"How Does God Work Mightily In You?"That is a good question.I think it's being used loosely to mean all believers, but it worked mightily in Paul and those of his stature in those days and by some today to some measure because of the work that was being accomplished in them and through them.In thier time, they turned the known world upside down, and though Jesus Christ has filled the earth today, we have not come close to what those few men did in that first century, and yet we are many.God indeed was working mightily through them, for us as individuals posting our little notes of opinions hither and yon, going to Church services living out our mundane lives, is hardly a recipe of greatness working in us.So no, that scripture that Paul is speaking of speaks of himself and those that have been called to follow in that direction, not all are called to be a power house like Jesus, Peter and Paul. But there are other facets to Jesus ministry beside the power, there is hospitality, teaching, etc.. And for being the Apostle to us Gentiles, it was needed that he should recieve an abundance of grace to fulfill his commission.
approved wrote:"God indeed was working mightily through them, for us as individuals posting our little notes of opinions hither and yon, going to Church services living out our mundane lives, is hardly a recipe of greatness working in us."Should God's love story be so mundane?
_________________Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
Rookie, your testimony is inspiring. Is it not amazing the wonders a confession will produce?I have one question for you: what is your take on calling a task/responsibility you have "my ministry"? Is it really yours??Just wondering what your thoughts are on this issue...it is a big one, btw.
_________________“If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” (Charles Spurgeon)
ginnyrose asked..."I have one question for you: what is your take on calling a task/responsibility you have "my ministry"? Is it really yours??"This is the statement you asked the question about... "In short order, my pastor came to me and told me that this "newcomer" would be taking over "my" ministry."I highlighted "my" in the statement above to convey the "carnal" viewpoint that I had during those days. I had begun bible school at one of the large Calvary Chapel churches in Southern California. I attended for about a year. And during that time I began to recognize that there are many people who strive with one another in the hope of attaining a paid position. Many of us were trying to be sincere in motive. But the heart is deceptive. We were all babes in Christ. Some were more mature than myself for sure. But for me, I was striving and the Lord used this event in my life to show me the condition of my own heart and my inability to do what was right. To answer your question specifically, I believe that one who learns day by day to obey the commands of our Lord will out of that relationship discover "the ministry" that the Lord has prepared for that individual. There are many "programs" out there in the churches which are enlisted to "identify" the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit's calling in the individual. It just seems that these "programs" point out personality traits that the world finds valuable. I heard one pastor once say, "I wish the Lord would bless us with some strong leaders, you know, people who are extroverts. All we have in this church is introverts." With that said, Scripture does declare that as one's understanding is increased by the experience attained through the following of he Holy Spirit, one's calling becomes his or her own. Many pastors teach about the need for the individual to grow in self-esteem. They say, "how can you love another unless you first love yourself?" This is not what I have found. It is just the opposite. As you follow the Holy Spirit, the Lord will teach you about yourself. He will show you time after time how you fail when you rely on your carnal mind. And when one submits to this type of training, one will finally come to the conclusion that one is hopelessly lost. But that is only half of the story. As the Lord cleans His vessels, He is also filling them with the knowledge of His ways, His goodness. This is His love story that He gives to us who are being made Holy. The one who grows in the understanding of His love will no longer have self esteem as a goal because He has changed the substance of what we hope for. The fruit of this relationship with the Lord will cause us to glorify Him. We do infact decrease as He increases. The 'calling of the Lord' for each of us is the love story of our lives. This love story is possessed by every individual who walks with the Lord. And everyone who has a love story owns a ministry.
Rookie, The purpose the Son of God ( Jesus was manifested (made real), was that by the Power of The Holy Spirit /The Holy One might destroy the things thatThe devil...D-----'EVIL',.....he Satan / the evil one ...the Adversary,.. the evil he wants to work in us.The Holy Spirit came to DO a work in us ,that is :to teach us His Truth...His judgements, in how He see's everything ,and to work those judgements in us.....'The Way'....in us...Jesus said,'I AM 'The Way'..lead's through the 'Truth',....in order for us to have 'Life'. Through the Power of The Holy Spirit.As This Precious gift of Grace brings His Truths / Judgements up in us,..Drawing us to His Will, we have an option, ..to throw His Word / His WillTo the ground and keep our word / will......(the 'flesh' way )....OR....to obey...keep His Word / Will...( To be doer's of the Word and not hearer's only.Through the Power of The Holy Spirit ,Doing the Will of the Father / SpiritDestroy's the work's of the devil.Jn.8:51,..Jesus said,...Veryly, verly, I say unto you,If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death.He command's us by His Spirit. ..('For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, ..They are the son's /children of God.'May we all hear His voice, and follow / obey Him.And we Cannot go in that Way,except we die to self.It is a narrow WAY...which is His WAY.Please give ALL much of your Grace O' Lord,We praise you forever,Elizabeth..
