Wait and Be Blessed

Isaiah 30:18 -19 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him. O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.”

This is how Papa will act when I am stubborn and try to flee, verses 15-17. How great and awesome is He. What originally stuck out to me was the end of verse 18, “Blessed are all who wait for Him.” I was able to reap the blessings of doing just that this week and it was such a…blessing for lack of a better word. But as I read further I was reminded of His unconditional love for me. Now when you say “God,”  I think of His love, but the wording of it really hit me. “As soon as He hears, He will answer you.” How blessed am I to be in relationship with a Father who “longs to be gracious to me,” who “rises to show me compassion.”

Papa, I praise Your name, above all else You are great. You are kind and loving, and will never forsake me. Thank You for being quick to answer me and for actually wanting to be gracious to me. Thank You, You are way out of my league and I don’t deserve You, but I’ll take it. Thank You.

My eyes don’t see what my heart believes

I read 2 Chronicles 31.  Go check it out.

The people give to the work of the Lord and the Lord blesses so much that the overflow is abundant.  I believe that happens, I believe that God will see through what He promises, but what I expereince doesn’t line up.

So, tell me.  What’s a brotha to do?

Letting go of the past

As I read the last entry in My utmost for His highest it was brought a very peaceful and freeing emotion.  The verse:
You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard —Isaiah 52:12

reminds me that you have to let go of the past and look to tomorrow trusting HIM to guide and protect me.  Paul said, I press on that I may lay hold of that which was laid hold of by Jesus Christ.   In my version its,  I forget all the crap of my past and look forward to the life that Chirst has already paid for, letting go of the things I can no longer change and choosing to live a life changed by HIM. 

Father I end this year thanking YOU for all the trials and tribulations of the past because they have brought me closer to YOU.  And I humbly walk into this new year as YOUR bondservent to do the things YOU have called and gifted me to do.  I choose to walk in the anointing YOU have placed on me and I stand ready to fight for YOU with sword and shield hand in 2009.  Thank YOU Pappa.  I love you.

Sent with a purpose

Romans 10:13-15a

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Paul lists a backward progression to the salvation of all. The meaning of the word “call on him” means to place their trust in; to identify themselves with.

Someone must be “sent,” which implies for a particular purpose, in order to “preach.” “Preach,” is the same word as “proclaim” found in verse 8, “...the word of faith that we proclaim.”

Someone preaches in order that others might hear and believe.

When someone hears and believes, then and only then can they call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

So what? That’s great! I’m not the one who is to be “sent” with a purpose! It’s easy for me to say “that’s not my job or calling.” I’m not an evangelist. My spiritual gifts don’t include evangelism or mission work.

Ah… but wait. I Tim 4:2 says “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Notice there is no qualifying statement around it – check the references.

I am to be prepared in season and out of season. Convincing, rebuking, exhorting… that sounds a lot like being “sent” – to be sent with a purpose. In season and out of season, i.e. all the time, I am to be prepared with a purpose for proclaiming the Truth. What is the Truth? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

In the wit and wisdom on Golden Child… “What does that look like?“

For me it is being in His presence daily. What about you?

Church Study #8…..Pastors

The office of a pastor in the Christian church has been a role that has been accepted without question over the past 400+ years.  Since the days of John Calvin, church government has consisted of the pastor and the elders, who are elected representatives of the congregation.  This governmental structure is almost exclusively pyramid in nature with the pastor as the head and the elder board beneath him.  This is clearly in conflict with the teachings of the New Testament, as I will prove.  The Greek word for elder is “presbyteros”.  The literal meaning of the word refers to an older man, or an elder.  This meaning need not be applied merely to those who are elderly, as is seen in the apostle Paul ‘s letter to Timothy.  It is apparent Timothy was in a position of leadership, or oversight: 2 Timothy 1:1, 2, 6,   2 Timothy  2:15,  2 Timothy  4:1-5.  Timothy even traveled with Paul on his apostolic journeys, alluding to a role as an apostle.  Yet in spite of his calling as an elder and leader, he was a younger man: 1 Timothy 4:11-16.   Ben we know this one.  So we see that an elder is not necessarily an older man, but his qualifications for this office must reflect his maturity and understanding of the word of God: 1 Timothy 3:1-7   

The Greek work for pastor is “poimen”.  The literal meaning of the word poimen is shepherd.  English translations of the Bible only translate poimen as “pastor” only one time in the entire New Testament in Ephesians 4:11.  Here pastor is listed as one of the God appointed offices in the church, but it is plural “pastors” and rules of Greek grammar here demand that pastors and teachers here refer to one office.  So if we accurately translate poimen to be shepherds, and it is one office, more properly Ephesians 4:11 reads “shepherds as teachers.” The Greek word poimen is translates as “shepherd” 17 times in the New Testament; below are its various uses:

4 times it is used of literal shepherds caring for literal sheep;

8 times it refers to Jesus as the Great Shepherd of the church;

4 times it refers to leadership of true believers, as either true or false leaders;

1 time it is used of an office in the church.

 In all contexts, other than Ephesians 4:11, poimen is used as shepherd because God’s people are viewed as sheep of the flock.   

 Another Greek word derived directly from poimen is its verb form poimaino; poimaino is also used in the context of what a shepherd does when caring for the sheep.  Poimaino literally means, “to act as a shepherd,” and is used 11 times in the New Testament.  Poimaino is translated, “feed, “ 7 times and as, “rule,” 4 times in the King James Version.  More accurate translations, (such as the New American Standard), translate the same word poimaino as “shepherd, tending, tends, and shepherding.”   Poimaino is a verb, whereas poimen is a noun and therefore poimaino shows the function of a shepherd.  Hence, this is why the King James translators mistranslate poimaino as, “to feed.”  They make an assumption that feeding is the primary task of a shepherd, when in reality the shepherd leads the sheep to pasture, but has many more important duties.  One of the foremost functions that a true shepherd fulfills includes guarding them and bringing them into the sheepfold.

 Since the office of shepherds as teachers, (i.e. – pastors/teachers), is only mentioned once, (in Ephesians 4:11), we must examine other scriptures where we see this office operating or being mentioned.  A close look at the context of where poimaino is used will help.  The following texts are quoted from the Concordant Literal New Testament:

 John 21:16  “Shepherd my sheep”

 Acts 20:28  “Take heed to yourselves and to the entire flocklet, among which the holy spirit appointed you supervisors, to be shepherding the ecclesia of God…”

 I Cor 9:7  “Who is warring at any time supplying his own rations?  Who is planting a vineyard and not eating of its fruit?  Or who is tending a flock and not eating of the milk of the flock?”