PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES, CTI yr. 1, all lessons

Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES Foreword In the life of every person called to ministry there are things that must come into order. God is not a chaotic God. By observing His creation, we can see that all He has done is highly ordered. Because of His order, we live in a faithful and steadfast world. We never doubt the rising of the sun or the rotation of the earth, the coming of the seasons or any other thing He has ordained in our world. His children, made in His image, must realize that this great Creator lives in us through the power of His Holy Spirit. This is the good news of the message we bring the world through ministry, or, as Paul puts it, “the foolishness of preaching.” In order to lend credibility to our preaching, we must, in our daily lives, manifest the qualities of God or the world will never see Him. We should be able to say as Jesus did to Philip, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father.” We realize this is a “tall order,” but with Him and through His Spirit, all things are possible! Before we ever become a credible witness to and for Him, we must first create order in our personal lives. This is the reason we include this study on “Personal Essentials.” We believe this series to be appropriately named, since the things taught herein are absolutely essential to us before we can proceed any further into ministry. There have been many well-meaning folk, with unquestionable love toward God, who have embarked into ministry without perfecting these essentials in their own lives. Needless to say, no matter the depth of love or good intent, their ministries never got “off the ground.” Because of our love for you and the desire to see you bearing fruit, we present this series of study. We advise that you prayerfully apply these things to your personal life and watch how the Lord promotes you to a higher level of ministry! In His love, Patricia T. Smith, President Covenant Treasure Institute Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES TEACHER EDITION INDEX Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 1, Faithfulness & Stewardship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 2, Biblical Tithing & Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 3, Divine Health & Healing I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 4, Divine Health & Healing II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 5, Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 6, Fasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 7, The Life of Worship & Ways to Praise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 8, Personal Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 9, Fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 10, Prayer Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 11, Heart of a Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 12, Public Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Review Lesson 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 8 Page 9 Page 14 Page 15 Page 18 Page 19 Page 25 Page 26 Page 32 Page 33 Page 40 Page 41 Page 45 Page 46 Page 49 Page 50 Page 53 Page 54 Page 60 Page 61 Page 66 Page 67 Page 71 Material herein not to be copied or reproduced in any manner without obtaining permission from Covenant Treasure Ministries, P O Box 667, Elgin, TX 78621. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES LESSON 1, FAITHFULNESS & STEWARDSHIP By Patricia Smith Numbers 12:6-8: “and he said, hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is FAITHFUL in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold.” Here God states his primary reason for choosing Moses and speaking with Him as He had done with no other, as FAITHFULNESS. God chooses “faithful” people. He proved this yet again when he chose the child Samuel and informed Eli, the priest, why He was anointing another priest in his and his son’s stead: 1 Samuel 2:35: “and I will raise me up a FAITHFUL priest that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before mine anointed forever.” After the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall and reinstitution of the levitical priesthood and worship, God, through Nehemiah, chose two men to have complete charge over all that had been done and would be done in Jerusalem. The reason he chose these men? Nehemiah 7:1-2: “I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was FAITHFUL…and feared God above many.” Why did God choose Abraham above all the men on earth to make His covenant of promise? Nehemiah 9:7: “Thou art the LORD the God who didst choose Abram and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name of Abraham; and found his heart FAITHFUL before thee and made a covenant with him to give the land.” When it was time to appoint treasurers and those who would distribute monies to the needy, four men were chosen by God, through Nehemiah for this task. Why were they chosen? Nehemiah 13:13: “and I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan….for they were counted FAITHFUL, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.” The psalmist lamented: Psalm 12:1: “Help, LORD, for the godly man ceaseth; for the FAITHFUL fail from among the children of men.” And again: Psalm 31:23: “O love the LORD all ye his saints; for the LORD preserveth the FAITHFUL…” And again: Psalm 101:6: “Mine eyes shall be upon the FAITHFUL of the land that they may dwell with me…” Solomon, gifted with wisdom by God, said: Proverbs 25:13: “as the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a FAITHFUL messenger to them that send him; for he refresheth the soul of his masters.” And again: Proverbs 28:20: “a FAITHFUL man shall abound with blessings….” It was said of Daniel, when his enemies looked for fault in him in order to accuse him to the king: Daniel 6:4: “then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was FAITHFUL, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” What does the word “faithful” actually mean? Strong’s Concordance 539: ‘aman (aw-man’): a primitive root, properly, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm, or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or to be true or certain. KJV – hence, assurance, believe, bring up, establish, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trustworthy, verified. Strong’s Concordance 571: ‘emeth (eh’-meth), contracted from 539, stability: (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness KJV – assured, establishment, faithful, right, sure, truly, verity And yet another: Strong’s Concordance 529: ‘emuwn (ay-moon’), from 539, established, i.e., trust; also trustworthiness. KJV – faith (ful) truth In the New Testament, the gospels are full of Jesus’ dissertations on faithfulness. Matthew 25:21: “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and FAITHFUL servant; thou hast been FAITHFUL over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Hear Him delivering His sermon on FAITHFULNESS to the Pharisees, the religious people of His day, remembering that He is the “same, yesterday, today and forever.” Luke 16:10-12: “He that is FAITHFUL in that which is least is FAITHFUL also in much; and he that is unjust in least is unjust also in much. If therefore, ye have not been FAITHFUL in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches: And if ye have not been FAITHFUL in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own.” There is much to be discussed here. Jesus is equating faithfulness with being “just” and speaks of being “faithful” with mammon or money, finances. The bold question of who will receive “true riches” is answered by the issue of faithfulness in finance. Accountability to others is also referred to in the statement of being “faithful” in that which is another man’s. Does this apply in the workplace? Does it apply in church? Does it apply in ministry? The Apostle Paul ties “stewardship” into “faithfulness” and lets us know that we are all STEWARDS, or caretakers of God’s mysteries. The word for “stewards” here means “a manager or overseer of property that belongs to another.” EVERYTHING WE HAVE ACCESS TO, MATERIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY IS NO LONGER OUR OWN…IT BELONGS TO GOD, for He has “bought us with a price” and we are “not our own.” If we have worldly goods, i.e., home, bank account, car, furniture…it is NOT OURS, but God’s and we are simply His stewards, allowed to manage or oversee it for Him! If we have been given knowledge of salvation, ministry, spiritual gifts…IT IS NOT OURS, it is God’s and we are His stewards, given the privilege of overseeing or managing it for Him! Paul says: 1 Cor.4:1,2: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and STEWARDS of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is REQUIRED IN STEWARDS, that a man be found FAITHFUL.” The word here for “faithful” in the Greek means just as it does in Hebrew, primarily, “trustworthy.” One who is trustworthy is constant, true to their word, true to their commitments. THINK OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD! Suppose one morning the sun were not to rise in the east and the universe simply halted all operations because God decided He didn’t care to oversee it any longer…He was just too tired, or perhaps He grew weary of our unthankfulness or His being taken for granted. Perhaps He would just teach us a lesson and QUIT! Where would we be? Do we depend on the faithfulness of God? Suppose you were to die today and appear at the gate of heaven. If an angel asked why you should be allowed to enter what would you say? Why of course, there would be no hesitation. You would be quick to reply: “out of my way angel! I am one of the redeemed of the Lamb! Jesus paid the price for me with His blood at Calvary and my sins are gone…I am one of His!” Then imagine the angel replying: “Oh, yes that was the old way of doing things. God changed His mind about that just this morning. Didn’t you get the memo? It’s different now.” “How absurd” you say! God would never do that! WHY NOT? BECAUSE HE IS FAITHFUL! HE IS TRUSTWORTHY! IF HE SAYS IT, YOU CAN STAKE YOUR ETERNAL LIFE ON IT. WHY? BECAUSE HE IS FAITHFUL! Do we fear destruction by a global flood ever again? NO! Why not? Because every time we see a rainbow, we remember His words that as often as that bow appears in the cloud, He will look at it and remember His promise to us…and HE IS FAITHFUL! Jesus came to save us. When all men forsook Him and fled (including His closest and most trusted disciples), why didn’t He say, “well, they just aren’t worth it, I’ve changed my mind.” Truly, we weren’t (and aren’t) worth it, and we didn’t (and still don’t and never will) deserve His sacrifice. So why did He go on to the cross and suffer the wrath of man and the eternal wrath of God on our sin, when at any given time He could have called a legion of angels to deliver Him? Why did He stay on that cross during the unspeakably excruciating pain and the anguish of God’s judgment on our sins? FOR ONE REASON…..HE IS FAITHFUL AND HE HAD PROMISED! It made no difference to Him that we forsook Him and fled, that we turned our backs on Him and refused to acknowledge Him that we persisted in going our own ways and doing our own things. HE HAD MADE A PROMISE AND HE REMAINED FAITHFUL! The scripture says that even “when we believe not, He abideth FAITHFUL.” If we intend to follow Christ and to live His life in us, then we must (not maybe we’ll try) but WE MUST BE FOUND FAITHFUL. IT IS REQUIRED IN STEWARDS. If we attend church, let us be FAITHFUL. If we accept a responsibility, let us be FAITHFUL. If we are entering a ministry, we must be found FAITHFUL! Do not think that your ministry will be successful or will profit anyone, or even be recognized by anyone unless you FIRST learn to be FAITHFUL! Those who say they have been called to a great preaching or teaching ministry, yet cannot be faithful to those around them, to their family or their church family, will soon meet with failure. If one is not faithful to keep commitments, to tithe, to keep one’s word; if one is quick to commit and equally quick to “drop-out” or renege, one soon loses everyone’s respect. If you make a commitment and something comes up that looks better, that sounds like “more fun” or perhaps something that will get you a lot more recognition or praise, or a bigger offering, and you drop your original commitment, you are acting as an UNFAITHFUL PERSON. Worse yet, this writer has known people who have sought to justify such decisions by saying, “I believe the Lord is leading me to…..” My beloved students, let me assure you, the Lord NEVER leads you to be unfaithful or to back off of or drop a commitment. The proverb says that the righteous “swear to their own hurt and changeth not.” If you have committed your name and your word to something, even if later on no one seems to appreciate it, even if something much better comes along, even if it costs you time, money or talent, you will KEEP YOUR COMMITMENT if you are a FAITHFUL person. God and everyone around you will know that you can be counted and relied upon. Then, just as Jesus said, if you have been FAITHFUL in little, He will make you ruler over MUCH. The natural tendency is to want to start out with “MUCH”, but be assured, that will not happen until your FAITHFULNESS is proved. Why is unfaithfulness in giving your tithe a hindrance to you and others? Why is keeping your word important? What about with your family, your children? Is that equally important? Is it important for ministry to keep financial commitments? It is not the intent of this lesson to be harsh, but it is the intent to be sure that you understand that you will never attain the spiritual destiny God has in mind for you until you learn to be faithful. It is imperative. We live in a generation that has been brought up by daycare centers and babysitters. Many of us never received this kind of teaching or mentoring in our homes when we were growing up, therefore, it falls to the church to teach true faithfulness, commitment and trustworthiness. The best way the church can teach this is to lift up the faithfulness of God in His Son Christ Jesus. His faithfulness took Him to death and hell, just because He loves us and He made us a promise. Now He lives in us. Let us allow Him to manifest this same spirit of faithfulness in our lives and ministries or the world will never see Him as He is! TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 1, Faithfulness & Stewardship What reason did God provide for choosing Moses, Samuel and Abram (Abraham)? Their faithfulness. Psalm 31:23 promises what blessing to the faithful? Preservation Psalm 101:6 promises what blessing to the faithful? His eyes will be upon you. Name 3 alternate meanings for the Hebrew word “aman,” translated “faithful”: 1) build up 2) support 3) true, certain, permanent. 5. True or False: Jesus spoke repeatedly concerning the issue of faithfulness.True 6. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 4: 1,2, that we are stewards of the mysteries of God, and that as such, we are REQUIRED to be faithful. 7. In your own words, describe the faithfulness of God and what it means to you: Teacher’s note: grade on understanding of concept, depth of research and word usage to describe subject. 8. One of the first prerequisites of ministry is that you be found faithful 9. Psalms says that the “righteous sweareth to his own hurt.” What does that mean? Always keeping your own word even if it results in a loss to you. (Teacher’s Note: any reasonable simile is acceptable. 10. As a minister and a steward, you can begin by being faithful to your family, church, tithing, etc. Teacher’s Note: Any reasonable answer is acceptable. 11. Why is it important that you give your tithe? Teacher’s Note: Any reasonable answer relative to faithfulness is acceptable. Grade on understanding of concept, depth of research and word usage. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 2, BIBLICAL TITHING & GIVING By Patricia Smith Leviticus 27:30 states "all the tithe of the land" (seed, fruit, herds, flocks, etc) "is the Lord's, it is holy unto the Lord". WHY did God make this a commandment? Because He "redeemed" or "purchased" the entire nation of Israel (all of Abraham's seed, according to the covenant He made with Abraham and reiterated with Isaac and Jacob). See Exodus 6:6 and 15:13 as well as Psalm 74:2. ISRAEL BELONGED TO HIM. Any "redeemed" property belonged entirely to the redeemer. They were in debt to God for their very lives. Therefore, they were "holy unto the Lord" and all of their TIME belonged to Him. In return, God made covenant to TAKE ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM, to see that their needs were met. By right, Israel (with special emphasis on the "firstborn" (Numbers 3:13) then owed God 24 hours a day to the praise, worship and service of their redeemer. Yet God, in His wisdom and mercy, knew that they needed to and would indeed "want" to be free to spend time caring for their families, engaging in productive work. In the tithe commandment, what God was actually saying to them was this: "Even though you owe me ALL your life, and time, go ahead, plant vineyards, tend flocks, press grapes, make wine, press olives, make oil, build houses, spend TIME with your families. This will be your "livelihood" (from which we derive "living" or "LIFE"). BUT REMEMBER! you belong to Me and when you prosper because you have been made free to do so, all I ask is that you acknowledge me as your source. Do this by bringing me the tenth of your "living" or your "life". This will be an act of worship that says..."all that I am, all I have, all my time is yours Lord, this I know full well. But you have loved me enough to loan back my TIME to spend in prospering. Therefore, I bring you a tenth part of my TIME, my LIVING, my LIFE. In doing this, I know it will be acceptable to you because I am acknowledging you as my source, my redeemer, and the One who meets my every need." The principle has not changed today. We have been redeemed by the BLOOD OF CHRIST! We have been declared to be the church "of the firstborn" We are not our own, we belong to Jesus, 24 hrs. a day. (1 Cor. 6:19) Yet God allows us to "sell" off our time...8 hrs. (or more) a day, 5 days a week (perhaps more) in order to give us the power to get wealth, to prosper. If we own our own businesses, we often spend even more time doing this. We must never forget that the time we spend in the workplace belongs to HIM! He has "loaned" it back to us for our pleasure and prosperity. All He asks is that we acknowledge Him in this plan. How do we do this? When we get our paychecks, (or if in business for ourselves, when we get that check for the work we have done), we say this represents 40 hours of time that rightfully belongs to God, 40 hours that has been purchased at the highest cost in heaven and earth by Him. Therefore, I will take the tenth part and bring it as an act of worship, saying, "this, O Lord, is 4 hours of my very life that you have lent to me this week. I acknowledge you as my redeemer, my source and the One who meets all my need. Thank you for allowing me to prosper and giving me the time to do it!" NOW THAT THE PRINCIPLE REASON FOR THE TITHE IS ESTABLISHED, let us look at Deuteronomy 12:5-14, which tells us that Israel not only brought "tithes" but "burnt-offerings, sacrifices, vows, the firstlings of their flocks (and because He knew they would still have occasions of gratitude for which they would WANT to give more... “ free will offerings" as well. The Jew ended up giving usually between 30-40% of their income to God. They were instructed to bring tithes, not just anywhere, but to the place where God would choose to "set His name" (which later was established as Jerusalem). In other words, they were instructed to bring their tithes and offerings to the place where the presence of God was manifested. They were further instructed (Numbers 18:21-26) that their tithes were to be the "inheritance of the tribe of Levi"(the Levites) because the Levites had not inheritance with them in their possession of the land. The Levites were the priests and ministers who DID spend 24 hours a day in praise, worship, ministry, intercession and the service of the tabernacle (later the temple). God allowed 11 tribes the privilege of their time "loaned" back to them to spend as they pleased. He chose only one tribe to represent them in their full-time service. (Numbers 3:11-13) This is a type or shadow to us of those involved in full-time, 5-fold ministry. They are "gifts" to the church that are not afforded the privilege of full-time pursuit of wealth, but must "live of the things of the altar". They are to spend their time in prayer, the Word, ministry, intercession and "equipping the saints." This is why Jesus said, the "laborer is worthy of his hire" and Paul quote the Old Testament saying not to "muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn". In another place he said, "no soldier goes to war at his own expense" and to "communicate" (or give freely) to those who labor among you and particularly "those who teach". (See Luke 10:7, Deut.25:4, 1 Cor. 9:7-9, 1 Tim. 5:17-18, Gal.6:6, 1 Tim 6:18) The "tithe" of Israel was primarily for the support of the priesthood and subsequently the temple and things necessary to the ministry. They were told repeatedly not to "forsake the Levite" so that THEY WOULD BE BLESSED IN THE WORK OF THEIR HANDS.