Dear Partner in Prayer,
This is Part 7 of a series. Part 1 – 6 are below. Just scroll down.
I bless you today with the abundance of God’s love and favor that can never be separated from you. Your Father loves you so dearly. I pray that as you study His Word today, that He breathe that love afresh upon you and that you be strengthened with might in your inner man.
Matthew 16:18-19
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
While on a walk at a local park, I saw a Mom hand her keys to a child that had recently learned to walk. That toddler was so happy to have them. They must have been a bit heavy for her tiny hand to hold for there were a lot of keys on that key ring. The Lord spoke to my heart:
“That toddler doesn’t have a clue what she has in her hand. That’s the way it is with much of My church.”
Milk vs. Filet Mignon
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14
“…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…” Ephesians 4:13-15
And He Himself gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints…
Who you and I choose to submit to and allow to teach us God’s Word is of great significance to our personal lives and for The Church at large. Years ago, some members of my family were born again. But they were not willing to yield to hear truths from the Bible because they did not line up with what they had heard in church for so many years. They were entangled in the traditions and doctrines of men.
“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition…” “….And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Read Matthew 15:6-9.
When what is spoken in the pulpit or taught on the religious airways is different than what is written, always take the side of scripture.
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” John 12:48
Was Jesus being harsh? He was speaking only what His Father told Him to say. Read John 12:49-50.
God is love and God doesn’t want His church choosing teachings that are contrary to His word. Why? Because following after error cannot produce the abundant life-bearing goodness of God. Adam and Eve chose error and ate of a fruit that produced death when they could have chosen truth: the tree of life.
Milk or Solid Food
Milk is good for the nourishment of babies but is preposterous when a forty year old man is still drinking warm milk from a baby bottle.
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21
A church prepared for every good work! Can you SEE that, Saints? This is why God has us praying for The Church, with all of its many denominations. It is said 2.2 billion people on earth are Christians. That is about one-third of the population of the planet. (Do you know how many Christians are in your state?)
If every Christian was prepared for and fulfilling His work, every nation would be impacted with manifestations of His glory…just like when Jesus received His assignment, was baptized by John and was sent forth.
Pray for The Church in the cities and counties of your state. Pray that they will hunger after righteousness and be open to be led by the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is only through Him that the powerful, yoke destroying, burden removing, anointing of God will flow. Jesus needed Him and so do we. Read Acts 10:38.
Church Growth
Ephesians 4:15-16 reveals how we grow:
“…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.”
As we pray for brothers and sisters we do not even know, we are transferring forth nourishment and a supply of strength to help each one do its part, which is causing the body to grow. Out of our bellies flows life!
Keys and Authority
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19
Authority is transferred by words.
Remember the Centurion soldier who came to Jesus on behalf of his servant who was paralyzed? He said he was a man under authority, yet he had authority over soldiers that were under him.
When we use our keys of authority to loose and to bind, we should always be mindful of our position. We are under authority to have authority. That way we stay under His protection. Jesus always declared His protection… "It is the Father in Me who does the works.”
Jesus has delegated authority to His Church to establish His Kingdom of love and to loose the blessing on earth.
The Commission
“…He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them,
‘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.’”
“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
Mark 16:14-20.
Dear one,
Right now is a good time to pray. Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart and your words. Let Him speak through you today as you intercede for The Glorious Church in your cities in your state. Pray for God’s people to fulfill their assignments: that we will all go and do Father’s will to bring in the lost. Pray for us all to be salt and light in our states and nation. Be bold! Use your keys!
Surely, the Lord is working with us, confirming His word through accompanying signs. Amen.
This is Part 7 of a series. Part 1 – 6 are below. Just scroll down.
I bless you today with the abundance of God’s love and favor that can never be separated from you. Your Father loves you so dearly. I pray that as you study His Word today, that He breathe that love afresh upon you and that you be strengthened with might in your inner man.
Matthew 16:18-19
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
While on a walk at a local park, I saw a Mom hand her keys to a child that had recently learned to walk. That toddler was so happy to have them. They must have been a bit heavy for her tiny hand to hold for there were a lot of keys on that key ring. The Lord spoke to my heart:
“That toddler doesn’t have a clue what she has in her hand. That’s the way it is with much of My church.”
Milk vs. Filet Mignon
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14
“…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…” Ephesians 4:13-15
And He Himself gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints…
Who you and I choose to submit to and allow to teach us God’s Word is of great significance to our personal lives and for The Church at large. Years ago, some members of my family were born again. But they were not willing to yield to hear truths from the Bible because they did not line up with what they had heard in church for so many years. They were entangled in the traditions and doctrines of men.
“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition…” “….And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Read Matthew 15:6-9.
When what is spoken in the pulpit or taught on the religious airways is different than what is written, always take the side of scripture.
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” John 12:48
Was Jesus being harsh? He was speaking only what His Father told Him to say. Read John 12:49-50.
God is love and God doesn’t want His church choosing teachings that are contrary to His word. Why? Because following after error cannot produce the abundant life-bearing goodness of God. Adam and Eve chose error and ate of a fruit that produced death when they could have chosen truth: the tree of life.
Milk or Solid Food
Milk is good for the nourishment of babies but is preposterous when a forty year old man is still drinking warm milk from a baby bottle.
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21
A church prepared for every good work! Can you SEE that, Saints? This is why God has us praying for The Church, with all of its many denominations. It is said 2.2 billion people on earth are Christians. That is about one-third of the population of the planet. (Do you know how many Christians are in your state?)
If every Christian was prepared for and fulfilling His work, every nation would be impacted with manifestations of His glory…just like when Jesus received His assignment, was baptized by John and was sent forth.
Pray for The Church in the cities and counties of your state. Pray that they will hunger after righteousness and be open to be led by the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is only through Him that the powerful, yoke destroying, burden removing, anointing of God will flow. Jesus needed Him and so do we. Read Acts 10:38.
Church Growth
Ephesians 4:15-16 reveals how we grow:
“…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.”
As we pray for brothers and sisters we do not even know, we are transferring forth nourishment and a supply of strength to help each one do its part, which is causing the body to grow. Out of our bellies flows life!
Keys and Authority
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19
Authority is transferred by words.
Remember the Centurion soldier who came to Jesus on behalf of his servant who was paralyzed? He said he was a man under authority, yet he had authority over soldiers that were under him.
When we use our keys of authority to loose and to bind, we should always be mindful of our position. We are under authority to have authority. That way we stay under His protection. Jesus always declared His protection… "It is the Father in Me who does the works.”
Jesus has delegated authority to His Church to establish His Kingdom of love and to loose the blessing on earth.
The Commission
“…He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them,
‘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.’”
“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
Mark 16:14-20.
Dear one,
Right now is a good time to pray. Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart and your words. Let Him speak through you today as you intercede for The Glorious Church in your cities in your state. Pray for God’s people to fulfill their assignments: that we will all go and do Father’s will to bring in the lost. Pray for us all to be salt and light in our states and nation. Be bold! Use your keys!
Surely, the Lord is working with us, confirming His word through accompanying signs. Amen.