All Saints

 ~ The Bible Is the Most Important Resource About “All Saints” ~

Paul Greets All Saints  ~  “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord.  Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord.  Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.  Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them.  Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.  The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:12-16).  “Greet all of your leaders and all the saints.  Those from Italy greet you” (Hebrews 13:24 nasu).

Paul Declared Himself Least of All Saints  ~  “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.  Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory” (Ephesians 3:8-13).

The Saints Salutations  ~  “All the saints greet you.  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:13-14).  “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.  The brethren who are with me greet you.  All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen” (Philippians 4:21-23).

All Saints in Christ Jesus  ~  “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:1-2).

Able To Comprehend With All Saints  ~  “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Praying Always For All Saints  ~  “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:17-18).

Love To All Saints  ~  “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16).  “I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother” (Philemon 4-7).

Christ Is Coming Back to Earth With All His Saints  ~  “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).

Definition  ~  The primary use of the term saint in the Bible is an individual who is separated from the world in order to be consecrated to God (a believer in Jesus Christ).  “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.  O my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’  As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight’” (Psalm 16:1-3).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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God Our Rock, 11

 ~ God Is My Rock, 2 ~

Introduction  ~  In Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49 Jesus relates the importance of building your house upon rock rather than sand.  This principle is even more critical when it comes to our spiritual life.  Each post in this series looks at a different Biblical passage which refers to our God as a Rock (not a complete list). 

Scripture  ~  “The Lord lives!  Blessed be my Rock!  Let the God of my salvation be exalted.  It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies.  You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.  Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.

“Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore” (Psalm 18:46-50).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Spiritual Gifts, 18

 ~ The Spiritual Gift of Leadership / Ruling ~

Opening Comment  ~  “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). 

Serving Gifts  ~  Within the Service Sector we compared the Spiritual Gift of Serving with non-profit organizations in society.  The Gift of Going / Mercy was likened to Missionaries, while the Gift of Helps is a parallel for food banks and similar organizations.  The Gift of Hospitality was compared to the travel industry, and the Gift of Leadership is a direct parallel to leaders throughout society. 

Gift of Leadership  ~  “The God-given gift of spiritual oversight of a flock of God's sheep or a particular work of God.” –Robert Lloyd Russell  

“The God-given executive ability to stand before people and to inspire followers by leading them aggressively but with care.” –Pastor Loren Fischer

“God’s work needs well-taught elders, able to preside over the work in a given church and guide it into Scriptural and fruitful paths.” –John Phillips

The essence of leadership is to provide spiritual guidance to the individuals or flock you are responsible for. 

Scripture  ~  “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;  he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:3-8). 

“‘He that ruleth, with diligence’ refers to the gift of leadership.  There are certain men who are leaders, and they need to exercise their gift in the church so that everything might be done decently and in order.  The business of the church requires a man with the gift of administration.” –J. Vernon McGee

There is a great need for such men in the church today!

Biblical Examples  ~  In the Old Testament it is said of the men of Issachar that they: “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).  

The elders at Antioch understood the Spirit’s leading and of the times in which they lived when they laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them forth to evangelize the western world for God.

“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3).

Traits  ~  Those with the gift of leadership typically, 1) employ organizational skills to encourage people to participate in worthwhile projects, 2) assume responsibility to see a job is done correctly, 3) stay the course of action to get work accomplished, 4) find it necessary to speak harshly when people fail to do their part, 5) confront people enthusiastically, thus encouraging team members to a higher level of productivity, 6) strive to help each member of a project involved a task.

Closing Comments  ~  “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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