(Deut.12:19, 14:27-29) 18:1-8. Not only were they to give them the tithe for their support and the support of their families, but they were to "give unto the Levites..cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also to the Levites, "suburbs" (pasture lands) for the cities round about them. And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle and for their goods and for all their beasts." (Numbers 35:1-4) In those cities, they were to provide houses (Leviticus 25:33) "for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. But the field of the suburbs (pasture lands) of their cities may NOT BE SOLD, for it IS THEIR PERPETUAL POSSESSION." Deuteronomy 14:22-29 gives further instruction concerning the bringing of the tithes and offerings. It states that if the "way be too long for thee so that thou art not able to carry it, or if the place (Jerusalem) be too far from thee...then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand and shalt go unto the place.." After traveling all the way to Jerusalem, with the tithe money actually tied to their hands, they would present it to the priests and Levites. The priests would then bless it, take what they needed and RETURN THE REST TO THEM! Now they had BLESSED MONEY to spend the whole time they were in Jerusalem for attendance at the three yearly feasts they were required to attend (Passover, Pentecost (Weeks or Ingathering) & Tabernacles). They were told to spend that money for "whatsoever your soul desireth" and to eat and rejoice with your family before the Lord, making sure that the Levite was cared for first. This is certainly a type or picture to us of the fact that after we have given our tithe to God, He (who certainly doesn't need our currency) will return it to us and more besides! He simply takes pleasure in the fact that we have acknowledged that all we have in Him and our lives and time belong to Him. Then He turns around and pours out more upon us. Now, as then, the tithe is for the support of the ministry and the place where they minister and for the widows and orphans. (This should be a priority of every church) 2 Chronicles 31 records the great revival under Hezekiah, when Israel returned to God with a whole heart. Interestingly enough, the first thing Hezekiah did after destroying idolatry in Israel was institute the return to tithing and giving. The people's (whose hearts had been touched) first reaction was to bring gifts in such large measure that they "heaped" them up into great heaps. The Levites then said (vs.10) that since the people brought the offerings, "we have had enough to eat and have left plenty, FOR THE LORD HATH BLESSED HIS PEOPLE AND THAT WHICH IS LEFT IS THIS GREAT STORE." Then, out of that abundance, Hezekiah commanded the chambers in the house of the Lord to be prepared and set the Levites in order over the offerings. Malachi 3 was written 450 years before the birth of Christ. At this time, the people had once again grown idolatrous and sinful. The priesthood, though still operative, was corrupt. Among the sins of the nation listed by Malachi were: sorcery, adultery, liars under oath, oppression of workers and neglect of widows, orphans and hospitality. In all of this, God cries out plaintively through His prophet, "RETURN TO ME!" Interestingly enough, the terms God relates for a return to Him is simply stated "bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse..." WHY? Let us go back to the first of this lesson. Remember the fact that the tithe represented the very life of the individual? Now relate that to this injunction. He is telling them to bring their "lives" into His house! He knew that their lives and their money were the same thing. So in bringing their money, they would be bringing their sinful lives back to Him and He would accept that as a return to Him! They would be acknowledging Him as their Redeemer and Source, thus constituting a return! He then promises that if they will do this one simple thing, the act of tithing, He will: 1. Open the windows of heaven 2. Pour out uncontainable blessings and pour YOU out as a blessing to others 3. Rebuke the enemy for their sakes 4. Preserve their living and their offspring (the Heb.word for “vine” is literally “offspring”) 5. Give them favor with the heathen or unbelievers While we are not under commandment of the old law covenant to tithe today, God has not changed. (see vs. 6) and the type, the shadow and underlying principle is still the same and THE PROMISES ARE THE SAME. For those who claim that tithing is simply an old law for Israel only, and not a practice intended for New Testament saints, I challenge you to look at Galatians 3, which tells us that "if we are Christ's then are we Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." If we are "Abraham's seed" and thus expect his promises to come upon us, we must give heed to the words of Jesus to the Jews of His day in John 8:39, where He told them that if Abraham were their father, they would "do the WORKS OF ABRAHAM". One of Abraham's primary works was to give the tithe to God. (See Gen. 14:17-24) This act was acknowledged and commended in the new testament (Heb. 7:4) and was under the dispensation of promise, long before the Law of Moses was given. It is also recorded that Abraham's seed, (Jacob) was a tither (Gen 28:2) and subsequently, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were wealthy men in their day being blessed of God. All this was prior to the giving of the Law and has proven to be an eternal principle. However, we must not give as though we were under harsh commandment to do so. God is not pleased with this kind of giving. He is after a "heart condition" that underlies all biblical giving. A heart that says: 1. You are my redeemer. 2. I belong to you. 3. You supply ALL MY NEED. I acknowledge this. 4. I know that all I have is a gift from you. 5. I trust you, I love you. Here is a token of my very life. This is in direct contrast to the person who will not tithe. That person is, in essence, saying only three things to God. They are: 1. I will not obey you. 2. I do not believe you. 3. I will not trust you with my earthly substance. If you were God, looking for somone to bless financially or indeed in any other way, what would your thoughts be toward the person who makes these three statements in his or her life? God has not asked of us that which He is not willing to do first. He not only gave a portion or a token of His love to us....He gave us HIS LIFE 100%! when He sent Jesus. But after that the tithe of God can be seen in the church. How many were the "firstfruits" on the day of Pentecost in the Upper Room? (120) How many apostles were there? (12) How many of those gave their lives as martyrs? (12) But wait you say, the apostle John died a natural death, leaving only 11. Yes, but remember Peter and the rest chose Matthias by casting lots, and later it became evident that God chose Paul to be the 12th apostle of the Lamb? Well, Matthias who served (even though not divinely appointed) as the 12th until the conversion of Saul (Paul) was also martyred, as well as Paul himself. What are we saying? We are saying that God watered the seed of the Word and laid the foundation of the New Jerusalem with the blood of 12 apostles, a tenth or tithe of the firstfruit church. Again, He gave His life in blood to give us a foundation! If you are in ministry, you are not exempt from the tithe, neither are you exempt from the blessing of the tither. You should always personally tithe out of your ministry. Your personal tithe belongs to your home church where you are spiritually cared for by a pastor. Additional offerings should go to the organization that grants you license or ordination since they are making it possible for you to do your ministry. The running of any organization requires finance and ministry is no exception. In your giving, be sure to remember your credentialing organization and other ministries that spiritually feed you, (such as ministry school). Also, if you pastor a church, or are the head of an evangelistic organization, ministry school, soup kitchen, etc., whatever comes into that ministry, you should tithe to another organization or ministry. For instance if you are a pastor and the tithes on Sunday morning are $100.00, the first $10.00 of that amount should go to missions or another ministry that is blessing you. Next, you should receive a portion of that amount for you and your families' needs. This can be a predetermined percentage or amount, or you may choose to do it on an "as needed" basis. Most denominations have set rules concerning the salaries of Pastors, however we are not concerned with what men have determined, but rather with God's instructions and principles. After you have received your personal amount, you must see that ministries who work with you (associate pastors) are cared for. The rest is distributed as you see fit for payment of church expenses (bldg., utilities, sound systems, etc.). You may have someone in charge of the finances, writing the checks and keeping records, or you may do it yourself. If so, BE SURE THAT AN ACCURATE RECORD IS KEPT, and that you are operating totally from a spirit of honesty and integrity, always bearing in mind that for the most part, people of God work diligently and hard for their living, and this tithe represents their very lives. Administer it accordingly. But allow me to show you an even more excellent way of life! Remember when Jesus sent His disciples in to Jerusalem before Him to prepare for the Passover? Jesus had need. He needed a place, a room for them to keep the feast. He told them to go into the city and to look for a man “carrying a water pitcher”. When they found him, he would provide their need. True to Jesus’ word, they found the man with the water pitcher, and he provided them a furnished upper room to keep Passover. Now, what am I saying? Most of us have been geared to giving out of our need, with expectancy that God will provide. Anyone who has followed and obeyed God very long can testify that this is a sure thing. I personally, have had great need, given out of that need, and then went looking for the “man with the water pitcher”. Sure enough, he always showed up somewhere down the line and my need was met. Then I would get broke again, and again, I would give out of my need, always looking for the “man with the water pitcher”. Believe me saints, this is a principle that works. But look! There is a better thing than getting broke, giving, getting your need met, and getting broke again, giving again and getting your need met again, getting broke again…… HERE IT IS….INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR THE MAN WITH THE WATER PITCHER….BE THE MAN WITH THE WATER PITCHER!!!! Don’t be content to just be a tither. Go beyond that and start looking for someone to meet their need. Once you start that, you can be sure that God will keep your pitcher full. Try to imagine for a moment that you are God…You have assumed responsibility for every last one of your covenant children in Christ Jesus. You have promised to meet their needs. You have chosen to do it through your body on earth, the individuals that comprise the church. You see one saint over here with need. You send another saint who has the means at the time to bless that saint and meet his need. If he is obedient and does it…who would you look for again the next time a child of yours had need? Well, what if that saint didn’t have the means to bless this needy child like he did the last time? Since you know that he will be obedient….where would you pour the finance? I believe that when God finds a willing vessel, He continually keeps his “pitcher” full so that he can keep on pouring. I don’t know about you, but I intend to be the person with the water pitcher! TEST REVIEW Personal Essential Series, Lesson 2, Biblical Tithing & Giving Why did God command Israel to tithe? They were redeemed (bought) by Him, so the tenth was acknowledgement to Him that they understood His ownership. (Teacher’s note: Any reasonable simile of the above is acceptable) Your time is your life True or False: When you “sell” your time, if you are redeemed of God, you are selling off what belongs to God. True If redemption is the basis for tithing, do we, as New Testament saints need to obey concerning literal tithing of money and possessions? Yes Why? It was instituted prior to the Law, it is a “heart” matter, we are redeemed by Christ’s blood and we are “not” our “own,” (Teacher’s note: Any reasonable simile of the above is acceptable. True or False: It’s O.K. to give your tithe wherever you see fit. False Israel was told to bring their tithes where? Where God chose to put His Name (Jerusalem) or where His Presence abode. Who were the Levites? The priestly tribe, the descendants of Levi God gave them as a gift to the other eleven tribes, to do the service of the priesthood or ministry. Who did they foreshadow in the New Testament? The Five-Fold Ministry Why were the Old Testament tithes for the Levites? They had no inheritance with the rest of Israel. The prophet Malachi recorded 5 blessings in chapter 3, to the tither. What are they? 1) open the windows of heaven 2) pour out a blessing 3) He will rebuke the enemy 4) blessing of offspring 5) favor with the heathen In your own words, give a written apologetic for New Testament tithing Teacher’s note: grade on understanding of concept, depth of research and word usage to describe thought. A person who will not tithe is saying 3 things to God. They are: 1) I will not obey you2) I don’t believe you 3) I won’t trust you with my finances True or false: If you are involved in ministry, then you are giving your time and work for the Lord. That’s enough, so you don’t need to tithe your money. False True or false: If you pastor a church, that is a thankless and time consuming job, therefore, you are exempt from tithing false In a properly ordered church body, who should first receive the “firstfruits” of the tithe? Pastor and/or leadership If you are pastoring you must administer the tithe money to see to it that you and your family’s needs are met Then, others in leadership and church needs. Above all else, the minister must operate in a spirit of honesty/integrity and BE SURE that accurate records are kept. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 3, DIVINE HEALTH & HEALING I The Origin of Disease & Sickness By Patricia Smith When God created man, health was not an issue, it was a given. Adam had no concept of sickness, disease or debility because he was made in God’s image. He was in complete fellowship with his father and creator, God, enjoying life, walking and talking with Him. It was only when sin separated him from this relationship, (and subsequently all who would be born of his race) that death became inevitable, and sickness appeared. Even so, Adam’s body was so close to perfection that it took his sinful spirit over 900 years to “eat through” to his flesh, finally bringing about his physical death. From this concept we come to the conclusion that sickness and disease, weakness and infirmities can rightfully be called “limited death”. It is a means that brings us to an end. But whose “means’ is it? When God declared death to be our lot (“from dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return”), every person from that time forward has had the right to expect that death of the body will be his latter end. With this pronouncement upon us, Satan considered us “fair game” and declared “open season” on Adam’s race. From that point he set his sights to rob, kill and destroy us (John 10:10) and viruses, germs and bacteria have been powerful weapons in his attempt to obliterate us. We know that he (Satan) is the one behind original sickness and disease because of the word of God. Peter, when speaking of Jesus, as recorded in Acts, said that He went about doing good and healing all who were “oppressed of the devil”. Jesus Himself, looked at the woman in the synagogue who was “bowed over and could in no wise lift herself up” and plainly said, “ought not this daughter of Abraham whom SATAN HATH BOUND, lo these many years be loosed?” For some reason, there are Christians who are bound and determined to blame God and His Will for sickness and get angry at anyone who has the audacity to put it where it belongs….on the devil. Jesus came to show us His Father and HE WAS HIS FATHER’S WILL ON EARTH. Most Christians will at least acknowledge this fact. If this is the case, and He was who He said He was, then there must be some significance in the fact that wherever He went He healed the sick Without protection from a higher more powerful source, we are fighting a losing battle. From the start, men (who are made in God’s image) had enough residual intelligence to put up a fight. Medicine is one of (if not “THE” oldest) device of mankind to battle the effects of our own sin. Please think about this. God did not declare sickness and disease on Adam and Eve as their punishment. He declared death to be their punishment. Separation from His presence, His glory, was the sentence. But even in that, His mercy took over and He promised them a redemption from this awful fate in a “seed” that was to come (Gen. 3:15). It was Satan, who took occasion from this separation of man and God, to wreak havoc on man, in his futile attempt to destroy the “seed”. He is still trying to destroy God’s “seed”. He had, and still has; no foreknowledge of who would be God’s elect, so he set out on a vengeful course to destroy us all as soon as possible, thereby hoping to eradicate God’s “seed” in the earth. This would make him the ultimate ruler of earth and prove superiority over God, making him ultimately the ruler of heaven as well. Remember Herod, who did not know who or where the kingly “seed” was? In the perfect picture of a satanic method of operation, he reasoned that if he destroyed all babies under the age of two years, he would destroy the “seed”. Hundreds of Israeli mothers underwent the horror of their babies being killed before their eyes, with no clue as to why it was happening. Perhaps many blamed God. No doubt some said, “If God is good, why has He done this?” Perhaps others piously said, “It was God’s will, and we must bear it as good covenant people.” It is a certainty that Satan stood on the sidelines and laughed. He had accomplished the wiping out of hundreds of God’s covenant people and the unborn thousands that were in them and God most likely got the credit for it! Picture this same method in operation on a larger scale…over the entire human race. Have you ever looked at disease germs and bacteria under a microscope? Are they beautiful living cells? No, they look monstrous, even to the natural eye; their very appearance is startlingly evil. Do you think God authored and shaped these things and sowed them in the earth, much less in your body? Not hardly! It is our enemy. Just as the farmer in the parable of Matthew 13, who sowed good seed. Jesus said that “while men slept”, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. Then the servants of the farmer came to him asking him, why, if he sowed good seed, were there tares in his field? Even an uneducated farmer had the good sense to answer them, “AN ENEMY HATH DONE THIS (Matt. 13:28) Satan is the one who has sown the tares into our lives. He is the author of sickness and disease just as surely as he is the author of confusion and lies. In his attempt to destroy God’s seed, he has loosed an invisible arsenal of demonic, disease producing spirits that we have dutifully named germs, viruses and bacteria. As they attack us, we believe the satanic lie that this is only to be expected on this side of heaven, it is a result of God’s curse on us because of Adam’s sin. Alas, this is “god’s will” and we must bear it patiently. People, we must first start SEEING THE GOSPEL (good news) for what it is, and then start PREACHING THE GOSPEL (good news), as Paul said, “FULLY”… and above all we must start DEMONSTRATING THE GOSPEL (good news) in power and authority! The good news is this: “FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.” (1 John 3:8) It is my contention as I earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, that divine health and the healing of the sick and diseased is an integral part of the gospel, having been paid for IN FULL at the cross of Calvary. “Himself” (said Isaiah) carried our weaknesses and our infirmities (sicknesses and diseases). The Amplified Bible says in Matthew 8:17: “and thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. He Himself took (in order to carry away) our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases. (Isa. 53:4) If Isaiah prophesied it, if Matthew (undoubtedly getting his information from Christ Himself) pronounced that Jesus took our weakness, our infirmity (IN ORDER TO CARRY THEM AWAY), and that He BORE AWAY OUR DISEASES, if the scriptures are God’s inspired Word to us, if I believe the Bible…..HOW CAN I UTTER OR EVEN THINK THAT THEY ARE MINE TO BEAR? How can I stand in a pulpit and declare that you are suffering because of the “will of God”. “Well,” some piously proclaim, “what about suffering! We are all called to suffer the sufferings of Christ…why just look at the apostles and the early church! Look at the new testament scriptures related to suffering!” YES, JUST LOOK AT THEM, PLEASE!!!! Without exception, every instance of Christian suffering was “for the sake of the gospel”. It was not suffering just for the sake of suffering, to “make us like Jesus”. That is a lie authored from hell and Satan himself. We are indeed, “equal heirs with Christ”. Anything and everything that befell Christ, we may be called upon to experience. For thereby He suffered, leaving us an example “so that you should follow in his footsteps”. (1 Peter 2:21, Amplified) Those of us living in the United States are fortunate in that we are not under a government that physically persecutes Christians. If we were, we would not be removed from suffering for the sake of the name and gospel of Christ. You can see what is happening in China, the Sudan and many other godless and heathen places in our world. Christians are being discovered, beaten, maimed, imprisoned and cruelly tortured for the cause of Christ. But God is with them and His grace is sufficient for them and will carry them through. This works for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory! It is the crushed and suffering church that like a rose that is crushed, offers up a beautiful fragrance. All things of the world cease to be a temptation, money and possessions become unimportant, all that matters is your relationship to Him, your trust in Him to do the impossible and carry you through, even to the death. Then is that suffering Christ made flesh in you and you bear in your body the marks of the Lord Jesus, as Paul. THIS IS SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL AT THE HANDS OF MEN. IT IS NOT GOD-INDUCED SUFFERING JUST FOR THE SAKE OF SUFFERING! Nowhere in the sinless life of Jesus, who “left us an example”, did He teach or show us how to be sick and full of disease!!!! Think about it! He taught me how to respond to my enemies by His example. He taught me how to react when I am ridiculed, when traps are laid for me, when times are good and revival is on, and when times are bad and they seek me to kill me. He taught me NOT to respond to evil accusations. He demonstrated God’s power to keep me when I am falsely accused, when I am arrested for His sake, beaten, tortured, and finally, He taught me how to die in hope of the resurrection. But NOWHERE can I find Him teaching me how to be sick, how to patiently bear disease and affirm it to be God’s will. You can look all you please, but you can never find Jesus staying home because he was sick. NOWHERE can you find Him treating sickness and disease like it was a left-handed friend of some sort, fulfilling the will of God in people’s lives. As far as I can see, He HATED it and DESTROYED it wherever He found it! JUST AS MUCH AS HE HATES SIN, HE HATES SICKNESS AND DISEASE! And just as much as He hates sin and sickness, He loves us! So for that reason, “SURELY, He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains (of punishment)….But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him and with the stripes (that wounded Him) we are healed and made whole.” (Isa. 53:4, 5)(Amplified Bible) He left me no example to follow by suffering patiently, acquiescing to the “will of God” in a long, debilitating illness, or a pain-filled journey to death by disease. The only example he left me concerning sickness was this…. “He performed many miracles, curing those who had dropsy, leprosy (leper) and palsy, giving sight to the blind (spittle), and setting loose those who were bound and possessed by demons. He lay hands on those with fever, disease, and infirmity and healed all those who were sick and maimed (halt). A deaf and dumb (speechless) man was set free with a single command (ephphatha) from his infirmity, and a woman with an issue of blood was healed simply by touching the border of his garment. Jesus also healed an epileptic and a blind beggar (beg) and raised the dead, among whom was the daughter of Jairus (talitha), and Lazarus (grave-clothes). “(W. E. Vines) Those of you, who know me, know my heartfelt and unyielding stance on this issue. If I were to try to expound to you all the reasons from Genesis to Revelation why God’s covenant people are intended to be in health, we would be many days in the hearing of it. So we must endeavor in a limited length of time to show why this is so. TEST REVIEW Personal Essential Series, Lesson 3, Divine Health & Healing I Who is the originator of sickness and disease? Satan Jesus came to show us the Father. He was His Father’s Word/will True or False: Sickness and disease was part of God’s pronounced punishment upon Adam and Eve for their sin. False According to 1 John 3:8, why was the Son of God manifested? To destroy the works of the devil. Isaiah said prophetically of Christ “Himself” carried our sickness and our infirmities. Matthew said that He fulfilled what Isaiah had said concerning Him, saying, “He Himself took our weakness and infirmities and bore our diseases. In your own words, why, are we, as