Trust in God
Here is a summary of a long Sermon that I was sent recently, and it made so much sense, that I was compelled to share it with you all. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-15, it says that there was division in the Corinthian Church, where each ministry was contending with dominating all the others as the most superior, and then not focusing at getting on with their own “Spiritual Gift” and working at spreading the Gospel.
Jeremiah 17:5-11 starts out this way, “Thus saith the LORD; cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” It basically spells out what happens when people work by their own rules and are not “Spirit Lead.” Acts 4:1-5 “being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” Once more the Jewish Church was determined to shut down any ministries that was not under their direct control.
1 John 4:15-19 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.” Acts Chapter 4, tells us that the Early Church Preached because they had, “The Love of God,” empowered by the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:15-21 “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
Acts 5:17-29 “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life…Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.” 1 Corinthians 12:11 “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” Matthew 20:27 “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:”
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Quote; “I have been shown that human beings desire too much power. They desire to control, and the Lord God, the mighty worker is left out of their work. The workmen feel qualified to hold the highest place. Let no man attempt to manage that work which should be left in the hands of the great I AM, and who is in His own way planning how the work shall be done. Know that God is the Instructor of His servants, and He will work through whom He will {ChL 26}.
Quote; “God has not set any kingly power in the Church to control the whole body or to control any branch of the work. He has not provided that the burden of leadership shall rest upon a few men. Responsibilities are distributed among a large number of competent men {8T 236}. Luke 9:49-50 “And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, forbid [him] not: for he that is not against us is for us.”
Matthew 21:23-27; Here Jesus is challenged, “By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?” You see, Jesus was not licenced by them, his “Ministry” was not sanctioned by them and under their control, so as an “Independent Ministry” they were going to shut it down, and Killing Jesus on Calvary was deemed acceptable, to stop something outside their “Domination.” Question; “Was John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Paul or any Apostles Credentialed/Ordained Preachers, or were they under the control and direction, moment by moment, by the Holy Spirit?
2 Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” John 4:23-24 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.” Quote; “In our time there is a wide departure from [Reformation] doctrines and precepts, and there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle–the Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty… The same unswerving adherence to the word of God manifested at that crisis of the Reformation is the only hope of reform today. {GC 204}
Quote; “For the outpouring of the Spirit every lover of the cause of truth should pray. And as far as lies in our power, we are to remove every hindrance to His working. The Spirit can never be poured out while variance and bitterness toward one another are cherished by the members of the church… Transformation of character is to be the testimony to the world of the indwelling love of Christ. The Lord expects His people to show that the redeeming power of grace can work upon the faulty character and cause it to develop in symmetry and abundant fruitfulness {6T 42-43}.
Revelation 14:9-12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.”
Closing Quote; “Choose poverty, reproach, separation from friends, or any suffering, rather than to defile the soul with sin. Death before dishonour or the transgression of God’s law, should be the motto of every Christian. As a people professing to be reformers, treasuring the most solemn, purifying truths of God’s word, we must elevate the standard far higher than it is at the present time. Sin and sinners in the church must be promptly dealt with, that others may not be contaminated. Truth and purity require that we make more thorough work to cleanse the camp from Achan’s. Let those in responsible positions not suffer sin in a brother. Show him that he must either put away his sins or be separated from the church. {CH 626}
