May The God Who Gives Endurance & Encouragement Give You The Same Attitude Of Mind Toward Each Other That Jesus Christ Had
Such A Time As This
Romans 15:5-7
“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
”Romans 15:5-7 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.15.5-7.NKJ
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The Roman Church was made up of people from many different backgrounds; Jews, Gentiles, slaves and free, rich and poor, strong and weak. So, just as it is today, in multi-race societies, rich and poor, strong and weak, with many different backgrounds, it was difficult for them to get along with one another or to even accept one another.
But Paul encourages us as he did back then, to make every effort to accept and get along with all our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of race, colour, status, or background; after all we are supposed to be one family in Christ, sharing the one hope for the glory of God.
Accepting means taking people into our homes for assembly and fellowship, as well as into our hearts, sharing meals and activities together, and avoiding any kind of racial or economic discrimination or favouritism.
Make a point to spend time greeting those you don’t usually talk to, seeking common ground for fellowship. By this deliberate action you are accepting others as Christ has accepted you, shining like stars for the glory our Father in heaven.
Today, rather than united, many churches are in competition with one another like church is a business. But especially in view of the challenges facing this world today, this should not be happening.
God is calling out to our church leadership to unite with one another.
The time has come for church leadership to humble themselves before God and join together in prayer and worship by the leading of the Holy Spirit; that we come together as one body in Christ who is the head.
Already, we are beginning to see revival, but there’s a way to go as we prepare ourselves for Jesus Christ return. The truth is, revival is in us.
In the first miracle, Jesus turned water into wine when at a marriage ceremony. The wine had run out which would bring humiliation to the family.
When Mary approached Jesus and asked Him for help, he replied, “it’s not My time”. Jesus was talking about such a time as this, for the wine is finished and man’s church is powerless; many have closed down or are struggling to survive; pastors and ministers are desperately trying to keep their doors open with glossy worship that entertains the congregation and people pleasing projects that are not of God, often preaching a prosperity Jesus, making promises of blessings that they have no authority to make.
The leadership is walking in the flesh rather than in the Spirit, and the signs and wonders of God are not seen.
But Jesus time is now; He is pouring the new wine into new wine skins, His chosen people for such a time as this, and with it, their is new power.
As in the first miracle, He saved the best until last (JOHN 2:1-11).
Jesus is restoring His church to operate by His leading as He originally intended and the glory of God shall be revealed to all.
Jesus said, ““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:12-14 NKJV
My beloved, Jesus time is now and we will experience even greater things than what Jesus did when He walked the earth.
Jeol Prophesied, ““And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”
Joel 2:28-32 NKJV
The time is now and God is pouring out His Spirit.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
II Corinthians 3:17 NKJV
But God is not abandoning His people caught in the old man made religious systems; He is calling them out to be part of His church where we are all one in Christ.
Every member falls into at least one of the categories of the five fold ministries of Christ and is gifted to participate within the meetings. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
Furthermore, every member, not just the leaders are spiritually gifted to encourage and edify the church.
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”
I Corinthians 12:4-14 NKJV
My beloved, every member has a part to play not just the “leadership”, and all shall be led by the head, Jesus Christ.
As when Egypt held God’s people captive, the church has been held in bondage, but today is being led to the promised land and freedom.
But sadly, just as in those days, many rebelled, not willing to come out of what they made their comfort zones, so is the old church today. (EXODUS 6).
They didn’t recognise the bondage until set free.
Today, God is revealing the truth, and as Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.””
John 8:31-32 NKJV
New wine brings new freedoms and new powers through Christ who is our strength (PHILIPPIANS 4:13).
My beloved, it’s no longer man’s church, or the church of Pharosees, but the church of Jesus Christ, of which He alone is the head.
The time has come for the leaders of these old religious churches to hand the reigns to Christ, to submit to God, and rebuke the devil, the god of this world today, and drive him out (JAMES 4:7). “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV
My beloved, it’s no longer I, but Christ in me. It is His plans and purposes, His authority, His powers, and His words that shall be preached to all nations to fulfil the promise by the leading of the holy Spirit, regardless of genda, status or money, for the old church has gone and the new is here, of which Christ is the head.
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Ephesians 4:1-6 NKJV
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