Christians ever called upon to suffer? Teacher’s note: The main correct thought here is that Christian suffering is always for the sake of the gospel. Grade by understanding of concept, depth of research and word usage to express thought. In any account, does biblical Christian suffering include sickness and disease?No What example did Jesus give in His life on earth regarding sickness and disease? He healed it in anyone who desired it of Him. What scripture written by the prophet Isaiah graphically link the forgiveness of sins with the healing of the body at the Cross? Isaiah 53:4,5 Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 4, DIVINE HEALTH & HEALING II By Patricia Smith Let us begin with Exodus 15:26, where God declares that His very Name is Jehovah-Rapha…..the Lord that healeth thee. If you have a problem believing Isaiah or Matthew, will you believe God Himself, speaking from heaven? He is NOT giving Moses a list of the things He DOES….He is declaring WHO HE IS. He doesn’t just go around healing folks at His whimsy, just because it’s a good thing to do. HE SIMPLY IS….HE IS…..He IS the Lord who heals us! What we are trying to say with the limited force of human vocabulary (may it be inspired by the force of the Holy Spirit to the enlightening of your spiritual eyes) …is that He cannot be otherwise. HE IS A HEALER, therefore He heals. If you happen to be in His Presence, healing simply emanates from Him (just as Jesus’ garment was so full of JEHOVAH-RAPHA DNA that a woman just by touching it was healed of a 12-yr. long disease!) Jesus didn’t “DO” that. He was just “there”, and WHO HE WAS brought healing to this woman, NOT WHAT HE DID. He didn’t reach out for her, He didn’t spit on her, He didn’t lay hands on her, He didn’t even speak to her! He was “declaring His Father’s Name…Jehovah-Rapha”….i.e., He WAS THEN AND IS NOW AND FOREVER, JEHOVAH-RAPHA, and just because He was and IS Who He IS, she got near Him and got well! Let us examine the New Testament scriptures…. “if the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, DWELL IN YOU, it will QUICKEN (give LIFE to) your mortal (mortal meaning subject to death) body.” (Romans 8:11) Let us examine the Old Testament and the nation of Israel, under a covenant with God, knowing that we have a better covenant with better promises. But in the shadow of Israel, (for Paul says they are examples for us) let us look at the picture of a healing God. Ex. 15:26, where the Lord declares Himself to be Jehovah-Rapha.” I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Other translations render it like this: I am the Lord who heals you (Amplified) I, the Lord am your healer (New English)I Jehovah am healing thee (Youngs) I am Jehovah thy physician (Spurrels) I am the Lord your lifegiver (Basic English) I am the Lord and it is health I bring thee (Knox) I the Lord make you immune to them (American) Ex.23-25, 26 He shall bless thy bread and thy water and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee…..the number of thy days I will fulfill. I will free you from disease (Moffatt) Deut. 7: 25 “… and will take away all sickness from the midst of thee.” The eternal will also free you from all sickness (Moffatt) The Psalmist said, “I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me” (Ps. 30:2) David said, “I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance” (Ps. 42:11) Psalm 91 is perhaps the most graphic of all descriptions of God’s care for his covenant people…A multitude of promises to those who “dwell in the secret place of the Most High”, including deliverance from the noisome pestilence,(communicable disease)… Thou shall not be afraid terror by night, or the pestilence (there it is again) walking in darkness, No plague shall come nigh our dwellings, He will deliver, He will answer, be with us in trouble, deliver, honor and with long life satisfy us. We are told that we shall flourish and bring forth fruit in old age, being fat and flourishing! (Ps. 92:14) That doesn’t even sound like we should expect a weak and lame old age! David said in Psalm103:1-2, “bless o my soul and forget not all His benefits….who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth ALL thy diseases.” Do we believe He forgives all our sins? No problem with that! Why is it we believe half of that sentence but not the other half? When Israel came out of Egypt, between 1 and 3 million strong, Psalm 105:37 says, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” The Psalmist records in Ps.107:19:21 that “He sent his word and healed them.” Solomon, gifted with the most wisdom of any man until Jesus, said this in Proverbs 4:20-25, “attend to my words, keep them, for they are life to those that find them and HEALTH TO ALL THEIR FLESH.” Speaking in the first person as the wisdom of God, Pr 9:11 says: “for by me thy days shall be multiplied and the years of thy life increased.” Jeremiah the prophet records in Jer.33:6: “behold I will bring you health and cure and will cure them and reveal abundance of peace and truth.” Hosea the prophet paints a picture regarding the tribe of Ephraim that speaks of the many churches that belong to the Lord in our day: Hos. 11:3: “I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by the arms, BUT THEY KNEW NOT THAT I HEALED THEM”. Is this indicative of the church today? Is it possible t hat many saints are suffering under sickness and disease because they have no knowledge of God’s provision? What could and should we do to let others know about being made “whole” at the cross of Christ, body, soul and spirit? The last scripture in the Old Testament is a promise of more healing to come. Mal 4:2, “unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” Healing was available to Israel under their covenant at all times. Everyone knows that leprosy in bible days was not curable. Yet under the law, God describes leprosy perfectly and then outlines the cleansing one should undergo with the priest when they were cleansed from their disease. It was a given that there was provision for their healing! This is why Jesus shouted back from a mountaintop to 10 lepers….”GO SHOW YOURSELVES TO THE PRIESTS!” Jesus knew that healing and health was the “children’s bread” and said so when a Greek woman sought healing for her daughter. Remember His words to the religious folk at the synagogue concerning the woman who was bound over and could in no wise lift herself up? He said that because she was a “daughter of Abraham” she OUGHT TO BE HEALED! Why, “ought” this woman to be healed? What did being Abraham’s descendant have to do with it? Whose spiritual descendant are we? What does this have to do with us being whole? This woman was worthy of healing and indeed Jesus said she OUGHT to be healed by virtue of the covenant made with her forefather Abraham. In other words, she OUGHT to be healed in Abraham’s name! Do we have a covenant with God? Who made it? Is He our “everlasting Father?” OUGHT we to be healed in Jesus name? Another thought is that even though she had a covenant right to be healed and OUGHT to be healed, the fact is she was not and had not been healed in l8 years of suffering. Can we relate this to our covenant and our conditions? Time fails us to even begin on the healing ministry of Jesus. Jesus, who came to show us the Father…what did He show us of the Father? Healing for sick, maimed and crippled bodies! HE WAS THE WORD OF GOD, therefore, HE WAS THE WILL OF GOD. Did He ever turn anyone away? Better still, did you ever hear of any of those following Him opting out on certain days because THEY were sick? NO…Why? Because they were in His presence, and it is not possible to be in His presence and remain sick! All this transpired before His atoning death, burial and resurrection. After the resurrection, followers of Christ enter into a whole new dimension, a NEW COVENANT, a better covenant, with better promises! We are not paddling backwards on our quest to KNOW HIM. We have not gone from an old covenant of health and atonement to a new one of sickness and a miserable lifetime of trying to “stay saved”. Dear God, may you open our eyes that we might know the hope of our calling, and the very power that you manifested when you raised Jesus from the dead! It has always been this writer’s observation that legalistic people are rarely healed and churches that teach a great deal of legalism have more “un-healed” and sickly people in them than most, even though they espouse healing as a doctrinal truth. Why is this? Because if you cannot believe in, trust in and rely upon Jesus to save you, and KEEP YOU SAVED, then you are trusting in what you can do, which, of course, is never enough. Consequently these folk live in a state of constant self-condemnation and guilt, never being sure and never being able to “do enough” or “not-do enough” to be worthy of His grace. If this is the case, then when sickness or disease strikes, even though they believe in Jesus power and provision to heal, they cannot feel themselves worthy enough to be the recipient of health! What heresy! Or worse yet, they have, like the Pharisees, “arrived” to a point of righteousness by their church attendance, and list of rules, and feel that they ARE worthy of healing. When they have hands laid on them and don’t experience an instant healing, “bye and bye they are offended” and the “seed of the Word” which they received with joy never takes “root” and they go off deciding that they must be suffering for righteousness sake. CONCLUSION: Before you can proceed any further into the benefits of the covenant, you must have a grounded knowledge of what occurred at Calvary, and know that you know YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS regardless of your inadequacies and failings, because of WHO JESUS IS…HE IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jehovah-Tsidkenu). Once you have that foundation, you are then free to believe that all of His covenant promises are yours, not on the basis of who you are or what you have done or not done. This is essential to receiving any covenant blessing. Now our enemy walks about like a roaring lion seeking anyone who will “scare”. Though a vanquished foe, he still maintains a realm of authority the bible calls “spiritual wickedness, rulers of the darkness, in high places”. He still afflicts the people of God at any and every opportunity he gets. But the good news is this: Jesus has successfully destroyed the works of the devil! God has given Him a Name above every Name, that at that Name, every knee shall bow. He has given us the authority to use that wonderful NAME! He has given us the armor of God. He has given us His own Spirit. He has given us His own Word! He has come to live in us! He has hidden us in the Cleft of the Rock! He has become our shield and our salvation, our health and our deliverer! One can only conclude from His exemplary life, that God does not intend His people to suffer sickness and disease. It is NOT HIS WILL.. If it were, then we should certainly never go to a physician and spend all that money trying to get out of the will of God! Shouldn’t we rather just patiently bear it and all its pain and suffering, because after all, it’s “His will”? I think not. How ridiculous. If it is NOT HIS WILL, then what do we do when the enemy attacks us or our families with it? James gives us the answer, pure and simple: “Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (Jas 5:14) What then, is the result of this? He goes on: “and the prayer of faith SHALL SAVE THE SICK AND THE LORD SHALL RAISE HIM UP….AND, if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” But, you say, I know so many Christians who are suffering even now with sickness and terminal disease. I have gone to so many funerals of Christians who died of disease while yet in their youth. All I can say is that just as people die and go to hell….that is NOT THE WILL OF GOD. His Word says that it is “not His will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Yet, people whose sins have been paid for at Calvary die and go to hell because they have not taken hold of and received the Word of God. When the church plunged into the dark ages and the Word of God was taken from the people, faith went with it, as faith comes from hearing and hearing the Word of God. Only since the reforming move of the Holy Spirit that began in its infancy in the 1500’s and became a real force in the 1700 & 1800’s in Britain and America, has the Word been steadily growing and increasing in His people. Now, as we fast approach the coming of the Lord, restoration is coming to the church. For so long people have lived in sickness and defeat because of a lack of knowledge! God said His people were literally “destroyed” for a lack of knowledge! Bro. Jerry Edmon made a statement not long ago that really hit home with me….He said Noah could have used electricity on the Ark. It was there. It has always been there. He just didn’t know it. The children of Israel could have left Egypt on DC 10’s. All the components that go into it and the forces of thrust and drag were there….they have always been there. Men just didn’t know it. So it is with the Word of God…full of what Peter calls “exceeding great and precious promises” by which we are made “partakers of the divine nature”. Let’s face it friends, the “divine nature” is not sick or diseased, and we are made partakers of it through believing the promises of the Word of God. As people involved in ministry, we must never separate the doctrine of healing from the cross. Rather than to preach healing, we must lift up Jesus the Healer. We must endeavor to let the Holy Spirit reveal Christ Himself, His Person, as we teach and preach. If people are ushered into the very Presence of Christ, they will be healed! But they must hear it, and they cannot hear without a preacher! Who will answer that call? When we preach Christ, healing inevitably follows. It cannot be otherwise. Consider the people that Jesus healed. They were sinners. The obvious love and grace behind the healing of their bodies brought them to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I maintain that miracles of healing today are for the world, for the sick and sinful. It is an evangelistic tool of the highest order, a manifestation of God’s grace and mercy to lead people to Christ. There is a difference between a miracle of healing and divine health. Christians should not be on a quest for one healing after another.. They should be resting in their covenant right….DIVINE HEALTH. Be assured that the enemy will come to rob that from you, yet it is your divine right. It is the Children’s Bread, and we are the children! I cannot tell you how to appropriate this except to believe it. If you can’t believe then say as the man who brought his demon possessed son to Jesus…”Lord, I believe, HELP thou mine unbelief!” Fill yourself with the Word, study out the promises for yourself on healing. Take your concordance and look up every single word that has to do with “health”, “healing”, “cure”, and “whole”, “wholeness” “sickness” disease Study the healing miracles of Christ, meditate on Heb. 13:8, Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, TODAY and forever! Immerse yourself in the Word until faith comes and then take hold and don’t let go! The very word “salvation” as translated in your new testament from the Greek has many shades of meaning, one of which is physical wholeness and soundness! HEALTH refers to the soundness and efficient functioning of body and mind. It was used as a synonym for healing or cure; used in the sense of safety or deliverance; and used in a moral and spiritual sense as the equivalent of salvation. Wycliffe’s version of Acts 28:28 is “Therefore be it known to you that this health of God is sent to heathen men.” Tyndale rendered it “this salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles”; but at Luke 19:9 his version has Jesus say to Zacchaeus, “This day is health come unto this house.” In Ephesians 6:17 Wycliffe had “the helm of health,” where subsequent versions have “the helmet of salvation.” Consider Peter’s take on Isaiah’s prophecy, the famous 53rd chapter which outlines the components of our salvation and includes physical healing. Isaiah said, and “with His stripes we are healed” Peter quotes it like this: “with whose stripes we were healed.” Past tense. Already done. Finished. Completed. If my healing is already done, then I must be in health! While there are many who can quote the scriptures about healing and are still living in sickness, the scriptures outline some reasons for that. Among them, partaking of the communion with no knowledge (or not discerning or understanding) the benefit of physical healing involved in it. Paul said that for this reason, there were many weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (Indeed die untimely deaths because of illness) simply because they did not understand or discern the value of Christ’s body bringing health to them. Another shade of meaning in not discerning the body, is this: We (corporately) are the body of Christ. If I am at odds with you and in strife or division, I have not discerned the fact that I am literally wounding the very body of my Savior. Therefore if I eat and drink into His body while at the same time maligning and dividing it, I am prone to a particular kind of judgment, and perhaps for this reason, sickness may abide in some. Then there are some who are not really happy unless they have some sort of ailment. Perhaps throughout their lives the only time they received special attention was when they were sick. Perhaps they enjoy the sympathy and attention that comes from being sick and in truth don’t really want to be well. Oh they get in the prayer lines and keep saying, “I know God’s GOING to heal me”, but in fact, they have no true desire to be in health because the attention (or disability check) they are receiving would stop! None of us have all the answers, but there are a few things we can know that we know, and one of them is that Jesus paid the price so that we could be in health and prosper even as our souls prosper. We just want to be found IN HIM, healthy, whole and preaching the gospel until the trump sounds or God calls us home. This writer has personally trusted Him for health for over 38 years now and He has never failed me yet. I do not expect that He will now. Eat His Word. It is health to all your flesh! TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 4, Health & Healing II What name of God tells us His character as a Healer? Jehovah-Rapha Exodus 15:26 in the KJV says: “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Give at least three other translation’s rendering that portion of scripture. Teacher’s note: Any three of the ones listed in the lesson will be considered correct. What Psalm is God’s answer to terrorism? Psalm 91 David said that the Lord “forgiveth all thine iniquities (forgives all sin) and heals all thy diseases. The enemy comes to rob God’s covenant people of their inheritance. Once portion of that inheritance is physical “wholeness.” Recognizing that this attempted robbery would occur, what instruction does James give us when anyone is sick among us? We should call for the elders of the church to anoint us with oil and pray the prayer of faith over (and with) us. What is the predicted outcome of obedience to James 5:14? Healing and forgiveness of sins (if any have been committed). Are there scriptural reasons some people are not healed? Yes Name some of those reasons: Teacher’s note: Use your discretion along with the reasons given in the lesson to grade this question. Do not accept “sin in someone’s life” as a reason, since James 5 clearly indicates that people will be healed EVEN if they have committed sins, and be forgiven at the same time. As seen in the ministry of Jesus, who are MIRACLES of healing intended for and what was the end result of most of them in Jesus ministry? Intended for sinners, and resulted in their receiving Him as the Christ. Jesus told a Syrophoenician (Greek) woman that healing and deliverance was the “Children’s bread.” In other words, it was for people who had a covenant with God. Who are the “children” now? We are, who have been “born again.” Who is the “broken bread” given to us now? Christ When we take communion, the wine represents the blood of Christ that was shed for our forgiveness and remission of sins. The bread represents The body of Christ bringing us health. True or false: We should always expect to be healed and forgiven at the communion table. True. