church
Repost: Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story – Act of God
Isaiah 43:43 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:….
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
The Problem With an Occasional Visit to Church
Like anything, going to church needs to be a consistent habit, not an occasional visit.
It’s no different than a membership at a gym. If you have a membership at a gym, and only visit once a month, you are not going to get very far.
If a person “pops in” to church occasionally, and hears one message, or maybe only a few messages, that person might get a confused idea about God and not relate to God properly. The Bible said that Moses knew the ways of God. Moses was successful because he knew the ways of God and obeyed.
What does it mean to know the “ways” of something? You understand how it operates. You understand that when a stove is red and you touch it you will get burned. You understand that if you jump off of a high place (don’t do it), gravity will pull you down, maybe to your death. You understand that when you see a stop sign, that you stop…if you don’t you might get into an accident. We understand these things at the natural level.
But God also has “ways” of operating and these are not learned in an instant. Like anything, it requires persistance, regularity, dedication and obedience.
In any subject, everything is not taught in one or two hours, or even in one day. In math, for example, there is a logical progression of topic by topic, appropriate to the age level. You don’t go from addition to algebra in one class.
When learning about God, when learning about Jesus, Christian books, Bible studies, or church preaching can cover only so much in any one period of time.
This is why it is necessary to be consisent. The Bible says to forsake not the assembling of yourself together.
There needs to be regular Bible reading and study.
It is the only way to come to the knowledge of what it means to be born again, along with the rights and responsibilities in Christ.
If any part of a house’s foundation is missing, the house will not stand.
Besides learning, then things need to be put into practice. The Bible calls it being a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only.
Suppose a person were given a plot of ground, gardening tools, a means to water, seeds, and everything required for the garden. It would do the person absolutely no good unless that person actually did something with the tools, the seeds and the water. The person would have to use the tools to prepare the ground, plant the seeds, continue to water and weed, and finally get a harvest.
You can hear Bible messages, but they need to put into practice for them to do any good.
If you do not have a good local church, while you are looking for one, the link below this post will lead you to more information on good online resources.
Currently, there is a camp meeting going on at rhema.tv. They will have recorded messages as well at rhema.org
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Why does satan have so much power?
Jesus called satan the god of this world.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord God, they fell from the position of authority God had given Adam.
When Jesus was crucified, died, buried and resurrected, Jesus purchased back what Adam lost at the Fall. He gave that authority and power to the church.
Matthew 28:16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. 17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
We have seen instances where police have been told to stand down. Police have the authority. But if they do not use it, or are told not to use it, the badge of authority alone is not enough.
Simply having authority does not get the job done.
Basically, the church, or some of it anyway, is ignorant of its position. The church is not strictly a building, though it can refer to that. The church is made up of believers.
There are some believers who do not understand their authority in Christ. They are waiting for God to do something. But the key is in their own hands, they just don’t know it.
People are waiting for God, but God is waiting for them.
Generally, there are acts of obedience to the Word of God and Holy Spirit required at some level to get things accomplished.
God works with mankind, “the Lord working with them”. He does not do the job he has given man to do.
Mark 16:20 (KJV) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Man’s job is to ask, seek, knock, present the promises of the Bible to God the Father in the name of Jesus, plead the blood of Jesus, pray to the Father in the name of Jesus and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in accomplishing God’s purposes here on the earth.
It also involves the power of the Sacraments, and of a structured, ordered, disciplined life. “Disciple” comes from the same root as “discipline”.
If things aren’t getting done, if satan’s power seems great, it is because overall, collectively, the church overall, at large, is not using the keys left it by Jesus.
The church must use the authority of the name of Jesus. That authority was left by Jesus.
It is like a policeman standing by while a bank robbery goes on. The policeman has the authority to stop the robbery. But if the authority is not presented and if the authority is not used, then it seems like there is no power to stop the robbery.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.