(January 7, 2010)
Prayer House News!
Two years ago today around 4:50pm a Tornado changed the history of our church forever. Do these pictures bring back memories??
Today we are back in the building worshiping our God once again. God was with us through the whole ordeal. We continued to worship together through the generosity of Lakeshore Tabernacle as they allowed us the use of their chapel. In fact we never really missed a beat. The tornado hit us on a Tuesday and by Thursday of that week we had a prayer meeting and on Sunday we had our first post-tornado worship service. Last Sunday our church was packed out. We had to set up extra chairs. We have a Saturday evening service and a Sunday morning service. All of our ministries are operating and doing great things for God. If you would like to see a video of the tornado damage you can see it on Utube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiT0YppSTWk&feature=related
=============================The Prophets Reward
continued from yesterday
To be blessed of the Lord means that God is praying for you.
John 17:6,8 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word…(8) For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
The word “accepted” in verse eight is the Greek word "lam-ban-oo" which means receive. To receive the words of Christ is the same as receiving Christ. Some people struggle with receiving the Words of Christ. Some people second guess the Word of God – they are not sure if they should really take it into their hearts.
That is the problem Matthew was up against. The gospels had not even been written yet – nobody was studying the written New Testament during his day. All they had to go on was the Old Testament prophecies which Christ had completely fulfilled thus validating who He was. Matthew was saying to those who were being persecuted because of the faith to trust the words of the prophets. To trust those words is equivalent to receiving them.
The problem with not receiving the word of God is that you cannot receive the blessing or reward which goes along with receiving. Look at what Jesus says about those who received his words, and those who didn’t – in the next verse.
John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world.
The prophet’s reward is that the prophet prays for those who receive him – but he does not pray for those who refuse to receive Him. Those who are blessed of the Lord are those whom Jesus is praying for right now.
Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus ever lives to make intercession. In other words Jesus spends His time praying for those whom the Lord has given Him. Do you want to get in on that blessing? Receive his word. Receive Him. The moment you do – your name is brought before him in his prayer room. Can you imagine that?
Now let’s look at another aspect of receiving the prophet. First of all the word Prophet is the Greek word “Pro-phee-teen” which is does not exclusively describe our classic understanding of a prophet. It does not just describe someone who foretells the future. The word also includes teachers, or pastors, or basically anyone commissioned by God to teach the doctrines of eternal life. The prophet’s reward goes to anyone who receives any man of God.
What I’m about to say might sound like I’m setting myself up but you must believe me that that is not my intention. My purpose is to teach you the word of God so that you can partake in the blessings that come from it.
I’m going to read a quote here from Matthew Henry, “It is no small honor to receive into one's house a minister of Jesus Christ. Every person is not admitted to exercise the sacred ministry; but none are excluded from partaking of its grace, its spirit, and its reward. If the teacher should be weak, or even if he should be found afterward to have been worthless, yet the person who has received him in the name, under the sacred character, of a pastor, teacher, prophet, or evangelist,, shall not lose his reward; because what he did he did for the sake of Christ.”
Many sayings of this kind are found among the rabbinical teachings. One of the most common is this one: "He who receives a learned man, or an elder, into his house, is the same as if he had received the Shekinah glory of God."
Now listen to this; there are just as many rabbinical teaching that speak to the opposite scenario. Such as; "He who speaks against a faithful pastor, it is the same as if he had spoken against God himself."
Keep in mind that these are rabbinical sayings, are not necessarily scripture verses but certainly the prophet’s reward is the spirit behind the verse which says; “Touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
Remember how King Abimelech was in fear of his life for having taken the prophet Abraham’s wife, yet when he found out who she was he told God that he had a pure heart in the matter. Look at how God responds to him.
Genesis 20:6 Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
Abraham’s wife was also considered the Lord’s anointed. That is why God said, I have kept you from sinning against me by not allowing you to touch her. Touch not the Lord’s anointed. To assault the Lord’s anointed, whether in word or deed, is to reap the opposite benefit of those who bless the Lord’s anointed. Those who bless the Lord’s anointed are blessed of the Lord because Jesus prays for them. But those who curse the Lord’s anointed are those whom the Lord says He does not pray for. Which category do you want to be in?
continued tomorrow
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