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 5, FORGIVENESS By Pastor Jerry Edmon Luke 17:1-5, “Then said he unto his disciples It is impossible but that offenses will come; but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” There’s a mix up in the area of “rebuke them.” We rebuke them and don’t forget it. We rebuke them and hold a grudge. But the Bible says forgive them and if they trespass against you seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn to you and repent, you are to forgive them. To forgive is not a suggestion for having a successful life. Forgive is the very heart beat of the gospel and if you don’t understand forgiveness then you do not understand what God’s heart is. The number one compelling thing that we see in God’s heart was when He began to turn toward reconciliation. That was the first thing that happened to Adam; it was the first thing that happened to mankind. With the authority Adam had in this earth, he committed high treason, he submitted (he gave) his authority to an arch enemy of God, to a creature of great rebellion and great pride. God immediately began to make a way to provide legal forgiveness. So God begins to immediately put His Word back into the earth. With every prophet He could find He would put His Word back into the earth. Every time He could catch a glimmer of an opportunity, He would put His Word into the earth until one day the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus didn’t come to show us a good life. We must understand the purpose for His coming was to reveal the heart of the Father and in doing so, He died for us. The compelling drive (heart, emotion) that He could not escape from, that captured the heart of God, was to die for those that He loved; to make a way; to make a path; to forgive. The Bible said that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) When we cursed Him, when we spit on Him, when we denied His name; HE FORGAVE. Again, let me say, forgiving others is not a suggestion. But you say, “you just don’t know what they’ve done to me!” Understand this: Forgiveness is the heartbeat of the gospel, THIS IS WHAT GOD IS LIKE and to deny this is to deny who God is and why He came, why He sacrificed as He did (because of love). He has commissioned us to forgive. I know a lot of you have been hurt and could write a list of offenses that you’ve had. Some that were not just offenses, but they were major stumbling blocks for you. You were ready to fight and you may have fought. You’ve gone through things that were almost life-changing for you. It is so hard for us to look at the offense and not say “how can I forgive that offense against me?” It is difficult for us when we’ve been offended to respond to them in a way that literally releases them and treats them as though they had never done anything wrong. This does not mean we are to be foolish and keep going back into situations that are obviously of a destructive nature. When someone does something stupid and in so doing you end up being hurt, you’ve got to be smart enough not to get back into that situation but you do have the responsibility to release them and to forgive them. The bible says: “if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26) So if you don’t forgive them, how can you expect God to forgive you? You have to take thought of this as you think on those offenses. I find the greatest need in people’s lives today is for restoration, forgiveness and for acceptance. This seems to be the thing that people are reaching out for most of all and the greatest challenge in our life is to do just that (restore, forgive and accept). Think this as you deal with offenses. In the midst of your wrong doing toward someone else wouldn’t you hope they would forgive, restore and accept you? When someone offends you and you hold unforgiveness, this unforgiveness will take you into the path of bitterness. The bible speaks of a “root of bitterness” and the reason it calls it a “root” of bitterness is because roots go deep and you cannot pull them up out of the ground. Many times it takes an act of the Holy Spirit to come in and do surgery on you, to dig down into the heart (the wound) and dig that thing out. Unforgiveness goes somewhere and it is a destructive path that it takes. It becomes a prison not to just that individual, but it becomes a prison to you. Unforgiveness will lead you into places you don’t need or want to go. It can lead you into places that will tie you up and bind you up for years. I have known people who have walled themselves up in their offenses and they have stayed there for decades. They were never able to get away from it, it was as if something had imprisoned them. Well, they were imprisoned by themselves, by their own decisions and unforgiveness. Unforgiveness not only imprisons the person you are holding a grudge against, but it also imprisons you. As a believer you cannot expect to grow in love when you violate the very principle of love which is to release your prisoners (to forgive.) The very heartbeat of God says this is hat I am going to do to you, I love you and I am going to release you. If you hold back forgiveness by saying “yeah, but…” You can’t look at what God did for you and “yeah, but…” Let’s get serious now, do you remember where you came from? Do you remember what you were? God had to scrape me out from under a rock; I was stuck to the bottom of it, He had to do a mighty, miraculous work; I know what I deserve. I deserve death, I deserve a life of destruction. But He came to me unconditionally, washed me and cleansed me and the heartbeat of it led Him to restoration for me. So, when you really forgive, your heart will immediately be “how can I restore?” You’ll want to take that person and make them whole again. Have you ever seen a grandpa when one of the grandkids has done something wrong and he forgives them and says, “now they really didn’t mean to do that.” He or she “is a good kid.” This child may have just done something destructive and grandpa is saying they are “good kids.” Grandparents, because of love, immediately reach out with a voice of restoration. This is what we are to do; reach out with a heart/voice of restoration. I must repeat that this is the heartbeat of the gospel. Forgiveness and restoration is sometimes a hard thing to work into our way of life and our thinking. But the heartbeat of God’s love compelled him to forgive you while you were yet a sinner, and He commands us to love one another and forgive one another. Ephesians 4:32 tells us “be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Forgiveness is not based on a feeling, but it is based on a decision. Sometimes you don’t feel like forgiving but will make a decision to do so. This decision is birthed out of trust in God our Father. Trust in God is the greatest issue in relation to forgiveness. Why? Because we are trusting that God is mighty enough to be in control. I trust Him that nothing happens in my life without Him guiding me, leading me, protecting me, ordering my steps and watching me. No matter what evil comes my way, “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” This is where a step of faith comes in. I must recognize that God is involved in every aspect of my life, even the hurtful incidents. That is hard sometimes for us to swallow and it’s hard for us to embrace because it seems we sometimes think that God is in control and then out of control. We think He is so powerful in some areas of our life but when it comes to hurtful incidents we think these must have “slipped by Him.” But you see, we are the only channel (conduit) of God into this earth and must realize that God walks us into difficult situations in order that we might express His love to other individuals. God loves us so much He got the gospel to us and He loves the world so much He gets the gospel to them. He doesn’t do it by sending angels or raining bibles out of the sky. He does it by blessing us and sending us as a conduit of His love and there are many times He will walk you into difficult situations to accomplish it. So often we have been so touchy when we got into a difficult situation we’d punch someone in the nose or react in other destructive ways; not recognizing the fact that we may be in this situation by the divine order of God so that we might display and show the love of God to others. Love is what God is all about. Romans 5:5 says “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.” For what reason? His love is in me and He is in total control of my life and I am in this situation in order to show His positive love and forgiveness to others. I believe we are to show God’s love to others even in difficult situations. Unfortunately what comes out of our mouth is murmuring or complaining concerning the situation. The Holy Spirit has many times commissioned us in difficult situations to show forth the love of God so we can show others what He is really like. When He walks me into the negative and He walks me into the hurts, and He walks me into the darkness there will be a response in me and that response is to be love. That is what God really wants. He wants love to come forth in a way that otherwise would not have come forth if darkness had not been there. So, it becomes an issue of trusting that God is in control and standing strong in knowing that s love comes under that pressure we are established in His love. The Holy Spirit has your life on assignment whether you feel it, understand it or know it. It becomes an issue of trust. So let us trust God and really believe that God is in control! One of my favorite passages of scripture is that on Joseph, because Joseph was the perfect example of forgiveness in the scripture. His brothers were jealous of him as they saw the purpose of God emerging in his life. They resented him and did some things to him that he did not deserve. You may relate to that and look at the offense that has come your way and say, “I did not deserve that!” God has given us all these same scriptures for an example to us and that is why it is important that you read the Old Testament as well as the New. God shows us many things through the Old Testament. Joseph did not deserve the treatment he got. There was no possible way he deserved all that he got. The coat that he got was really Reuben’s by right, it did not belong to Joseph. Reuben was the firstborn and he probably felt it should have been given to him, as it was a distinguishing mark among the brothers. Joseph was the youngest and was put in charge. Jacob educated him and put him in charge of his business and now here he is about 17 years old and he is bossing his brothers around and you can see in scripture what happened. Looking through Joseph’s eyes, how would you feel if your brothers had lied about you, sold you like an animal and you were ripped away from your family? I heard the story that the path of the Ishmaelites who bought him for slavery, would have taken Joseph right by his father’s tent on their way to his bondage in Egypt. These people would often have a cage that they put on the side of a camel, just big enough to cram you in and hold you until they got where they were taking you. Being led away from his father’s house and all he can think of is why are they doing this to me? We’ve all had the same questions Joseph must have had…”why did they do this to me”? “I didn’t do anything.” “I didn’t mean to do anything.” “Why would they feel that way toward me?” They auctioned him off and it looked as though God is going to bless him again, because things get better and then someone lies about him again and he falls back down to the bottom and this time it’s prison. Think about that. Here he is sitting in prison. From the time he had been thrown away, kidnapped and sold and in prison he is in his early thirties. Fifteen years have passed. We can handle these things that last 5 minutes, but this had been a long time for him. This is not something easy to toss off, this is an offense that affected his life. Joseph in this prison situation is faced with a legitimate offense. He is thrown into an Egyptian prison, ripped away from his heritage. In those days heritage meant something. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? It meant something. Being part of a family meant everything. That was a major offense and yet he stands there and he is forgotten. God helped this situation of being forgotten. Remember the butler and the baker whose dreams he interpreted in the prison? When the butler got out of prison, Joseph said, “don’t forget me!” And as soon as the butler got out the door, God said “forget.” Joseph could not turn over to the book of Genesis to find out what took place because he didn’t know it was being written! He was just in that situation and in his estimation I am sure things were going very wrong. But God had a purpose in all the wrong done to Joseph, and Joseph held on by trusting His God. The greatest element that God wants from us, in the darkness that we face, is trust. You find out in the midst of this that when people do things to you that sometimes God has walked you into that for a purpose. God did not save you just for the hope of one of these days you are going to heaven. Your life is an assignment; God has you bumping into people and He has people bumping into you. For what purpose? That you might show forth the light. You’ve got to respond in such a way that God would respond and the greatest way God responds is forgiveness. The most powerful statement in Joseph’s life was to his brothers, “you thought evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20) Joseph was saying to them, “I’m not saying God was in your evil, but when you had your meeting, and God showed up at your meeting, the thing you meant for evil, God turned it for good. Therefore, I can trust Him and I can believe that the Lord is with me. In Genesis 50:19, Joseph told his brothers, “fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you , ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people.” So even the thing Joseph could have taken offense by, that was the very thing God was using to bring deliverance to people that Joseph didn’t even know. This is the foundation on which Joseph was able to forgive. He saw the higher purpose, God’s love for people. They meant it for evil, which means they willed it, they discussed it, but somewhere there was a higher purpose working in Joseph. There are two aspects to forgiveness. First, I’ve got to remember if I want to forgive somebody, I must remember what I have been forgiven of and then when I remember what I’ve been forgiven of, second, what is my 5 trillion dollar debt against their little ol’ 10 cent debt to me? We don’t even want to talk about unfaithfulness when it comes to our relationship to God. We will take forgiveness and then turn to another and hold them to task. We will take someone else and hold them to the letter of the law and that is violating the very heart and purpose of God. Joseph had been hurt, but his faith and his trust (not his feelings), knew that God was in charge. IT’S A MATTER OF TRUST. DO YOU TRUST THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL OF YIUR LIFE EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL IT? Isn’t that the ultimate question in life? Is God really in control? I can say without hesitation to every one of you that God is working in your life and God is saying “the one thing I want most from all of you is the one thing you won’t give me and that is YOUR TRUST.” Until you see that life is not some good, some bad, you’re going to stay double-minded in your situation. There has to be a time that you abandon your whole heart to the Lord and say, “Father, you are Jehovah to me, and I don’t face anything that you are not there.” When you are in the midst of the mire, in your pain turn to the Lord and say, “Thank you for your keeping power.” Now that’s faith! You want an expression of faith? Stand there when it appears that everything is going wrong and say, “Father, I thank you that you have never left me. You have kept me and in the midst of this I thank You!” It’s not some good, some bad, well it’s God, it’s the devil…I think we need to stop being double-minded, believing God’s truth one day and believing the devil’s lies the next. God is in control. Will the devil try to destroy? Yeah. But he’s a non-issue. God’s bigger, God’s smarter, God’s more powerful. It doesn’t matter what kind of attack you are under, you can turn to the Lord and the Lord will be your refuge and He will be your strength, and He will be your very present help in the time of trouble. Jesus looked through the hurt and saw the will of God. His will is not revenge, but it is that none should perish. I will say that again. Many people do not recognize that they are part of God’s higher plan. That does not excuse someone of doing evil. If someone does evil you have deal with that. The Bible tells us to do that. It says if someone does something to you, rebuke them, and if they repent then forgive them. “Okay, but I am hurt, how do I handle this?” In two ways. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us how Jesus handled His suffering on the cross. “When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insults in return: [when] He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance] but He trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly.” (Amplified) Now that is a key issue here; the reviling that Jesus went through was extreme. They spit in His face, they tore His beard, they had a crown of thorns for Him and everything they did to Him carried a tremendous idea of insult, but He never descended to their level. He never reviled again, He didn’t hurl insults, He didn’t threaten, He didn’t visualize, He didn’t fantasize their destruction. The insults were there, so what did Jesus do with them? Verse 23 says “He trusted Himself and everything to Him Who judges fairly.” (The Righteous Judge). Jesus was saying, “judge of all men to whom vengeance belongs, I put this in your hand.” For every insult, every evil word, every slap, every hurt they hurled at him, He entrusted it to God and it left Jesus free to do something; to forgive. He didn’t carry this but committed this to the Righteous Judge and now that left Him free to love them, now that left Him free to forgive them. He is no longer responsible for their judgment so He can say, “Father, forgive them.” We must understand that we’re not the one that is supposed to be doing the judging. If you hold that insult you can’t say, “Father, forgive them.” If you hold onto that, “I know what you did,” you are never going to be able to say, “Father, forgive them.” The natural man’s desire is for revenge and vengeance, because my enemy doesn’t deserve heaven. See, we forgot what we deserved, we forgot that we have been forgive of a lifetime of sin. We are incapable of righteous judgment because we are too biased (one-sided) on the matter. Only one person can give righteous judgment so give this insult to Him, give this pain to Him. Do not carry it around even for a little while. You cannot forgive people by holding onto that insult, that pain. If you don’t do what Jesus did and commit that insult to the Righteous Judge, you will never be able to forgive. Now be prepared because God may bless that person. Be careful not to get caught up again in unforgiveness by feeling and saying, “they don’t deserve to be blessed!” This is a major problem in our lives. Psalm 2 tells us that God showed forth His anger toward His enemies and it was fulfilled at the cross. Always understand that wrath was poured out, vengeance was poured out, and every sin that you could ever commit, the wrath of that thing was poured out at the cross. Romans 2:4 says it like this: “the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” The Holy Ghost can bring healing and restoration to you today. Forgive quickly those that offend you. For when we ourselves were worthy of death He died for us, when we were alienated from God and a stranger from God, He forgave us. Forgive and restore others, for this is the heartbeat of God. TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 5, Forgiveness To forgive is not a suggestion for having a happy life. Forgiveness is the very heart (or heartbeat) of the gospel. God immediately began to make a way to forgive us when Adam gave up his authority/kingdom to Satan. The purpose for Jesus coming was to reveal the heart of the Father and in doing so He died for us. The greatest need in people’s lives today is forgiveness, acceptance and restoration. If you hold to unforgiveness, it will take you into bitterness. Unforgiveness not only imprisons the person you are holding a grudge against, but it also imprisons you. As a believer you cannot expect to grow in love when you violate the very heart of love which is to forgive. When you really forgive your heart will cry out, “how can I restore?” Because of love, we will immediately reach out with a voice of restoration. God is involved in every aspect of my life, even the hurtful incidents. When He walks me into the negative and into the hurts and into the darkness, there will be a response in me and that response will be love. Joseph was a perfect example of forgiveness in the scripture. There are two aspects to forgiveness: 1) to remember what I have been forgiven of, 2) compare what I owe with what my debtor owes me. The greatest element that God wants from us in the darkness that we face is trust. Joseph had been hurt, but his heart (spirit) and not his feelings, knew that God was in charge. True or false: If you trust that God is in charge of your life, you will find it much easier to forgive others. True. Forgive quickly those that offend you. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 6, FASTING By Patricia Smith The practice of “fasting” is found throughout the bible, in old and new testaments. Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated “fast” or “fasting” mean literally going without food and/or water, and abstinence, voluntarily. In the Old Testament, fasting was sometimes done as a sign of distress, grief, or repentance and generally in times of human need from God. In the New Testament, we find: the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:37), John the Baptist and his disciples (Mark 2:18), the Pharisees, (Matt.9:14), the famous 40-day fast of Jesus (Matt.4:2 Jesus assumes that his disciples will practice fasting, as He indicates in His discourse on the subject found in Matthew 6:16. Paul and the early church also practiced fasting (Acts 13:2; 2 Cor. 6:4,5, 2 Cor. 11:27) so it is clear that this is both a Hebrew and Christian exercise, intended by God to be a means of blessing us. It is noteworthy that a Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman, was fasting and praying and God heard him and gave him a vision concerning his own salvation and that of his house, and indeed the opening of the door for the entire Gentile populace to be saved. (Acts 10:30) The church in Antioch found it necessary to fast and pray before sending Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey. (Acts 13:3) Paul and Barnabas felt the need to fast before appointing elders in the churches (Acts 14:23), and Paul suggested that husbands and wives should set aside time to give themselves to fasting and prayer. (1 Cor. 7:5) For the most part, fasting is a forgotten exercise in the Christian church today, although Catholics and some Protestant denominations still advocate “giving up something for Lent.” This hardly represents the true value of and meaning of fasting. Pentecostals are familiar with fasting and in the early days of the modern Pentecostal church, people practiced fasting much more than they do now. Since it is not a “comfortable” ordinance of the church and requires a good deal of self-discipline and self-denial, we tend to keep it “under the rug,” reserving it for times of great desperation. Most Christians are not truly aware of the reasons or methods of the fast and tend to think of it as a desperate ploy to “get something” from God. Please hear this: “fasting” is not a hunger-strike to get God to pay attention to you or your situation. It is not an attempt to manipulate God into giving you what you want because you are enduring hunger pains and being cruel to yourself. Neither is it a religious ritual that somehow “buys” you favors. If you will look at Mark 6:52, speaking of the disciples, the twelve who were the constant close companions of the very Christ Himself, it says, “for their heart was hardened.” Mark 8:17, Jesus says to them, “have ye your heart yet hardened?” I believe we can all relate to this. Perhaps the very familiarity of our faithfulness lends a sort of “hardness” to us, a resistance to the Spirit and the Word. The fact that we “hear it every Sunday,” that we feel His Presence every time we come to worship, that we have heard and felt so much that we have forgotten the reality of it! It has become ritual to us. We, who used to be so zealous, who used to believe that we could say, “Lord!” and he would say, “Here I am,” have we now become worshippers by rote? Do we read His Word concerning healing and outwardly accept, yet inwardly are we in a state of unbelief, in fear, and subject to everything the medical community tells us? Do we openly assent to His blessings, yet inwardly make provisions for cursing? Do we talk about His closeness, yet feel as though we are like Peter, following Him from afar? Do we pray and yet feel no difference in our souls? Do we read His Word and yet fail to understand and remain unchanged? Let’s be honest. Even if you are not experiencing this phenomenon now, if you have been Christian for any length of time, you can recall when you have fallen into this kind of “hardness” of heart. Well, there is an answer! This is what “fasting” is all about. It is a time to plow up the hardness of our hearts, to take hold of our flesh. By now feeding the flesh, but instead feeding our spirits, our spirits grow sensitive and our spirit-man rises up and for a wonderful change, he is more responsive than our flesh! Possible the clearest dissertation on the subject of fasting and the kind of fasting that God “chooses” to bless, is found in the 58th chapter of Isaiah, where the prophet devotes a rather lengthy portion of his address to this subject. It begins with God, speaking through Isaiah, saying, “cry aloud.” The emphasis here, from the Hebrew word “begaron” means to “preach at the top of his voice,” like a trumpet or “shofar.” He is to show them their transgressions, which is in the Hebrew “pasha,” literally meaning to revolt or rebel. Their sin has been that of rebellion, yet they have continued to act as though they were righteous. It is interesting that He then says, “they take delight in approaching to God.” The word “approaching” means “drawing near” and in some instances the same word (qurab) has reference to the intimate drawing near of two people as in the marriage union. They are boldly attempting to barge in to the very presence of God with sacrifices, rituals and fasting and are wondering why they have “fasted and thou seest not, wherefore have we afflicted ourselves and thou takest no