Earnestly

 ~ Christian Earnestness ~

 

Earnestly Heed the Word  ~  “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.  For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Hebrews 2:1-4). 

 

Earnestly Contend for the Faith  ~  “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 3-4). 

 

Earnestly Pray to God  ~   “And Jesus was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41-44).  “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17-18). 

 

Earnestly Care for the Saints  ~  “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side.  Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.  Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more” (2 Corinthians 7:5-7). 

 

Earnestly Long for Glory  ~  “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2). 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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God Our Rock, 29

 ~ Rock of Offense ~

 

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  ~  “What shall we say then?  That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.  Why?  Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED’” (Romans 9:30-33). 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Spiritual Gifts, 32

 ~ The Sign Gifts ~

 

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). 

 

Category  ~  This series regarding spiritual gifts began on November 24, 2020.  After some introductory material on “Grace Gifts” we looked at “Source Gifts” (beginning January 26, 2021) which we likened to the Construction Sector of society, then “Serving Gifts” (beginning March 16, 2021) likened to the Service Sector of society, followed by the “Speaking Gifts” (beginning May 25, 2021) likened to the Medical Sector of society, and now we come to “Sign Gifts” which we are thinking of as the Media Sector.

 

Sign Gifts  ~  This is another large category of Spiritual Gifts.  This is our last category of spiritual gifts which are a sub-section of grace gifts (which include many gifts including natural abilities).

 

I think of sign gifts as the Media Group because generally this group of gifts have to do with those outside the local group of believers.  They deal with the revelation of the manifestation of God and expose the truth of God.  They are also typically related to specific task assignments.

 

Listing  ~  Apostleship

Prophecy (in the sense of foretelling) > including Knowledge

Tongues > including Speaking in Tongues & Interpretation of Tongues

Miraculous Powers > including Healing

 

Time Periods  ~  There is reason to believe that God intended some of the spiritual gifts which He gave to the Church to be temporary.  The Scriptures present several lines of evidence to that effect.  A sub-category of Sign Gifts are the transitional gifts that were important for a specific period-of-time and/or location.  It is largely the purpose or function of a spiritual gift that determines its duration.

 

Old Testament  ~  There are many examples.  Consider, for example, the many signs given to Israel during the times of Moses, Joshua, Elisha, and Elijah.  

 

New Testament  ~ Gifts are a prominent theme in Scripture during the time of the early church.   For example, recall Christ performing miracles, the Apostles performing miracles (Christ gave them power with their apostleship).  Spiritual revelation was confirmed with miraculous powers.

 

“Some of these gifts have disappeared.  They are not in the church because they are not needed in the church today.  There are no longer apostles in the church, nor are there prophets (in the sense of being able to foretell future events). —J. Vernon McGee

 

Interesting Fact  ~  The fact that the New Testament the word translated ‘sign’ is also translated ‘miracle’ in other places.  This is a clear indication that these signs were intended to be public (to be seen by many people).

 

Scripture  ~  Consider just one Old Testament chapter we find three miraculous signs: (1) Exodus 4:2-5 where a staff turned was turned into a serpent, (2) verses 4:6-8 where we have an account of a hand turned leprous, and (3) 4:9 where the Nile River was turned to blood.  In this early pattern of miracles, we see signs used to authenticate the messenger as being from God.

 

Note  ~  Sincere Christians disagree with each other concerning the issue of the duration of spiritual gifts.  The heart of the disagreement is related to the intention of God, not to the authority and power of God.

 

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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