Eze. 37:7 Dem Bones, Dem Bones

Eze. 37:7 in context speaks of the "Valley of Dry Bones", as a prophecy of Israel returning back to the land God had given them. Not as two separate nations like before but one whole and united nation.

Current preachers and evangelist have used it as an illustration of a dead lost man being breathed with new life. And rightly so used. Also many churches that have gone through a great lose in membership have received strenght from these verses with hope of risen again and being used by God.

Here I would like to bring out another biblical truth from these verses. In the Lord's dealings with us He has one goal in mind. To make us as Christ-like as can be. This goes for individuals, churches and ministries. In doing so we are striped of our carnal nature or "flesh". As little or as much as we will let Him.

During this process the Lord can and will us individuals, churches or ministries as He can and as we make ourselves available. It is when we are striped of all flesh and lie in a pile of dry bones that the Lord can do something great with us. Watching CSI on TV I've learned something interesting. When bones are dry to the point of being bleached like verse 2 says "very dry", all traces of the person is gone even the all important DNA.

Jesus is recorded in John 12:24 as saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." When we die to our selves with our dreams, passions, goals and destinies, then the Lord can stand us up. Put us together. Give us new strength and flesh. and most of all breathe His breath into us to make us a mighty army for His service.

So if you find yourselves or church/ministry "Very Dry" to the point of hopelessness, submit to His dealings and put-away yourself. Making yourself available to His makings. And there will be a "Great Shaking".

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him".
Proverbs 24:17-18

I have worked with many people and have been mistreated many times by those over me. It seems that it is real easy to hope that the person gets demoted, fired or the business goes bad because I am not there. Or even go out of business. But the Lord tells us to "pray for our enemies and bless those that abuse you".(Paraphrase Matt. 5:44) I wonder how many companies that have treated their employees bad and still do well because the people of God secretly prayed to see them "get theirs" and fall. Therefore, God turned His wrath from them.
Next time you see a person fall that had treated you wrong, let the Lord guide you in ways to bless him. Who knows maybe the Lord will defeat an enemy by making him a friend. And above all if we are bought by Christ and therefore not our own, we have no right to be offended by others. We must turn it over to our Master Jesus and trust Him to take care of it His way. We then have no worry or stress over it.

On Being A New Testament Church Part 4: Fellowship

Continuing from my previous post on Being A New Testament Church I would like to take up were I left off. Verse 42 of the Second Chapter of Acts states that, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread and in prayers".
In my opinion their actions are centered on "fellowship". We could say it this way,” And they did not give up fellowshipping around the apostle's teachings with communion and prayer".
First, they did not give up fellowship. Not because of a busy schedule and not because they did not like someone in the church.
Second, they fellowshipped around Bible study. The lecture type of preaching is good for individual growth. Bible study around fellowship is good for the spiritual growth of the church group. Not just the teachings of the original apostles, but contempary apostles mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 in which there is not reason to mention that these will teach according to the scriptures.
Third, they fellowshipped around meals, which included the "Breaking of Bread" or communion. This service is invaluable in the spiritual growth of the Church. As the early Christians shared there meals together, this observance helped them to stay focused on the whole purpose of being together.
And fourth, they fellowshipped around prayer. More than just having a small prayer time during a service, but fellowshipping around the prayer time; sharing, uplifting each other in prayer.
These four focuses in fellowship are all part of the "becoming a New Testament Church". The verses after 2:42 shows the fruits that define a NTC.
In truth the fruits do not define us when we meet, but when we as a Church operate as individuals and as a part of the Body of Christ on Earth. Have you ever met a person that lived like a non-believer and then found out that they attended a church? It is hard not to judge the Church by those individuals and the Bible teaches that we should not do so, but we see the fruits of the Church. And I believe that if the principles in 2:41-42 are lived, then the Church will not have to worry about being judged by non-believers. And we can truly believe that we are New Testament Christians therefore making up a New Testament Church.
In conclusion I must admit that no group of scriptures in themselves will point out a formula for building a New Testament Church, but only a group of people who love Jesus and are committed to serving Him together, lead by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will ever become what the New Testament Church was and did.
Or better still will become to Latter-day Church