prominence.  He was a menace to the exaltation of their egos.  He was in the seat they wanted to be in, only he was there rightly.  And as a result of being jealous they created “strife.”  Their jealousy pitted them against him and conflict occurred.

Paul is not writing to gain sympathy for him but so that we'll know this is how it is.  And he reminds us in writing this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Lord takes note not only of what we preach but of why we preach it.  And to add to it not only what we do and think but of why we do and think. That the Lord is not only into content but the Lord is into motive. 

It’s a sad thing but it is rampant in the church today. Amongst the clergy and the laity. We sometimes turn out to be people who are motivated out of jealousy and envy. We focus our whole life on trying to discredit other people who occupy some kind of place of blessing that creates envy in our sinful hearts. 

We are angry that someone else is more successful than we are, as an evangelist, clergy, writer, doctor, advocate or a teacher.  If we get angry at others success, we too are producers of rivalry.Who were we jealous of in the last one year, month or today. Before we go back to sleep today let this be our prayer dear Lord may I not bring your name down because of jealousy.

GodSprings - 28 November, 2016

Is My Pain Accomplishing Anything For God?

 

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear..

Philippians 1:12-14

When Handel wrote the “Hallelujah Chorus,” his health and his fortunes had reached an all-time low. His right side had become paralyzed, and all his money was gone. He was heavily in debt and threatened with imprisonment. He was tempted to give up the fight. The odds seemed entirely too great. And it was then he composed his greatest work—Messiah.

Paul shares from personal experience that our perspective in times of pain makes all the difference. Paul is not asking, “Is what’s happening to me fair?” Rather, he poses this question: “Is what’s happening to me accomplishing something for God? Is it furthering His purposes in the world?”

Paul is challenging us to view adversity in light of its kingdom contribution. In doing so, Paul insists that adversity does not bring the gospel to a standstill; rather, it advances the gospel. Paul puts it like this: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else”

Paul’s imprisonment led to “the greater progress of the gospel”. Even though Paul’s imprisonment may have seemed like a setback, it actually served to advance the gospel among those in Rome.

 In God’s sovereignty, the Lord ordained Paul’s imprisonment in Rome so many people would hear the gospel who would not otherwise have heard it. Furthermore, many of these people are significant and influential people, who in the future, have a great impact for God.

Although God closes a prison door behind Paul, He opens a new door for the gospel. This is why Paul cares more about the progress of the gospel than his own problems. He is confident that God is always at work. And he believes that we can have our best witness in our worst circumstances.

Similarly, God uses your painful circumstances to advance His gospel. You may not like your job, your school, your neighborhood, or your marriage, but God has you “chained up” to some people who need Christ.

There are no mistakes or coincidences. God has a plan and He is advancing His kingdom through YOU.