knowledge?” God’s response to them through the prophet is that they have integrated their fasting with their own self-pleasure, continuing to work and drive their workers mercilessly in their efforts to make themselves rich. The words “exact all your labors” is literally translated “your toilers you drive hard.” Do not make the mistake of thinking that God is objecting to the practice of fasting. He is not, as He goes on to outline the kind of fasting that is pleasing to Him. He is showing them the futility of the ritual without the genuine heart of worship. It has gotten them nowhere, because their external righteousness had resulted in arguing and debate, division and strife that even led to violence, “to smite with the fist of wickedness” all the while bringing their sacrifices to the temple, uttering their memorized prayers and observing their fasts. Verse 5 clearly shows us that even though a person may go through the motions of external manifestations, such as wearing sackcloth and putting ashes on our faces, bowing down our heads and afflicting ourselves (through fasting), these do not constitute a true “fast” as far as God is concerned. It is also a wondrous fact that the Lord never pinpoints our problems without giving us an answer. Beginning in verse 6, He outlines clearly the kind of fast that IS acceptable to Him. He lists seven things that one should do while observing a time devoted to seeking God without feeding his or her flesh. They are the keys to seven fantastic blessings or promises that come to the one who will fast as God prescribes. Below are the seven requirements: Loose the bands of wickedness. To loose comes from the Hebrew root “patach” which means to open. This refers to removing bondage. While you are fasting, examine your heart. What is your bondage? With some, it is very evident. Things of the flesh, the sin that Paul says, “so easily besets” us. My “easily besetting sin” may not even be a temptation to you, yet it may be a blockade in my spiritual progress. During this time of denying my flesh, I will identify this bondage and remove it through the Spirit. To undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free. This could literally mean “to undo the bands of the yoke.” The yoke refers to the collar or harness placed on a beast of burden’s head and attached to a plow. When the band was loosed, the animal was free to eat, drink and rest. I believe the reference here is that we should turn our attention away from ourselves to others who are laboring under heavy burdens, yokes of the enemy’s devices. Unsaved people and saved alike who have no knowledge of the power of the gospel to break and destroy the yoke of sin and distress, sickness and poverty, depression and bondage. While you fast, find someone you can declare words of power and life into, someone oppressed who needs to be freed by the Word of God. Then just do it! In faith, declare freedom into them and believe God to see it happen! Break every yoke. Perhaps the strongest and most prevalent “Christian” yokes that need to be broken in the church and in our individual lives are those that tie us to strife and discord and “every evil work.” Those yokes represent issues of pride and envy and unforgiveness. During a time of genuine fasting, ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light into the dark places of your heart, searching out those “yokes” that have tied us down to mediocrity, that have kept us from going on to the next level in our relationship with Him. Break them, through the power of the Word and the Spirit. If you find that you are so “hardened” or spiritually weak that you cannot, then just give God permission to break them for you. I have often found myself saying “God, make me willing to be made wiling even though my flesh resists!” Deal thy bread to the hungry. This hardly needs explanation. I believe God means just what He says here. This is a great truth to opening a very significant door in your relationship to Him. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, based his ministry on the little-observed fact that you cannot feed a man’s soul while his body is starving. Feed him, clothe him, and then tell him about the God who loves him. Perhaps you do not feel led to devote your entire ministry to feeding and clothing the poor and homeless. Indeed, this may not be your function in the body. But there are some things that you do not have to have a great “calling” to just DO. This is first and foremost among them. We are all called to take a part of this simple, non-denominational, unqualified grace. Feed the hungry. If you have no avenue to do this yourself, you can put your finance into a ministry that does. During your time of fasting, single out a needy person to bless with food. Take someone in need to HEB and buy them a bill of groceries. Take a needy person to a restaurant for a hot meal. Give that man that you are so sure is going to take your money to buy drugs or alcohol a $10.00 bill. You’re not responsible for what he does with it! Neither have you even been asked to the judge of what he does with it. For all you know, HE MAY REALLY BE HUNGRY! Are you starting to see what Jesus meant by being “hardened?” ”well” you say, “they can afford cigarettes, so I’m not giving them groceries.” Did God ask us to qualify who was worthy? I think not. Jesus simply said “give to EVERY man that asketh of thee…” Well, we just hate to be “taken to the cleaners” don’t we? I wonder how Jesus feels about us who “take” His grace and continue to walk as we want to walk in the lusts of our flesh? I am not saying that you should not be led of the Spirit in your gifts to the poor and needy. But I am saying that you should make sure what “spirit” you are being led by! If it is your own fleshly spirit, skeptical, suspicious, judgmental…ignore it, and do what Jesus said to do. Personally, if I make a mistake, I would much rather err on the side of being to giving, than to be stingy and mean-spirited. I don’t want to be one of those that the Lord speaks to on the Day of Judgment and says, “I was hungry and you didn’t feed me, naked and you didn’t clothe me.” Bring the poor that are cast out into thy house. A new testament injunction that is often overlooked is the one that admonishes us to be “given to hospitality.” This was spoken by Paul explicitly to those who aspire to leadership in the church. Isaiah particularly puts emphasis on the “poor” and “cast out” (homeless). On self-examination, I find myself falling short on the admonition to be “hospitable” to the saints, much less to taking in the poor and usually the unlovely! I recall at one time when we were pastoring, our church seemed to be the only one that would receive the homeless. We would find derelicts and drunks and the homeless sitting on the doorsteps of our church. Sometimes other pastors would give them a ride to our church and sometimes the police would bring people by as an alternative to jail. I distinctly remember one such occasion when the police brought a man to our home whom they had picked up going through town on a vagrancy charge. They asked if we would allow him to spend the night and see him on his way the next morning as he really had done nothing jailworthy in our town. We said yes. At the time, there was only myself and two other women and children in the house. After getting him some clothes and washing his old ones (three times) and feeding him, we attempted to engage him in some friendly conversation, looking for an opportunity to witness to him. His first remarks were, “yep, been up in Colorado in jail for six months….had me for rape and murder, but they couldn’t prove it…had to let me go.” You can believe we spent that night in a sleepless prayer vigil! Nonetheless, opening our homes in an overlooked grace in our hearts. In our society, we have so little space and time for privacy that we almost consider visitors as an invasion of what we do have! The truth is that if you intend to be in ministry or leadership, you will not be successful in discipling people unless you are willing to spend a great deal of time with them and open your life to them. Granted, you can learn what I know by listening to me in a school or church environment, but you cannot learn what I am unless you are involved with me outside of this environment. Jesus disciples learned of Him by eating with Him, sitting around a campfire, following and walking with Him daily. If you bring the needy into your home (spiritually, physically, emotionally), allowing them to be a part of your life, giving them access to you, they will be changed by the relationship. “But wait” you say, “that’s taking it just a little too far! What about me? What about my life?” Well, this is your choice. The word says this, “greater love hath no man, than that he lay down HIS LIFE..” It all boils down to this: LOVE, SELF-DENYING LOVE. If you fail to choose it, you won’t be the true minister or leader God desires and has called you to be. Now are you beginning to understand the reason for fasting? How hardened are we? Have we convinced ourselves that hospitality isn’t really necessary? During your fast, I suggest that you commit blatant acts of hospitality! Bring people into your home. Open your hearts to others and be willing to give up your “privacy.” See what happens to the hardness of your heart. When thou seest the naked that thou cover him. I believe we have covered this literally. Clothing those who need clothing, providing warm coats to those who have none. This is not a hard thing and if we cannot do it ourselves, we can provide finance to those who actually carry this ministry out. During your fast, give an article of clothing to someone who needs it. Make it an appealing, nice-looking outfit, not something out of date from 1980 in the back of your closet that you can’t fit into and wouldn’t wear if you could. How about something new you bought for yourself? OUCH! Of course you want it! You wouldn’t have bought it if you didn’t like it! Give the old stingy flesh what it deserves. Sit him down, shut him up and know the joy of actually GIVING out of your abundance to someone else. But wait, I believe there is more in this passage. (I’m sure by now you’re thinking “that’s enough!” I believe there are those, saved and unsaved, friend and foe alike who have done despite to us, who have “used” us and abused us, walking around with “naked” uncovered sin in their lives before God and before us. What did God do when he saw the nakedness of Adam and Eve in their sin and disobedience to Him? He sacrificed an innocent animal He had created to cover them. Very simply, He gave. He so loved us that He gave…He covered us, should we not do the same for those who have trespassed against us? Jesus said, “whosoever’s sins you remit they are remitted and whosoever’s sins you retain they are retained.” What a delegation of blessing! During your fast, think of someone who has wronged you, think of a brother overtaken in a sin. Instead of talking about him, judging him, holding him accountable, why not cover him or her with love and the blood of Jesus and forgiveness? You’re on your way to completing an acceptable fast! 7. Hide not thyself from thine own flesh. This refers specifically to your own family. How often the failure of ministry to meet the need of his or her own family while giving selflessly to the families of others! I can recall taking this pitfall while raising my family. I daily thank God for making up what I lacked through ignorance in caring for others often to the overlooking of my own children’s need. God teaches us that our first priorities after our relationship with Him are our relationships with our families, our spouses and our children and grandchildren. We need to ask ourselves daily, particularly during our fast, what we can do to provide for our families, spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. Ask your husband or wife out on a “date.” Plan a time to bring some romance back into your relationship. Spend special time with each child, or if your children are grown, call them for some meaningful conversation. Find out where they truly are in their lives and their walk with God and what you can do to bless them. This is an easy one…do something special for each grandchild…a gift, a note, a card, an overnight stay with grandma and grandpa. Take the time to make yourself available to your family. Now you’ve done the acceptable fast! You’ve spent several days denying your flesh and its’ appetites. Now what can you expect as God’s reward for diligently seeking Him and plowing up the hardened ground of your heart? Here are the seven blessings promised by God to those who have sought Him through the acceptable fast: 1. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning. God has promised light in the midst of darkness. The verb translated “break forth” (baqa) means to “split, to break through or invade.” This same word is used in Isa. 59:5 speaking of the hatching of eggs and in 35:6 to describe water gushing forth. It literally means you stand in line for a “breakthrough” in your life. Whatever has held you down, held you back, impeded your progress, God promises that you will now “break through” just like a baby chick breaking through the confinement of his shell into new life, new environment, so you can expect to break through into a new relationship with God, loosed from the past things that kept you bound. The “light” of God comes through His Word and through a new understanding of His Word you will break through! Expect to see new things in the Word, really SEE them by the Spirit of God and be changed from the inside out! 2. Thine health shall spring forth speedily. The word “health” here does not refer to some symbolic spiritual healing. It literally means physical healing. If you have had health issues and could not seem to take hold of the promises for health, God plainly says here that if you fast the “acceptable” fast, one of the benefits is that you will be healed SPEEDILY. Not tomorrow or sometime in the sweet bye and bye, but NOW! What a Word!! I met an elderly couple during a revival meeting I had in San Antonio in 1971. They were both in their 80’s then and told me they had always trusted God for their healing. When any health problems came into their lives they automatically fasted for two or three days and claimed this promise. They lived well into their 90’s and simply died of old age…each of them going to sleep one night and waking up in heaven! His promises are “yea” and “amen” if we will obey Him, do the things He says and wait patiently for the promise! Claim this one…it’s a dandy! 3. Thy righteousness shall go before thee. In chapter 54, vs. 17, through Isaiah, God had previously told Israel that their righteousness was not their own, but exclusively of Him. So also, our righteousness is nothing but “filthy rags” in the sight of God. The righteousness that we enjoy is that gift that is given us through the redemption of Christ and His blood, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. The promise to the one who participates in the acceptable fast, is that this righteousness will lead you, go, as it were, ahead of you, making a way where there is none, clearing your path before you ever walk in it and making certain provision for you as if for Christ Himself! 4. The glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. As if His going before us isn’t sufficient, He promises that a glorious manifestation of Himself will be our rearguard. Does this remind you of Israel upon leaving Egypt, when He went ahead of them in a cloudy pillar to guide them by day and behind them to protect their backside from the enemy and give heat and warmth in the cold desert night in a fiery pillar? This is your promise if you have observed the acceptable fast. His glory will follow you wherever you go. You can make no move forward or backward without being completely enveloped in Him!! 5. Then shalt thou call and the LORD shall answer, thou shalt cry and He shall say “Here I am.” This needs no interpretation. Even the simplest among us can understand the simplicity of these words. If you have been praying and it seems you just couldn’t get an answer, if you have desired His Presence and it just seems you can’t feel Him, if you’ve been going on sheer faith, take heart! Have you fasted the acceptable fast? Then just call. Not only will He answer, but He will present His very self to you saying, “Here I am.” Want to see Him? Get in the cleft of the rock…you’ve obeyed the injunction to fast acceptably, now get ready, you’re going to see Him, hear Him and experience the glory of His Presence! The last two recorded blessings are precede by a reminder of three of the components of the acceptable fast: …If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity (accusation, criticism, gossip), draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, THEN: 6. Shall thy light rise in obscurity, thy darkness be as the noonday. That which has been previously hidden from you, hard to understand, confusing…then, the light of understanding will come to you and your darkness will be turned into brightness! 7. The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones. Need guidance? Need to make a tough decision and want to be sure you’re moving in His will? Not to worry. Have you been on an acceptable fast? He WILL (not might, not maybe, not hope so) but He WILL guide you. Not just for a time, but continually! And if your soul has been spiritually dry and depleted, you will be watered. Interestingly, incorporated into this is the promise to “make fat your bones.” This refers to the strengthening of the bones to make them “loose or ready for action.” Literally, strengthening your bones. Got arthritis, osteoporosis or any other bone or joint disorder? Here’s God’s promise upon completion of the acceptable fast. It’s not arthritis strength Tylenol to kill the pain, it’s a promise to strengthen your bones, to make them loose and ready for action! Now the promises just keep coming. While these are the 7 principle promises, He takes it further and extends the blessing to your children, promising that “they that shall be of thee” will be builders and restorers to many generations! What an answer for a hardened heart! What an avenue of blessing that has been almost lost by the church in our quest for comfort and ease. The scripture says, “woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” The reason for this woe? Not because God has something against comfort or ease, but in the seeking of it we have missed the blessing that comes with denying ourselves, taking up the cross and following Him who provided our ultimate example in fasting, prayer seasons and putting God’s will first in our lives. New found strength, joy and power come through the fast because it serves to water the hard ground of our hearts. Beware of experiencing the joy that comes from fasting and then turning it into a religious exercise. Do it only when you are led of the Spirit and at those times when you face new challenges and feel a familiar numbness in your own spirit toward the things of God. Do it when you feel strong desire to move into a new ministry and need special guidance and anointing. Always do it acceptably. Then experience and rejoice in the promises! TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 6, Fasting What is the literal definition of biblical fasting? Going without food and/or water. Give some New Testament examples of fasting: Jesus, Paul, Anna, John the Baptist, Pharisees. True or false: Fasting is meant to get God to do something for you, or to give you what you want. False In your own words, describe the real purpose and value of fasting: Teacher: Grade on understanding concept, depth of research and word usage. What was the condition of Israel when Isaiah prophesied to them concerning the acceptable fast? Backsliding, idolatrous What are the 7 components in this lesson taken from Isaiah 58 concerning an acceptable fast? 1) Loose bands of wickedness, 2) Undo burdens, 3) Break every yoke, 4)Give bread to the hungry, 5) Bring poor into your house, 6) Clothe the naked, 7) Don’t hide yourself from your own flesh. What are the 7 major blessings in this lesson, connected to acceptable fasting as outlined in Isaiah 58? 1) Your light breaks forth, 2) Your health springs forth speedily, 3) Your righteousness goes before you, 4) The glory of the Lord is your rearguard(rereward) 5) God hears your prayer, 6) Your understanding is opened, 7) You receive guidance. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 7, THE LIFE OF WORSHIP & WAYS TO PRAISE By Patricia Smith The word “worship” is taken from the old English word, “worthship” and literally means to give oneself to the adoration of one who is worthy. In the apostle John’s vision, as recorded in Revelation 4:11, we find the redeemed as symbolized by twenty-four elders, around the throne singing “Thou art WORTHY oh Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for your pleasure they are created.” Worship is much more than attending what we have come to call a “worship” service on Sunday morning. It is more than standing and singing slow songs as opposed to fast ones which are usually labeled “praise.” It is more than lifting our hands or singing or paying respect. It is more than saying “I love You” and “I appreciate You.” Worship is a way of life. As ministers of the gospel, we are vessels being used of God to express His life, His truth and His love. Therefore, it is vital that we live lives of true worship. As believers, our worship is the intimate connection that we have with Christ when we expose ourselves totally from our hearts to Him. This will ultimately surface in the expressions of our love and adoration for Him. But do not mistake the expressions of worship as true worship. According to the dictionary, “worship” is “to bow down, to reverence, to fall flat.” But these things are the result of worship that comes from our spirits. Worship is a life that is lived in His presence DAILY. A life of worship for us is so very important if we want to communicate to the world the heart of a loving Savior. Jesus said: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is a spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24, Amp. I personally will not forget when a young woman came to me after experiencing a service full of worship and praise. She was a member of the B’hai faith, which is a modern-day branch of Islamic worship. She handed me their book of prayers and worship and it was filled with beautiful and poetic songs and poems to Allah. As I glanced through it, mentally noting that some of these would rival David’s psalms, she asked me what the difference was in their worship and ours. I realize that some might attest that we are worshipping a different God, however, in truth, Allah is the Arabic translation of “El” the oldest Hebrew word that is translated “God” in Genesis 1:1 and who was the God of Abraham. Islam receives the truth of the Hebrew Bible up to the account in Genesis of Abraham offering up Isaac as the promised seed through whom the Messiah would one day come. Instead, they claim that Esau was the progenitor of the promised seed which they believe was Mohammed. So people who think that Christians and Moslems worship a different God are incorrect. We believe in exactly the same God as do the Jews, however, we differ greatly in that we know the only way to Him is through Jesus the Christ, and in His name alone is salvation. So what was the difference in these psalms? I will always remember the words that the Lord quickened in me and put in my mouth as I responded to her. “You,” I said, “are worshipping in hope, trying to get through or make a path to God, trying to ‘get to Him.’ We, on the other hand, are worshipping because 2000 years ago, God got to us in the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus!” So do not make the mistake that the Jews or the Islamic peoples make. Do not enter into expressions of worship trying to get into His Presence. Worship from your heart, in praise and thanksgiving that He got to you! After all, didn’t Jesus say we didn’t choose Him, but rather that He chose us? We are IN HIS PRESENCE, therefore we worship! What is true worship of the spirit? It is: A relationship so deep that nothing is hidden or kept from Him. You approach Him hiding nothing. Being aware of the presence of God, acknowledging Who He is and offering all that you are to Him. You do this, not because of WHAT He can do for you, or what He has done for you in the past, but because of WHO He is to you. (1 Chron. 16:29) NOT based on feelings or emotion, but based on love and obedience. When you live a life of worship, your fruit is evident: You walk with a joy and strength that is not your own. (1 Chron. 16:27)Ministry must understand that what they have been called to do cannot be accomplished in their own strength. God tears down walls that have been built around your heart in order to connect with the deepest part of you. God is increased in your life and you are decreased. You become pliable in the Potter’s hands and He molds you into what He desires, or “conforms you to the image of His Son”. Your spiritual ears become sensitive to the Spirit of God and His voice, and clarity is produced. You have positioned yourself to receive instruction and guidance. As you inwardly walk in a state of worship, we will automatically seek ways to outwardly express what we are experiencing on the inside. These may include some or all of the following biblical demonstrations of worship: Lifting our hands as a child would to a parent, or perhaps as the universal sign of surrender, or still yet, perhaps in the victory celebration we see evident in the sports world by the conquering, winning team or individual (i.e., the prize fighter who wins the match) Clapping our hands; universally accepted sign of favor and honor and rejoicing Singing unto the Lord from our hearts Playing from our hearts on instruments of music Lifting our voices with a shout! (This can be a type of proclamation, declaration or sign of victory; it can even mean preaching!) Leaping, dancing, running which can be a sign of breaking free or rejoicing We must never allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in our expressions of worship and praise that we lose the essence of it. Don’t allow yourself to get into a rut or a routine that causes you to lose the genuineness of your worship. We must always keep in perspective that praise in worship to our awesome God is not just a “Sunday thing”. It’s an everyday way of living. If being aware of the presence of God is not a reality or a priority in your life, your ministry will not be effective, nor will your life itself. You will find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster filled with defeat and only a partial understanding of who God is. Read and discuss Psalm 73 with the class (written by Asaph, King David’s choir director) WAYS TO PRAISE SHABACH Definition: Shabach means “to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph, glory, shout.” Example: “One generation shall praise (SHABACH) thy works to another and declare thy mighty deeds.” (Psalm 145:4) BARAK Definition: Barak means “to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration.” When used in scripture it implies “expecting to receive a blessing from the Lord.” Example: “O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel (BARAK) before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6) YADAH Definition: Yadah is a verb with a root meaning “the extended hand, to throw out, therefore to worship with extended hand.” According to the Lexicon, the opposite meaning is “to bemoan, the wringing of hands.” Example: “Thus will I bless Thee while I live, I will (YADAH )lift up my hands in Thy name.” (Psalm 63:4) TOWDAH Definition: Towdah comes from the same principle root word as Yadah but is used more specifically. Towdah literally means “an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal or acceptance” By way of application it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for “things not yet received” as well as things already at hand. Example: “Offer unto God praise (TOWDAH) and pay thy vows unto the Most High.” (Psalm 50:14) TAQA Definition: Taqa means “to clap your hands.” Example: “O (TAQA) clap your hands all ye people.” (Psalm 47:1) TEHILLAH Definition: Tehillah simply means “to sing, to laud.” This is the kind of praise that God dwells in. Example: “Rejoice in the Lord, o ye righteous; for praise (TEHILLAH) is comely for the upright.” (Psalm 33:1) HALAL Definition: Halal is a primary Hebrew root word for praise. Our word “hallelujah” comes from this base. It means “to be clear, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, and to be clamorously foolish.” Example: “Praise (HALAL) ye the Lord, Praise (HALAL) O ye servants of the Lord, praise (HALAL) the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 113:1) KARAR Definition: Karar means “to dance.” Example: “….and saw King David leaping and (KARAR) dancing before the Lord.” (II Samuel 6:16) ZAMAR Definition: Zamar means “to touch the strings” and is used concordantly with instrumental worship. Example: “Be Thou exalted O Lord, in Thine own strength, so we will sing and praise (ZAMAR) Thy power.” (Psalm 21:13) TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 7, Life of Worship & Ways to Praise True or false: To be a worshipper is to live life in His presence daily. True What is true worship? Teacher’s note: Evaluate student’s answers based on their concept, research and use of words. This lesson gives six fruits that are evident when you live a life of worship. What are they? 1) Walking in joy/strength, 2) Closeness to Him, He sees/hears your heart) 3)He increases, you decrease, 4) He molds you, 5) You learn His voice, 6) You are guided and directed by Him. Lifting our hands in worship is a sign of? Teacher’s note: any of the bulleted definitions listed will suffice. Clapping our hands in worship is a sign of rejoicing Shouting in worship can be a type of proclamation, declaration, sign of victory. What does leaping, dancing or running in worship indicate? Breaking free or rejoicing. Two other expressions of worship are listed in this lesson, they are: obedience and daily walk. True or False: We must never allow ourselves to think that “expressions” of worship are worship itself. True For personal study, read Psalm 73 (written by Asaph, King David’s choir director.) Give the definition of the Hebrew word “shabach” to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph, glory, shout. Give the definition of the Hebrew word “barak” to kneel down, to bless God expecting to receive a blessing. Give the definition of the Hebrew word “yadah” to worship with an extended hand. Give the definition of the Hebrew word “towdah” an extension of the hand in adoration or acceptance. Give the definition of the Hebrew word “tehillah” to sing, to laud Give the definition of the Hebrew word “halal” to be clear, to shine, to rave, show or celebrate Give the definition of the Hebrew word “karar” to dance Give the definition of the Hebrew word “zamar” to touch the strings Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 8, PERSONAL APPEARANCE By Dr. Irvin McCorkle TEACHER’S NOTE: This is a transcript of this lesson as taught by Dr. McCorkle. It is full of “McCorkleisms” and personal examples. You should feel free to adapt the material to your own experiences and scriptural opinions. The time worn phrase is still true: “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” You never get a second chance to make that first impression. Dress according to your job description. You would have little confidence in a mechanic wearing a three-piece suit to work. For some reason it would seem reasonable for him to be a bit oily and somewhat soiled. It’s the mark of his work. Gen. 41:14: “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh.” Prov. 31:10, 22, 25: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies, she maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple, strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” Personal appearance is one of the most important aspects of our lives. People see what we are before they hear who we are. Over 90% of all communication is visual. Joseph dressed for Pharaoh’s court to create a climate of acceptance. He shaved his beard because Egyptians were not favorable toward beards. He adapted and his flexibility created a climate of favor. We express our moods and what we think about ourselves through our dress. The harlot in Proverbs dressed to create a climate of attraction. The virtuous woman in Proverbs dressed to create a climate of respect. The first thing people see is the package. I have met many young men and women with great abilities and fantastic qualifications who have failed miserably. They failed because they didn’t understand the importance of relationships with other people. They failed because they didn’t realize the need for packaging themselves for acceptance, approval and respect. “But” you say, “God looks on the heart.” Yes, but PEOPLE look on the outward appearance first. “Well,” you say, “it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Yes, that’s true, but you didn’t say that when you asked your spouse out on that first date! I know God isn’t concerned with what we wear. God can bless the preacher in overalls as well as he can the one in the business suit, but the fact is, he may be rejected by the very ones he is attempting to reach. Our society is programmed to respond visually. Many times when I have been involved in physical work, gardening, building, etc., have I heard the statement, “You don’t look like a preacher!.” My usual response is “and how is a preacher supposed to look?” What it all comes down to is LOOK THE PART. How you dress IS important. If not to you, it is to someone else. Ministry is difficult enough without starting out with one or two strikes against you due to your appearance. I would hate to think that I would go on hospital visitation in my blue bib overalls and then feel rejection or be offended because someone made a remark about it. On our last trip to Israel there was a man and his wife from Oklahoma that toured with us. He asked me if it would be inappropriate to wear his overalls. You see, this man was a farmer and this was his normal apparel; it was WHO he was. Not one person was offended because he was real. They were clean, pressed overalls and always looked fresh. Being the Pastor and tour leader, I would have been out of place wearing his overalls. Bill Pearson and E.C. Smith wore their cowboy boots the entire trip because that’s WHO THEY ARE. Dress according to who you are, but also consider the occasion. We express our moods through our dress. People who dress shoddily and are unkempt are usually expressing what they inwardly feel about themselves and their lives. I knew a man who had lost his wife, the love of his life to cancer, then got addicted to drugs in Vietnam and came home a devastated human being. He simply existed as a drug addict, trying to obliterate his memories. For him, life was something to be endured. You should have seen where he lived. Trash, junk and high weeds nearly covered the little rusty travel trailer, and inside was even worse. His hair was long and always dirty, his clothes filthy and disheveled, and most of his teeth had rotted away. He worked in construction and made decent money, but nothing mattered to him. You see all of that outward appearance just mirrored the devastation on the inside. The answer to someone like this is to receive the Lord and allow Him to heal those hurts and give you a hope and a future. Sometimes people are rebellious and living in rebellion on the inside. They express this in ways that they feel will have shock value to others and let them know they are rebels and don’t care what you think! The outward expresses what is on the inside. We express our philosophy of life through our appearance. What statement are you making about your life by your appearance? Driving a clean car is a part of the packaging and changes how you feel about yourself. Are you aware that a clean car even seems to run better? When you pull up to someone’s house, open the car door and mounds of trash fall out and you can’t see through the windshield for all the clutter, it says something about you. Your car should be more than a means of transportation…it should be a reflection of what you think of yourself and your life. The same goes for our homes and yards. For years my father was known as “flat tire McCorkle.” This had become his reputation. It seemed as if he had a flat every time he held a revival meeting. He would pray and ask God to give him a tire to get him to the next town. One day he work up and realized it is the same God that can give me a set of NEW tires. He prayed and God supplied the need. For many years my folks had been in ministry and put many miles on their cars. I’ll never forget one morning when my mother and father agreed in prayer and asked God for a brand new car. When my father returned home he was driving another used car. My mother said, “Glenn McCorkle, where did you buy that car?” He said “at the used car lot.” The light came on again. He left immediately for the Buick dealership and bought a brand new 1951 Buick Roadmaster. “My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory.” The car you drive does not define your ministry nor does the house you live in. It is your integrity people are watching. Your hard is more of a testimony than your house. If it is piled high with trash and abandoned cars it speaks for itself. I’m still talking about ministry. It is important to keep your fingernails clean and your shoes shined; if you are a woman, having your nails manicured, and my wife says your shoes and purse should match. Remember, you are creating an atmosphere of success everywhere you go. It isn’t necessary to wear a glow-in-the-dark suit to be accepted in ministry. Many times people can tell what denomination you represent by the clothes you wear. In some circles it seems you almost have to drive an iridescent orange Cadillac to be part of the team. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to carry that big briefcase everywhere you go so they will know you are part of the clergy. Whether you are going to the bank for a loan or going to the local auto shop for an oil change, you should look the part. While it’s nice to think that appearances don’t matter, they usually do. I’m not talking about dressing up or being a fashion plate. This is not a memo on how casual Fridays and the T-shirt represent the decline of Western civilization. I’m simply saying that you are more likely to command respect and get what you are after if you are dressed appropriately for your surroundings. If I’m going to the garage to get my serviced or to buy tires, I don’t wear a suit. I put on jeans, boots and a cap. I want to be taken seriously by the person with whom I’m dealing. I may be as knowledgeable as the mechanic, but he or she will make an instant assumption about me based upon my appearance. If I’m in a suit and look as though I don’t even pump my own gas, he may think I can easily be deceived into thinking I need a whole new motor when all I need is a spark plug. By the same token, if I’m going to the bank to talk with my banker about a loan, I don’t wear shorts and a cap. Your appearance should be in line with what you are doing. The Bible gives us a true dress code in Colossians 3:12. According to this, we should be clothed inwardly with tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering and be forgiving. If we are clothed on the inside like this, it will and should be expressed in our outward appearance and the way we present ourselves to others. TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 8, Personal Appearance Why are “first” impressions important? You can never make a second first impression. Men will judge you by your outward appearance. Why did Joseph shave and change his garments when called to appear before Pharaoh? He created a climate of acceptance as it was customary in Egypt for men to shave. True or false: Our society is geared to respond visually. True True or false: Being dressed like a preacher is always to have on a 3-piece suit. False What does it mean to dress appropriately? Dress according to the task/place, for that particular situation. Your appearance should be consistent with your situation, surroundings, what you are doing (any of these) What is the true dress code as outlined in Colossians 3:12? Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forgiving. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS LESSON 9, FELLOWSHIP By Pastor Gwen Adlridge  Webster’s definition:  A body of companions; an association of persons having the same tastes, interests; communion, companionship; intimate familiarity.  To associate with as a fellow or member of the same Christian group.  To admit to uniting with like church family, association, society, group.   (1)  God’s Word definition:  one meaning is partnership in support of the Gospel and in the charitable work of the Church.  II Corinthians 8:4.   Greek:  koinonia: that which is in common.   Fellowship means companionship, a relation in which parties hold something in common.  A communal association for the mutual benefit of those involved.   Is there a difference between fellowship and relationship?  Definitely!   A son/daughter will ALWAYS be the son/daughter in relationship to the mother and father.  The bloodline relationship cannot be done away with.  A father/mother may disown their son/daughter, legal papers may be written to validate this and the child may be adopted by another couple, however, the relationship between the birth mother and father to the child continues to be present.  Verbal, tangible contact no longer exists.   Fellowship, on the other hand, is a choice.  In the above situation, the father/mother chose to sever their contact, their fellowship with their child.  They did not wish to continue with verbal, tangible, visible contact with their child.    Genesis 1:26  First mention of togetherness, unity in thought and deed.   Our first introduction of man’s fellowship with God is in the Book of Genesis.  Man, from the day of his creation, came into fellowship with his Creator by intimate contact: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  Genesis 2:7 KJV   (2) God desires to have intimate fellowship with man. God has made provision for man to have fellowship with Himself.  As man is made in the image and likeness of God, man has the inherent desire and need to have fellowship, communion and association not only with God but also with his fellow man.   Throughout the Old Testament God made provision for man to have fellowship with Himself: God walks in the Garden of Eden to fellowship with Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:8 (previously it is noted that God and Adam engaged in conversation—Genesis 2:16,17 & 19). Genesis 5:24  Enoch ‘walked with God’. Genesis 12:1-3 God talked with Abram and gives indication of a continuing fellowship. Exodus 3 God speaks to Moses from the burning bush (note verse 14). Exodus 6:2&3 God’s ongoing fellowship with man, from generation to generation. Exodus 33:11 Moses talks with God ‘face to face’.   God fellowships with individuals (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), however, after the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage and slavery God desires to fellowship individually with each of the people.  The people of Israel refused the position of becoming ‘a kingdom of priests’ (Exodus 19:6 and 20:19).  God then instructs Moses to build the Tabernacle. (3)  Exodus 25:8 He dwells among them.   God gives to the Children of Israel the Ten Commandments.  These outline how the people, as well as we of today, are to have proper fellowship with God as well as godly fellowship with our fellow man.   Throughout the remaining history of the Children of Israel in the Old Testament God repeatedly deals with the people in establishing fellowship (covenant) with them.  Priests, prophets and kings were spoken to by God to convey His will and His plans to the people.   In the New Testament we find that through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ there is made possible the return of God’s Holy Spirit (4) to dwell within man; intimate fellowship of God with man. As Christians we are to continue in not only fellowship with God but also with fellow believers.  This is the will of God.  (5) Fellowship is the bond among Christians created by their common confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.  There are many types, denominations of churches.  The devil has, unfortunately, brought a break in Christian fellowship (6) through man made doctrines and theologies, countless varieties of ‘religious’ ideas interpretations of the Word of God.  This has caused the church to be segmented and divided, thus, having a loss of strength and unity in its endeavors to be effective witnesses to the lost, preaching the Gospel and carrying out the commission of Matthew 28:19&20.   Psalm 133:1   Aside from ‘church division’ many times we do not fellowship with like believers due to our own pride, envy, jealousies and gossip.   Examples of fellowship by the writers of the New Testament: John 17:11, 21-23 Fellowship is characterized by oneness grounded in the closest of relationship/fellowship with the Father and the Son. John 15:  Jesus is the true vine in which believers must ‘remain’ if they are to bear fruit, which is above all, love for one another. Acts 2:42 ‘they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of break and in prayers’. Romans 6:1-11 and Philippians 3:8-11 Fellowship with Jesus Christ means that believers share His death and experience the new life in and by His resurrection. Galatians 3:27&28 and I Corinthians 12:  Paul teaches that fellowship is marked by the spiritual oneness effected by the baptism and bestowal of the Spirit of God. I Corinthians 13: Fellowship is characterized by self-giving love. II Corinthians 8:4:  Partnership in the support of the Gospel and in the charitable work of the Church.   In the New Testament, after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only do we have the promise of the infilling of Holy Spirit but we also partake of the Lord’s Supper, Communion, which is evidence of our fellowship with Him.  As we partake of the Bread and the Wine, we are symbolically, partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in remembrance of His provision for the forgiveness of our sins and for the healing of our diseases.   I Corinthians 11:17-34:  Fellowship among the church is manifest by the gathering of the people at the Lord’s Supper. I Corinthians 10:16&17: Partaking of Communion makes the many members of Christ one body.   Fellowship of believers is dependent on and is an expression of their fellowship with Jesus Christ. A major component of our fellowship with God is our worship of and to God.  We may want to be in charge of this area, however, God is the author of our worship.  He wishes to define the terms of our worship/fellowship with Him. (7) We are to have fellowship with the Father and the Son, I John 1:3. We are to have fellowship with Holy Spirit, II Corinthians 13:14. We are to have fellowship with one another, I John 1:7.   No one can be in fellowship with God unless he possesses like purposes and feelings (I John 2:3-6), with love (Romans 8:38&39).  The same is true in fellowship experienced between men and women.   