Elizabeth wrote:The purpose the Son of God ( Jesus was manifested (made real), was that by the Power of The Holy Spirit /The Holy One might destroy the things thatThe devil...D-----'EVIL',.....he Satan / the evil one ...the Adversary,.. the evil he wants to work in us.The Holy Spirit came to DO a work in us ,that is :to teach us His Truth...His judgements, in how He see's everything ,and to work those judgements in us.....'The Way'....in us...Jesus said,'I AM 'The Way'..lead's through the 'Truth',....in order for us to have 'Life'. Through the Power of The Holy Spirit.As This Precious gift of Grace brings His Truths / Judgements up in us,..Drawing us to His Will, we have an option, ..to throw His Word / His WillTo the ground and keep our word / will......(the 'flesh' way )....OR....to obey...keep His Word / Will...( To be doer's of the Word and not hearer's only.Yes sister, this is the summation of the entire thread. I am slowly building verse by verse towards what you have stated above.May the Lord continue to add to the love song that each of use have received thus far....Jeff
I love to tell the story, 'till pleasant to repeat, What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;I love to tell the story, for some have never heardThe message of salvation from God's own holy Word."The first time I heard God's word to me, this is what He said..."How will you teach your son about Me when you do not know Me"My father before me, as a strict Bysantine Catholic, brought me up in the traditions of the Catholic church. I served as an altar boy for many years. I once told the archbishop of our diocese that I believed I was called to be a priest. Yet that all fell away soon after I left for college. The next twenty years would be a time of searching for satisfaction in this world. As time passed, I got married and we had our first child. When my son was three years old, as a father contemplating, I was considering how I was raised. I said to myself, I owe it to my son to teach him about religion. As I stood in my garden on a Saturday morning, God reached down to me. As I heard His voice, my heart quickened, and tears welled up in my eyes. I stood there for a long time considering what had just happened. For me this is the beginning of the old old story....The message of salvation from God's own holy Word."
Rookie,Thank you for sharing this, I hope you will be sharing more of your testimony.Blessings,Elizabeth
I love to tell the story, 'till pleasant to repeat, What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;I love to tell the story, for some have never heardThe message of salvation from God's own holy Word."Men's retreats have always been a very special time for me. This testimony is just one of the time the Lord brought a "refreshing" to me. This particular testimony also gave me insight into how God works to accomplish His plan. At this particular men's retreat a group of churches met, each one pastored by a man that God raised up from the ministry of one church. There were 6 or 7 pastors accompanied by the men in their individual churches. During a time of worship, the Lord impressed upon me that I was suppose to go and pray with a pastor of another church. My initial thought, "Lord, what your asking may hurt my pastor's feelings. If this is your will, please have (a specific man , name withheld for privacy issues) come to me after worship and confirm your command." Sure enough, immediately after worship, this man came to me with all the men of our church, and said, "This may seem strange, but the Lord wants us to go and pray with this other pastor." So we obeyed and prayed as a group with this pastor. This was a very good time. Yet this was not the end of the story. About two years later, this pastor moved to our church and became the first assistant pastor. Looking back, the Lord gave us a glimpse of how He works amongst the congregation. I love to tell the story of unseen things above,Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;I love to tell the story, because I know 'tis true, It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.
Phillip,again you wrote:" The Holy Spirit sent from the Father through my soul/mind is still becoming more Christ like and the person in the mirror is getting clearer and clearer, it is Christ in me the hope of glory. "As He is in this world so are we", is becoming line upon line and precept upon precept truth by "His working in me"."Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Have you a spiritual song?
