The Word
These are challenging times whrere the world is in crisis. Oswald Chambers said, When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to have such confidence in him that they will be the reliable ones. We have been separated from the darkness of this world for such a time as this.
Influencers is founded upon five basic tenets of the faith: Jesus is Lord; the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice; we are men of prayer; we link together with like minded men; and we give it away.
Navigators ministry teaches that following the Lord is like a wheel consisting of six elements: a hub, the rim, and four spokes. The hub at the center of the wheel represents Jesus Christ the center of our lives. The hub transfers God’s power to the rim which represents obedience to the Lord. The power of Christ is transferred to the rim through the spokes. The two vertical spokes represent the word of God and prayer. These two spokes align our hearts with God’s heart. The two horizontal spokes are witnessing and fellowship. These spokes define our relationships with believers and non-believers.
The first question is, Is Jesus Christ Lord of your life? If he is then he is the word of God made manifest.
The Bible was written on three continents by forty different writers. Among them were scribes, a doctor, pastors, kings and even a tax collector. Today most bibles are published in China. There are over 6,000 prophesies in the Bible of which over 3000 have already been fulfilled.
In our day we have given people permission to live according to the world’s standards instead of God’s righteous standard according to the Word of God.
As Pastor of a church Pete confronted five men who were elders and leaders of his congregation. All five were living out of wedlock with their “significant others.” Pete confronted them with the Word of God According to Hebrews, you drink milk but should be feeding on solid food. Those who are mature by reason of the (spiritual) maturity have their (spiritual) senses excercised to discern bot h good and evil. He said, you need to follow God’s word about marriage. You have two choices, either move out of the house and live separately from your girlfriend or get married.
When he checked with them a few weeks later, all five men were still cohabitating. Often men need a specific action plan. Pete said, “This week, Each of you will go down to the courthouse with your partner and sign a marriage certificate in the presence of the Justice of the Peace. The following week, all five men had made a commitment to the vows of holy matrimony in the sight of God and men. They remain happily married. To this day, each man thanks Pete for insisting that they follow God’s righteous standard of marriage.
According to John 1, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. To know Jesus Christ is to know the word of God. He is the meaning of the word. He is the word of God manifest in the flesh.
Therefore, blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree that is planted but he rivers of (living) waters. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
How do you get the Word of God into your life? The first way is to hear the word. People only remember about 6% of what they hear. The next step is to read the word. Then it’s important to study the word. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needed not to be ashamed (of his workmanship) rightly dividing the Word of truth…. The next step is to memorize the word. Then in times of need God will bring the word we’ve memorized back into remembrance. The final step is to meditate upon the word. Therefore meditate upon these things, commit thyself wholly and holy unto them that thy profiting may appear unto all.
The Word of God is an acquired taste. Jesus said, blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. An intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ is built through meditating on the Word of God. Time in his presence turning the word over in our minds develops intimacy with our Lord. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”
According to 2 Timothy 3:15, The Bible, God’s word is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, reproof and correction which is instruction in righteousness. The purpose is that the man of God may be perfect (fully equipped and furnished) unto all good works.
This verse is written to a “man of God.” A man of God is God’s man. Lord means ownership. The phrase man of God is the genitive of possession. Christianity is not who we are but whose we are.
A disciple is a disciplined follower. A man of God through the word of God is equipped for every good work. The King James Version reads the man of God may be perfect, through and throughly furnished unto all good works.
The word of God is the love of God in manifestation. God is his word and God is love, therefore God’s word is love. Love gives unconditionally from the heart of Christ in you the hope of glory. Love does the right thing, especially in a marriage relationship. Ephesians says love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.
When God said in Ezekiel 33, say, come now and say what the word of the Lord says. They will hear your word. Your words are like a beautiful performance… they gladly listen to your song, but they will not do them. But then when your words come to pass (according to God’s righteous judgement) they will know that you have spoken the word of the Lord.
The world thinks that reproof is a bad word. However, whom the Lord loves, he chastises. The greatest life lessons are learned through life’s most difficult tests. If you’re not being rebuked, it’s not because you don’t need it. It’s because you can’t take it.
Pete recalls that the year after he had been honored as an all star in the Double A Southern league, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins farm team in Indiana. He was assigned to the bench and was inserted into the lineup periodically as a pinch hitter. A fellow team mate Pete knew who had also been transferred from the southern league was in the starting lineup even though he had never been an all star. Pete was jealous of his teammate and thought that he deserved to be a starter. Then in a game in Indiana he was called to pinch hit. Pete thought to himself, “this is my opportunity to get a hit and prove the manager that I belong in the starting lineup.” On the mound was an up and coming pitcher named Pedro Bourbon. Bourbon was later drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and became an all star pitcher for the Big Red Machine who won two World Series. Pete says that his contribution to the minor leagues was to get minor league pitchers into the big leagues. Bourbon struck him out in that game in Indiana.
That night Pete was journaling and reading in Hebrews 12 where it says that the Lord disciplines those whom he loves. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
God spoke to Petes heart, “you know how to be an all star, but you don’t know how to sit on the bench. Some things you can only learn on the bench. You’ll learn meekness and humility to put your team mates first…. to encourage them, support them, and build them up. It’s painful to forsake your pride. Humility is learned in the refining fire and the crucible of my reproof. Reproof means to test and prove over and over that I, your God alone am your strength and sufficiency.”
When we approach the Word of God, as Paul prayed our prayer is, “Lord open the eyes of my spiritual understanding that I may know the hope of your calling and the riches of the glory of our inheritance of the saints.”
People take notice when we live according to the loving standard of God’s word. When we give grace and mercy instead of vengeance and retribution, the world sits up and takes notice. It’s not the world’s response to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, and recompense to no man evil for evil.
The sermon on the mount is contrary to the world’s definition of happiness. The beatitudes are God’s blessed attitudes. Humility is the prerequisite to receive the word of God. Like a child that hangs on his father’s words, we need to receive the word of God with childlike innocence and humility.
Doctrine, reproof, and correction are instruction in righteousness. God gave us his word so that we could live under the canopy of his love and protection. The Ten Commandments were God’s “terms of endearment” his wedding vows to Israel. He is our “sole” provider and our “soul” provider.
To be adequate and equipped and fully furnished unto all good works, we are to be men of the Word. For God said through his prophet Isaiah, “As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it will prosper in that thing where unto I sent it.”
Thank God for opportunities to live the word…. to demonstrate the power of God in manifestation.
…That we may through a heart of love, live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