Scriptural teachings concerning the necessity and the purpose for fellowship within the Body of Christ: James 5:16:  Fellowship of believers embraces confession of faults one to another with prayer. Mal. 3:16, Heb. 10:24&25: Fellowship and assembling with exhortation and provoking to love and good works. Acts 11:29, Ro. 12:13; 15:25, I Cor. 16:1&2; II Cor. 8:4; Heb. 13:16: Ministering to the saints.   There are no incidents recorded in the Gospels where Jesus was ever alone with only one of His followers, disciples.  Jesus was very much aware of the need for fellowship among believers: their need of Him and their need of one another.   (8) Christians are also given instruction as to NOT have fellowship with: Psalm 94:20:  Throne of iniquity. Ephesians 5:11:  Unfruitful works of darkness. I Corinthians 10:20&21:  Sacrifices made/given in worship of/to the devil. II Corinthians 6:14-18:  Not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; righteousness with unrighteousness; light with darkness.   (9) Loving one another, enjoying fellowship with one another, is necessary to and is evidence of fellowship with God.  I John 4:12.   Jesus prayed that His people would have fellowship one with another. John 17:21&22.   We need one another.  One grape does not make wine; one grape becomes dry and makes a raisin. TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 9, Fellowship   Scripture that gives definition of fellowship:  II Corinthians 8:4. Man has the need and desire to have fellowship with God and with his fellow man because: Man is made in the image and likeness of God and therefore man has the inherent desire and need to have fellowship. In the Old Testament God dwelt among man. In the New Testament God dwells in man. Fellowship is the bond among Christians that comes about by their common confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. List at least three areas that hinder Christian fellowship: 1) Church doctrines, 2) Man-made theologies, 3) Different religions, 4) Different interpretations of the Word We must first have fellowship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit in order to have proper fellowship with our fellow man. List at least three areas we are NOT to have fellowship with: 1) Unfruitful works of darkness, 2) Sacrifices made / given in worship of the devil, 3) Unbelievers unrighteousness, 4) darkness Give scripture text with written answer as to what gives proof of our fellowship with God: 1 John 4:12 Loving one another and enjoying fellowship with one another. Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES LESSON 10, PRAYER LIFE By Patricia Smith The Hebrew and Greek words that are translated “prayer” or “pray” have a variety of meanings. Some mean to deeply worship, some to make intercession on behalf of others, and some to make requests or place petitions before the throne. In every case, prayer denotes fellowship with God. It goes without saying that in order to “fellowship” with God, you must have a relationship with Him. People without a relationship may make an outward show of prayer, but real prayer is communicating with God. It is difficult to begin a meaningful conversation with a total stranger. It usually results in “small-talk”. It is amazing to read the account of Paul’s conversation as Saul the Pharisee, busily about what he thought was God’s business. When the Lord literally appeared to him in such a way as to knock him to the ground, he said “Lord, who are you?” After years of bible study and good works and church attendance and theological school, he said, “who are you?” Now try to imagine how many “prayers” Paul must have said in his lifetime. He was a “Pharisee of Pharisees” and they were known for binding the “prayers” in leather frontlets (head gear) and armbands. At certain times, of necessity, they went up to the temple or at least turned in that direction and began reciting “prayers” with their phylacteries. The Jews do it to this day, wherever they are! From his childhood Paul had recited the psalms and all the prayers of Israel. Yet in Acts 9:11, the Lord comes to a believer, Ananias, in a vision and tells him to go to Straight Street in Damascus to the house of one called Judas and ask for Saul of Tarsus, and then the incredulous words,” for BEHOLD, HE PRAYETH!!” As though he had never “prayed” before. While it is difficult to commune with someone you don’t know, the only way you ever get to know them is to communicate! How did your “best friend” get to be your “best friend”? By communication, right down to the best and worst experiences of your life. You tell this friend things you would never tell anyone else and the more information you exchange the closer you become. This is why families drift apart in this high-tech age. They are so involved in the TV, the internet, computer games, movies and 3 jobs to fund all of it that there is just no time to communicate! Consequently, relationships deteriorate and then we wonder what went wrong! If we have no time to fellowship with our families, are we really maintaining a meaningful relationship with God? Because of “religious” attitudes…(Incidentally, to be “religious” means to do things by rote, by ceremony) we have come to believe that “prayer” is a huge responsibility, an edict that we must obey or perish, a “heavy burden”. This is easily understood for those who have ever made the New Year’s resoulution to “pray an hour every day”. We go into our secluded place, shut the door, note the time on the clock, get on our knees and begin with our most sanctimonious voice inflections…”Oh almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent, wonderful, majestic, mighty and everlasting God….and on and on.” After what seems like an eternity of “hallelujahs”, “glory to Gods”, and “praise you Jesus’” and after we have mentioned every single person we can think of and all the missionaries and the world in general, we open one eye and peek at the clock only to find that ten minutes has gone by. If we do manage to struggle through it for 3 or 4 days, then we become so spiritually “proud of ourselves” no one else can stand to be around us. For most of us though, our “prayer hour” soon becomes a dreaded burden that we begin to find excuses to avoid. If we are involved in REAL PRAYER, it is not difficult to pray an hour. (At the end of this lesson, we have included and outlined a suggested way for you to pray an hour if you feel led to make that commitment.) Let us look at REAL PRAYER, it’s role in our lives as ministers, what it is and what it will do, both to us and for us (and since this is a ministry school,) for our ministries. INTERCESSORY PRAYER Intercessory prayer is prayer that is made on behalf of another. When someone says, “pray for me,” this is the time we pray this type of prayer. In the Old Testament, while individuals were known to make their own prayers, it seems that they depended in large part for the prophets and priests to pray “for them.” This was entirely scriptural. Look at the account in Gen. 20:7, where God has spoken to a heathen king who has taken Sarah for his wife, thinking she is Abraham’s sister. He has been punished by God and now God tells him to restore Sarah to Abraham and then says, “he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live.” Why did He not tell him to pray for himself? Because Abraham is the one with the relationship! Jereboam the king beseeched the man of God who had prophesied upon his altar to “ intreat now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me…” He had been stricken by God for rejecting the prophesy and stretching forth his hand against the prophet. (1 Kings 13:6) Zedekiah the king in a time of great danger from the Babylonians, sent to Jeremiah the prophet saying: “Is there any word from the Lord?” (There was, and it was not good…Zedekiah would be delivered up to Babylon.) Perhaps the greatest example of intercessory prayer in the Old Testament is the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, interceding for the entire nation to all generations. (I Kings 8:22-60) Examples of intercessory prayer in the New Testament include the greatest one of all; (John l7) where Jesus prayed his now famous prayer of intercession for his disciples and not just the ones living at the time, but for all of us who have become believers because of the preaching of those disciples! When someone cares enough to ask us to pray, it is always good to stop right then and pray with that person. Simply saying you will pray is not enough for someone who is desperate to get an answer from God and can’t seem to get one themselves. Stop what you are doing, regardless of where you are and pray with that person. Since we are not always aware of the need in the lives of others, and certainly not always sure of what God is doing in their lives, God has given us the wonderful tool of praying “with the Spirit.” (1 Cor. 14:15) (Romans 8:26-27) tells us that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Now here is the amazing privilege of such prayer: “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” This is a type of intercessory prayer the Old Testament saints did not have available, since the Holy Spirit was not yet given, but should now be a major part of our prayer lives. It is an incredible privilege to be able to approach God without fear or trepidation and to be able to present the needs of others to Him, knowing that it is being interpreted by the Holy Spirit into a request that is entirely compatible with the will of God. PRAYER OF PETITION It is entirely proper and not “un-spiritual” for us to pray for our own needs. In the model given us by Jesus, which we have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer,” He taught us to “petition” God by asking for our “daily bread” which is inclusive of our daily lives. A petition can mean several things, but most apropos for prayer is “to appeal to a higher authority.” How wonderful to know that, as children of God, we are not subject to circumstances or what other men can do for us as the final authority. We do not deal with judges, magistrates, bureaucrats or human governments. Although we are subject as the law prescribes to human instruments, set in place by God, still yet, they do not have the final say in our cases. Ultimately, we deal with God. Case in point: Family Worship Center in Elgin, Texas put together a missions trip to Jamaica, for which it was necessary for each person going to have a passport. The trip was given adequate preparatory time to allow for participants to obtain a passport if they did not already have one. Suddenly, due to terrorist activities, the US government passed a law that required passports for citizens traveling even into Mexico and Canada. This precipitated a barrage of requests and the agencies were inundated with paperwork. Fourteen weeks went by and about half of those scheduled to go on FWC’s missions trip did not have passports. A particular Friday was the deadline for the trip. The prior Sunday, the church body, led by the pastor, petitioned a higher authority. They prayed the prayer of petition, asking that passports be released even if the President had to be involved. On the Friday deadline, the internet site for the particular issuing agency, showed “no activity” in released passports. Yet that afternoon, a Fed-Ex truck appeared in the Pastor’s driveway, bringing multiple passports. All but two people now had passports. On the evening news, President Bush was seen announcing that passport restrictions for Canada, Mexico and all points in the Caribbean (including Jamaica) were lifted for those who had an application in and had not yet received their passports. This allowed the two to go who had not received their passports. “Coincidence” you say? I think not. We have bold access to a higher authority than any authority on earth. Many a Christian has been handed a death sentence by competent physicians, yet upon petition to a higher authority, has been granted life! A good example of this, even in the Old Testament is Hezekiah who had 15 years added to his life because he petitioned God even after being told by the prophet Isaiah that he would die. Hebrews 10:19-22 says this: “having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, but a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us….and having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” In the Old Testament, Hannah is found “petitioning” God for a child. (1 Samuel 1:17) God granted her request and Samuel was born. Daniel is found “petitioning” God three times daily, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. Later God answered his petition by delivering him from a den of hungry lions. In the new testament, John assures us (1 John 5:14,15) “and this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” We can legally petition God for food, shelter and clothing, for help in situations we cannot manage, for our children, for circumstances in our lives that are not aligning with the word (sickness and lack for example), for spiritual gifts, for ministry, for the souls of others. We can ask for anything that is provided for in the word, which doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Jesus taught us to ask largely in His name! James tells us we “have not because we ask not.” He also tells us that the reason some of our petitions are not granted is because we ask in order to “consume it upon our lusts.” For example, if we needed transportation, and asked for a Cadillac Escalade with all the bells and whistles, we just might not get it, but we would get adequate transportation, not something to feed our fleshly egos. I believe the message is that we should boldly approach God as our Father who loved us and gave Himself for us, and not be timid about asking for anything, but always seeking His will in our lives and the lives of those for whom we pray. He is good and grants the petitions of his children when it is in our best interests. PRAYER OF WORSHIP The prayer of worship is one in which we are simply communicating with God in thankfulness and praise. We are not interceding for anyone, nor are we petitioning for anything. We are simply just coming into His throne room (because we can), and entering into His awesome presence just to be with Him. It is here that very often we will hear the still small voice of the Lord and become aware of His will as it pertains to our lives. The baptism of the Holy Spirit provides us with a prayer language that is the best way to enter into this type of prayer. So often as we begin to meditate on His Word and His attributes, His wonderful names, we find ourselves at a loss of words in our native tongue to worship Him. It is then that we who are spirit-baptized easily transition to the language and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. At times, He will Himself interpret to you what you are speaking and what He is answering. Other times you may not understand. As the Apostle Paul tells us, at times our “understanding is unfruitful.” Yet during these times we are “speaking mysteries to God” (1 Cor. 12) and our faith is being built up, “praying in the Holy Ghost.”(Jude 1) A good way to enter into this kind of prayer is to begin by reading the Psalms or other passages of scripture that inspire us to wonder and worship. Another way is to go over a list of His names, thanking Him for each of His attributes He has revealed to us. Soon you will find yourself lost in Him. Wonderful things happen to you during this kind of prayer. Often you find that you may go into this type of prayer worship with all manner of natural problems, but when you come out of your prayer closet you are not the least concerned with any of them! Your confidence in Him has grown and you realize that He is in charge of your life and all will work for your good no matter the circumstances. It is foolish to try and regiment prayer. Doing so only amounts to a religious exercise and soon empty words are simply falling to the ground. It is, however, a good thing to set aside time daily to visit with the Lord. He enjoys hearing from us as much as we do Him! PRAYING ONE HOUR Jesus question to his sleeping disciples has over the centuries rung like a crystal bell into the hearts of those who love Him. “Could you not watch with me ONE HOUR?” Because of this, we have felt that praying one hour should be a norm. Many have tried and failed at this regimen, and as a consequence, live in a state of self-condemnation. Praying for an hour, if you decide to do it, is easy enough if you have a plan. For your consideration, we suggest the following as a loose suggestion for doing so. We do not feel it our place to itemize anyone’s prayer life, but because many students have struggled with the issue, they have asked us how to go about praying an hour or so. Thus we have developed the following structure. Please follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and remember this is just an outline that you may wander from at any time you feel impressed to continue or cease in the time allotted. The One Hour Prayer Begin with thanking God for Who He is, and Who He is in your life. Recall the times He has been: El Shaddai – more than enough, strong eternal One El Elyon – the Most High God El Olam – from everlasting to everlasting Jehovah-Jireh – your Provider Jehovah-Rapha – your Healer Jehovah-Nissi – your Banner, Victory-getter Jehovah-Shalom – your Peace Jehovah-Shammah – He Who is Present with you Jehovah- Raah – your Shepherd Jehovah – Tsidkenu – your Righteousness JESUS – your Savior & Healer JESUS – your Redeemer JESUS – your Friend JESUS – your soon-coming King (Add any other names you choose) Depending on how long you stay on each name, this could take up a considerable amount of time. 2. Pray for His Kingdom (the church in general, world-wide) Then pray for your church body as part of His Kingdom. This entails prayer for: PASTORS and their families TEACHERS and their families The Evangelistic outreach of your church The Prophetic move of God in your church Pray for missions and missionaries as part of the kingdom on earth Pray for any particular missionaries you and/or your church support Pray for the return of Christ and the bringing of His Kingdom to earth 3. Pray for the lost. Ask God to give you a burden for lost people. Pray for unsaved members of your family Pray for unsaved friends Give Holy Spirit time to speak to you concerning what He might have you to do towards the saving of people you know personally. Pray for saved people to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit 4. Pray for our President and the members of Congress Pray for our Governors and especially the Governor of your state Pray for state leaders Pray for your county and the elected officials in that county Pray for your city, the Mayor, the City Manager, the Chief of Police and members of The police force and Fire Department Pray for judges and lawyers in your county Pray for leaders of other countries, particularly where Christians are persecuted Pray for persecuted Christians 5. Pray for yourself, your needs and that of your family and close circle of friends As you pray, search your heart if there are any issues of unforgiveness Pray for protection and health, wisdom and preservation Pray for spiritual renewal Pray for specific needs and wants (petitions) 6. Thank God for Who He is, acknowledge Him Give Him time to speak to you. Be silent before Him. Thank Him for the privilege of prayer By the time you have prayed like this, you will be amazed at the time you have spent in prayer. Most assuredly you will have prayed at least one hour. You will find that you enjoy this time with him and prayer will not be a burden, but something you look forward to. Remember, this is not written in stone. It is merely suggestions from the Word of God as to how we are to pray. We hope it is helpful to you as a Disciple desirous of learning more about Him. TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 10, Prayer 1. Name the three types of prayer: Intercessory Petition Worship People without a relationship may make an outward show of prayer, but real prayer is communicating with God. Intercessory prayer is prayer that is made on behalf of another. In “The Lord’s Prayer,” He taught us to petition God by asking for our “daily bread” which is inclusive of our daily lives. Jesus taught us to ask largely in His name! James tells us we “have not because we ask not.” The prayer of worship is one in which we are simply communicating with God in thankfulness and praise. A good way to enter into prayer of worship is begin by reading the Psalms or other passages of scripture that inspire us to wonder and worship. Give a personal account of answered prayer. _______________________________________ Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES LESSON 11, HEART OF A SERVANT By Pastor Jerry Edmon It is time that we as leaders discover what true ministry is and how it is carried out The Heart of a Servant Greece said, Be Wise, Know yourself Rome said, Be Strong, Discipline yourself Epicureans said, Be Sensuous, Enjoy yourself Education said, Be Resourceful, Expand yourself Psychology said, Be Confident, Assert yourself Materialism said, Be Satisfied, Please yourself Pride said, Be Superior, Promote yourself Asceticism said, Be Lowly, Suppress yourself Humanism said, Be Capable, Believe in yourself Legalism said, Be Pious, Limit yourself Philanthropy said, Be Generous, Release yourself The world tells us to be in control of people and situations, have personal power and influence. Be strong. Be confident. Be superior. Their theme song is “I did it MY way.” SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF SELF We must ask the question “Is there a better way?” This is a self-promoting generation that only speaks of MY ministry, MY will, MY turn, and MY rights. Self is at the Heart of Rebellion. It is the very thing that brought Satan to his fall. It is the greatest sign of spiritual immaturity and lack of trust that there is. A SERVANT OR A SON? I know that you have rights and privileges as a son in the Kingdom of God, but it seems that all God hears are His children demanding their rights. There comes a time when you leave the role of a demanding son with all of your rights and you take on the role of a true leader and become a servant. There are THREE stages of growth in the believer: Feed me I can feed myself Now I can feed you Real spiritual maturity is displayed in the giving of yourself. John the Baptist understood this: “He must increase, I must decrease.” Jesus said of him, “There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” The way to the throne room is through the servant’s quarters. Matthew 20:25-28: 25: But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26: But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27: And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. The highest form of leadership today is to be a servant. It is the first building block to true greatest. A SERVANT, A GIVER What defines a servant, a giver? ANONYMOUSLY – A great proof of true servant-hood is giving anonymously. When we practice the art of unselfish living, we prefer to remain anonymous. People with a true servant’s heart don’t think of themselves and prefer not to be bought into the limelight or get the credit. Example: Each Sunday when we walk into church, it’s clean, the carpet has been vacuumed, the chairs are lined up neatly, the communion tables have been prepared for us. Most never give it a second thought that these things have been done for us! These wonderful servants have done these things without wanting or expecting any recognition. This is true humility and maturity. GENEROUSLY – Let us understand that the giving involves is much more than money. It included the giving of ourselves… our time, our energy, care and compassion, even our belongings on occasion. Example: Become sensitive to those opportunities around you. Visit or send a card to someone who is homebound, make a phone call to encourage someone who may be dealing with adversity. When making a casserole for dinner, make extra for a single-parent family in your neighborhood. VOLUNTARILY – Paul writes, “I can testify that they did it because they wanted to, and not because of nagging on my part. They begged us to take the money so they could share in the joy of helping (TLB).” The servants of Macedonia first gave themselves and then gave their gifts. God has put ministry in our hearts, don’t hesitate to step out. Example: Volunteering for the distribution of Manna Ministry is incredible. Each month somewhere around fifty people show up on a Saturday morning, set up tables, unload a truck, fill over 250 boxes with food and give out to those in our community. Five hours later, the tables are folded and put up, the trash is taken to the dumpster, the carpet is vacuumed, and there is no sign that anything has happened here. This is just one area of service. And what a way for these hands to serve not only our church body but to be a blessing to those in our community. PERSONALLY – Personal involvement is essential, not incidental. And it usually involves adapting our ways and schedules to fit into other’s needs. Example: The gospel of John Chapter 13 records the account of Jesus washing the feet of the disciplines just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that his time was short and that He would be leaving those he loved; the word says “he now showed them the full extent of his love.” Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then washed the feet of the disciples. Jesus lowered Himself to the position as a servant. The act of foot washing was a custom of welcoming guests and was a servant’s chore – not reserved for the Rabbi or teacher. Now at this meal, there were no servants. None of the disciples initiated this act. The meal had begun and Jesus then chooses this time to make an everlasting impression to his disciples. Once He finishes with this task, Jesus tells them, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master … Now if you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” It is impossible to serve others at arm’s length. It takes rolling up our sleeves, reaching out and embracing others and opportunities. Remember, God is not looking for ability but for availability. AUTHENTIC SERVANTHOOD CALLS FOR PEOPLE WITH A PASSION FOR GIVING WITHOUT RELUCTANCE, AND WITHOUT RESTRICTION THE SERVANT AS A FORGIVER AND A FORGETTER FORGIVENESS – To the extent that you can envision God’s forgiveness for you, to that same degree you will be given the capacity to forgive others. FOGETFULLNESS – True servants, when demonstrating genuine love, don’t keep score. Webster’s defines FORGET as “To loose the remembrance of, to treat with inattention and disregard, to disregard intentionally. Overlook, to cease remembering or noticing. To fail to become mindful at the proper time.” When we talk about forgetting, let’s understand what we mean: Refusing to keep score (1 Corinthians 13:5 “It (love) is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”) Being bigger than any offense (Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”) Harboring no judgmental attitude (Matthew 7:1-5 “1Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”) OBEDIENCE OF A SERVANT OBEDIENCE – Means Personal Involvement. We cannot serve one another at arm’s length. It means if someone is drowning in a troubled sea, then we get wet. We get in touch. If someone drifts away, we do not ignore that person. We reach out to help restore. (1 John 13:14) OBEDIENCE – Requires Christian Unselfishness. To pull of this concept, we need to see other as Jesus sees them. We need to risk reaching out, giving up the luxury of staying safe and giving up our preferences for His. (1 John 13:15) OBEDIENCE – Results in Ultimate Happiness. Notice the final analysis. Happiness comes from doing these things. Meaning what? Namely this, we have to carry it out before we can enter into the joy of serving. The fun comes when we roll up our sleeves, wrap a towel around us and wash a few feet, quietly, graciously and cheerfully. THE PERILS OF A SERVANT OTHERS MAY GET THE CREDIT - (2 Kings 4:38-41) Famine had struck the area. Our friend Gehazi is told to whip up a pot of stew. Poisonous plants are accidentally dropped into the crock-pot. Notice what happened in verse 41. Gehazi had done all of the work but Elijah got all of the credit. I mean, a servant can’t even make stew. So it is with servants today. It is easy to feel used and unappreciated. Do I speak to you who serve behind the scenes in a ministry or a business? You work faithfully and diligently. You do all of the work but someone else get the credit. The glory goes to another and your efforts make someone else successful. How wary to feel resentful. Assistant directors, associates, secretaries, administrators, internal personnel, all the members of the “I work hard but never get the credit” club, take heart. Our God who rewards in secret will never forget you or overlook your commitment. Hebrews 6:10 is a great verse for those of you who feel used and unappreciated. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown towards His Name.” But a warning is also in order. Keep a close eye on your pride. God’s true servant is like the Lord Jesus, who came not to be served but serve and to give His life as ransom for many, to serve and to give. Pride wants strikes, lots of them, and likes to get the credit, to be mentioned, to receive glory, to have people ooh and ahh. Ideally your superiors will be thoughtful people who give you the credit that you deserve. But unfortunately that will not always be the case and your pride will need to be held in check. At those times when you make the stew and someone gets the strokes, remember your role. Ephesians 6:6-8 gives us proper perspective, “6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” The famous orchestra conductor, Leonard Bernstein, answered a fan’s question as to what the most difficult instrument was to play by saying “Second Fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who plays second fiddle with as much enthusiasm, or second French horn or second flute, now this is a problem.” And yet, if no ones plays second, we have no harmony. ANDREW Andrew was the man who led others to Christ. He led the way in that area. He had no idea of how important those were to be that he was introducing to Christ, that they would be the Apostles of Christ. Although Andrew introduced Peter to Christ, he was not included in the inner circle. Yet there was seemingly no resentment in his heart. Maybe he was balanced enough to understand his place and feel secure there. He didn’t have to be up front to get recognized, only to know Jesus. He was the kind of man who never received first place, yet he is the man on whom every leader deepens and is the backbone of the Christian church and the salt of the earth. Andrew was selfless. He was referred to as Simon Peter’s brother. He had almost no recognition of his own. Now the names of the Twelve Apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. (Matthew 10:2) Simon, (whom he also named Peter) and Andrew his brother James and John, Philip and Bartholomew. (Luke 6:14) TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 11, Heart of a Servant 1) “Self” is at the heart of rebellion. 2) There are 3 stages of growth in the believer. They are: a. Feed me. b. I can feed myself. c. I can feed others. 3) The way to the throne room is through the servant’s quarters. 4) A servant is a leader. 5) There are four qualities involved in being a servant who gives. They are: a. ANONYMOUSLY b. GENEROUSLY c. VOLUNTARILY d. PERSONALLY 6) A servant is a forgiver and a forgetter. 7) There are 3 qualities that make up the “forgetting” part of forgiveness. They are: 1. Refusing to keep score (1 Corinthians 13:5) 2. Being bigger than any offense (Psalm 119:165) 3. Harboring no judgmental attitude (Matthew 7:1-5) 8) Obedience means Personal Involvement. 9) Obedience requires Christian Unselfishness. 10) Obedience results in Ultimate Happiness. 11) When you behave as a servant, others may get the credit. 12) What is the reaction you should have when someone gets credit for something you do? Take heart. Our God who rewards in secret will never forget you or overlook your commitment. 13) Explain in your own word how Andrew was a good example of servant-hood. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Covenant Treasure Institute PERSONAL ESSENTIALS SERIES LESSON 12, PUBLIC SPEAKING By Patricia Smith In a recent survey, it was concluded that public speaking rated in the top three all-time fears, right beside the fear of death and the fear of snakes. It was also concluded that a person with the ability to speak in public situations was 50% more likely to land a professional position, even when compared with those who had more education. Many, in fact, most people who are called by God into some form of ministry, will be called upon to speak publicly. Pastoring definitely requires public speaking, as well as evangelism, teaching and apostolic ministries…even prophetic ministries are called upon to fill pulpits from time to time. Whether you feel you are called to one of the five-fold ministries or not, it is still a good thing to be able to speak to others in groups. To feel inadequate or have what is called “stage fright” can be a good thing in ministry. Once we get to a place we feel we have “arrived”, then we no longer have to depend on God. It is good to always feel a few butterflies so that you realize you must have the presence of His Spirit to be able to deliver a message effectively. I have a little habit – before I preach or teach, I visualize David and Goliath, and remember David’s words: “I come to you in the name of the Lord”. As I step into the pulpit, I always say inside myself, “OK Lord…you’re on!” When I first started preaching, I came up under the old-time Pentecostal procedure which frowned on anyone taking notes to the pulpit. You were just supposed to take a text (usually a one-liner) and let go and let God. Preparation was not thought of as very spiritual. If you had the anointing, the idea was that you should just get up and preach extemporaneously. They used the scripture, “open your mouth wide and I will fill it” and Jesus discourse when He said to take no heed to what you will say when you are brought before judges and magistrates…Unfortunately they misapplied that to congregations instead of judges, and many times their mouths were “filled” alright, but not with anything particularly uplifting or scriptural. I tried this method for awhile. I shall never forget my first message in church on a Wednesday night. I had prayed all day, shut my eyes, opened the Bible randomly, ran my finger down the page and where it stopped I presumed was my message. It was the commandment to Solomon that when he built the temple and specifically the altar, there was to be no iron tool used upon it. I didn’t get much out of that except that Solomon wasn’t supposed to use an iron tool when he built the altar of the Lord, but I figured, great revelation would come to me when I actually got up to speak. And indeed, I did get a great revelation. The revelation was that Solomon wasn’t supposed to use an iron tool on the altar, and after I read the scripture and repeated that about five times, I was through and sat down. I thought I had preached at least 15 minutes, when in actuality it was about three minutes. I was devastated! I soon learned there was no sin in preparation. The more you prepare, the better your delivery will be. There have been times when I was preaching and the Holy Spirit just seemed as through He came in and took over. I felt as though I wasn’t even in my body, but was transported into what it I was saying. Even the things I said, seemed as though I heard it at same time the congregation did! However, do not expect this will always be the case. More often you will need an orderly outline. Don’t be afraid to go where the Spirit leads you. Don’t think that because you have notes you must absolutely stick to them and keep plowing on even after God is through simply because there is more to your notes. Always remain open to the leading of the Spirit, but always have plenty of information for the Spirit to draw on. If you feel led to go in another direction, by all means GO! It may be one of those “Pentecostal” times when God fills your mouth all by Himself! But the main message is this: Don’t go to the pulpit unprepared. To preach or teach for 30 minutes to an hour will usually require at least four hours of preparation and sometimes more than that. There are different styles of preaching. Some are comfortable preaching on a subject. If you are one of these preachers, research your subject thoroughly. Others, (like myself) are most comfortable doing expositional preaching, which is taking a passage of scripture, reading some of it, expounding on it, reading some more, expounding on it, etc until the whole subject matter of these verses are explained. Teaching preachers use this method extensively. A lot of pastors preach instructional messages, applying the word practically to people’s lives. Evangelists preach messages geared to win souls. Most truly evangelistic messages are simple in text and planned to move people’s emotions and bring them to the place of decision. They are not usually full of deep truths, but a presentation of the simple gospel that “Jesus saves” and “you are a sinner that needs to get saved”. Teachers basically “explain” what evangelists “proclaim” and take very seriously their calling to ground the saints in what they believe and why. Prophets speak a lot to the future and to the church in general about what God is doing in their midst now and in the future. No matter what you calling or your “style” there are certain things you need to know and keep in mind. Remember the first things you say to a congregation will set the tone for the way you are received. A missionary recently came to church and while I am certain he had a true heart for God and was doing a great work; he was very young and made, in my estimation, a very large mistake. He began by worshipping at length on the piano and while that was fine, he then made the remark that “he had touched God whether any of us had or not” and now he would minister. While he was from Russia and most folks had come out with an expectant heart, wanting to know what God was doing in Russia, he said he had not come to talk about Russia, and if we did not like it he could care less (those were his exact words) about what we thought! He then proceeded to preach “down” to us for the rest of the service, telling us what we were not doing and how we were basically hypocritical in our actions towards others. Needless to say, he did not make a very good impression on most of the congregation. I determined in my heart to look past his obvious youth and inexperience to see into his real heart for God. However, most folks were not so inclined and “turned him off” from his very first comment. If God has placed His word in you, He has not arbitrarily appointed you to be the church police, criticizing and belittling those to whom you speak. You must always remember that God counted you faithful when He put you into the ministry, and He put you there, no matter what the capacity to “feed His sheep”. The fact that people have left the comfort of their homes and come to hear you should be a humbling thought and endear them to you to being with. There are plenty of other things they could be doing. God has trusted you with His most precious cargo…His people. It is then with the utmost love, concern and respect for His people that you must minister. If you find yourself taking a pulpit and not loving those who have come expectantly to glean form you, it is time to find a place “apart” and pray until you do love them and desire God’s best revelation for them. Now that we have established our basis for speaking, and that is love, remember this…You cannot be self-conscious and God-conscious at the same time. You will find the truth of the scripture, “perfect love cast out fear”. If you are truly concerned about people receiving life-changing revelation, you will forget about yourself and your heart will burn with the desire to implant life in them. Always remember this…no matter where you speak, if there are more that two people in the congregation, one will think you are the best thing since soda-pop and never heard another preacher like you, and on the same row, the other will think you are undoubtedly the worst. It matters little what people think. What matters is, do you love them, have you prepared and are you desirous of giving a precious gift into their Spirit? God will take care of the rest. It is His ministry, not yours. How it is received is not your concern. It is His. You know you have not yet arrived to the place the Lord would have you when you go home and relive your message and how you were received, either to gloat over your success or wallow in self-pity over your perceived failure. You have presented the word of God. Let it go at that, God does the rest. Start preparing for the next time you are called on to speak. On a more practical note, try preaching to a recorder. (If it turns out good you can always sell the message). When you play it back, write down how many times you say “you know”, “and, uh”, “hallelujah”, “praise the Lord”, “praise God”, “glory to God” and get people to repeat things to their neighbor. We all do it. But the ideal is to cut down on those unnecessary phrases. If, for a moment, you have lost your train of thought, or you are trying to think what you should say next, it is OK to have a moment of silence. Usually that will garner more attention that meaningless phrases. I knew a young fellow who punctuated nearly every remark with “praise God”. He would say things like “the devil is out to get us all, praise God” or “most of the world is on their way to hell, praise God”. We called him “praise God Charley”. If you will listen to yourself you can eliminate a lot of these habits. Also notice how many times you say “I” as opposed to “we” or “you”. Usually people are too kind to mention things like this to you (at least to your face), so it’s up to you to critique your own sermons. Length of sermons is another source of public contention. If you know, for example, that people in a church where you are preaching are used to getting out at 12:00 o’clock, then by all means look at your watch and if you don’t get the pulpit until 11:45, then preach for 15 minutes and if you have to finish in the evening service, so be it. At least that way you will have people come back to hear you. If you push them past their usual time, they will be upset. If, on one hand, the congregation is a tad more spiritual than that, they will recognize the anointing and when God is moving. If God is in the thing, people can listen for an hours and it will seem to them as though five minutes when by and they will be sorry when you stop. If, on the other hand, you are just plowing through notes because you have them, you can preach for 30 minutes and it will seem like two hours. Always try to be led by the Spirit. Scan your audience for signs of restlessness; you’ll know when they’re through listening. Try not to go past that time – you will live to preach again. I heard Brother David duPlessis preach for 2 hours and 45 minutes on “Forgiveness”. It revolutionized my life and it seemed that only a short time had elapsed. I laughed, I cried, I learned. It was a wonderful experience. I have also had the experience of listening to preachers drone on about what I cannot remember and it seemed an eternity. Another point to remember is that humor is a valuable tool. Learn to laugh at yourself and you will find others laughing with you. It is no sin to tell a good clean joke from the pulpit. A merry heart does good like a medicine! Just ensure it is appropriate both in content and timing. For instance, you would not tell a joke just after a serious prophecy, use common sense. You will also find people will enjoy listening to your more, no matter what your style, if you will interject personal examples and experiences into your message. It helps bring the word to life and helps others understand how it can be applied in their lives. Remember, you are bearing precious seed, you are a chosen vessel of God to sow that seed. Carry yourself as though you believe that! If you think little of yourself, do not expect others to think much of you. I am not talking about false pride or arrogance. I am speaking of being proud of the Christ in you and the privilege of carrying Him wherever you go and speaking in His name. If you do not take yourself seriously, do not expect others to do so! Start to see yourself as a professional person, called and chosen of God to speak His words. Dress appropriately. Do not dress in a manner that calls attention to anything other than the fact that you are professionally and appropriately groomed. For example, a silver lame’ evening gown would definitely distract from your message, while an unusually dull or out of fashion suit or dress will also cause people to wonder where on earth you buy your clothes rather than focusing on what you have to say. Don’t wear unpolished, scuffed shoes, wrinkled or stained clothing. Do your best to look your best and then forget about it. You are not there to win a fashion award; you are there to minister to souls in Jesus’ name. The primary thing you should know is this – always, without exception, go the pulpit full of prayer. If you do, you will be full of the Spirit. If you are full of the Spirit, things will go the way God intends and lives will be changed. I recall reading about a young preacher who came to the famous preacher of time past, Charles Spurgeon. He was inquiring sadly about his ministry because, he said, he had been preaching for over a year and to his knowledge he did not have one convert. Reverend Spurgeon looked as him incredulously and said, “Young man, do you suppose that someone is supposed to be saved EVERY TIME YOU take the pulpit?” Not wishing to appear prideful the young man quickly replied, “Oh, no sir”! “Then,” said Spurgeon, “THAT is your problem!” TEST REVIEW Personal Essentials Series, Lesson 12, Public Speaking A person with public speaking ability is 50% more likely to do what? Land a professional position, even when compared with those who have more education Being involved in five-fold ministry requires public speaking. The more you prepare the better your delivery will be. True or false: If you have notes, you must stick to them no matter what. False Do NOT go to the pulpit unprepared. The first things you say to a congregation are what sets the tone for the way you are received. God has not appointed you to be the church police. If you are in ministry, you are there to feed His sheep. God’s most precious cargo is His people. You cannot be self-conscious and God-conscious at the same time. Perfect love casts out fear. What is a good tool for self-evaluation? Tape recorder True or false: Always use a lot of “praise God: and “hallelujahs” when you preach. False Try to be aware as to the length of your preaching. Humor is a valuable tool. We should use it wisely. It helps people relate to what you are saying if you will interject some personal experiences into your message. Carry yourself as one who is sowing precious seed, you are a chosen vessel of God! If you do not take yourself seriously do not expect others to. Dress appropriately. ALWAYS go to the pulpit full of prayer. True or false: Always expect someone to be saved, blessed, healed, delivered or taught when you preach or teach. True 71