Interlocking in Ministry

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4

Focus Verse: "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."  Ephesians 4:16

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

Did you ever work on a puzzle?  When we gather for time as a family, sometimes we will find a puzzle and put it together.  The pieces interlock together to form a beautiful picture.  It takes focus and effort to find how they fit, but if we don't give up, we will succeed.  Or maybe your puzzle is the house that you are building and the parts of the house must fit together in the right order.

It is how things are supposed to work in the ministry of God when we are yielded to Him.  We fit together... work together with other believers as each of us is shaped differently and fills different roles. We interlock together, bound by Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit and we function as the body of Christ.  It is a beautiful picture of the community we are supposed to have as we love one another, respecting the different roles that God has given us. 

We need to work together with others who are in line with correct theology, but that doesn't mean there is never a struggle.  Do you ever struggle with other ministries or other believers in the same ministry?  As different people, we are sure to struggle to understand one another, but if we approach it in love instead of pride, God will help us to find our roles.  If we push our pride out, we can respect one another and find order in ministry under the headship of Christ.  Together we are stronger and more effective as we walk in unity.  We can use our differences to strengthen and sharpen each other as we serve together in love.  As we strive toward the goal of loving God, loving others and making disciples, we realize how much we need each other to form the beautiful picture that God is making of our lives.  As we make disciples, God is adding to the beautiful picture, one soul at a time.

As we bring each new soul into the church, God is forming His beautiful family.  Each part helps the other to grow.

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Additional scripture on the Body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12

Everyone God Brings Your Way is Important

Everyone God Brings Your Way is Important

Scripture reading:  1 Samuel 9:1-10
Focus verse: 1 Samuel 9:3, 7-8 “Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, “Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys…………. Then Saul said to his servant, “But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have? And the servant answered Saul again and said, “Look, I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.”
 

I have been in situations where people are treated as important based on their career, family lineage, jobs, race, sex etc. The society of today has a lot discrimination and has failed to recognize the importance of other people. Some churches give higher regards to members of good financial standing and don't fully regard words from the less privileged in their midst. Servants are treated as less important, people associate and get advice from those of their class. We fail to notice the potential of every person in our organizations and have become very discriminatory.
In this story that would later see Saul chosen and anointed as the first king of Israel, we see an important role played by the servant who accompanied Saul as he went to search for his father’s donkeys.  After three days of searching, they couldn’t get the donkeys and Saul loses hope and suggests that they return home since his father Kush could be getting worried about them too. The servant then advises Saul that in the city ahead is a seer who could help them know where the donkeys were. Saul is afraid to go because he didn’t have anything to give to the seer since it was a custom that you had to give something to a seer. Again, the servant tells him that he had some small money with him that they could give to the seer. By this, Saul get his way to the seer and little did he know that it was God sending him to the seer (Samuel). Samuel sees Saul and God reminds what he had spoken to him about this man who would visit him. By the end of the story, Saul is chosen by God as the first king of Israel and is anointed by Samuel.
How many times have we disregarded advice from our juniors or people not of our class? What do we look for in a man before we accept the teachings or advice they give to us? Who do we give the best seat in our meetings and why? How many times have we neglected the voice of God as He speaks to us through the children or servants just because we feel we are better or older than them? How do we select our leaders in our churches and what qualities do we consider? God says, Isaiah 55:8-7, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 1 Samuel 16:7, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 Let us learn to see people in the mirror of God and regard everyone He brings our way as important. Let’s be careful lest we miss the things of God simply because we look at the person carrying them. Let the spirit of pride not to drive our lives but in humility consider the other person as better than us. God will always send his word, help or encouragement to our lives but sometimes it will come through a route you least expected. Let’s see things as God does and see everyone as an image and likeness of God.

Written by,
Eliazar Wambo
Pastor Makira Baptist Church & Director Bethesda Faith Ministries

Awake and Sober

 Awake and Sober
Bible Reading 1 Thessalonians 5
Focus Verse: "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Jesus is coming back.  It's what believers long for and what makes those without Christ to tremble.  Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of the great Evangelist Billy Graham, recently made a pledge at her father's funeral.  She explained that on the date of her father's death, the Jews' scripture for that day was about how Moses led the people of Israel out of bondage. Her father led millions out of the bondage of sin to the very edge of Heaven.  

She said, "Could it be that God is going to bring Joshua to lead us into the Promised Land, lead us to Heaven and – you know what the New Testament name for Joshua is? It's Jesus. And I believe this is a shot across the bow from Heaven. And I believe God is saying: 'Wake up church! Wake up world! Jesus is coming!" she declared. "I pledge to you, Daddy, that in view of His appearing, and in front of all these witnesses, I will preach the Word! I will do the work of an evangelist and I will share the Gospel and I will run my race and live my life so that five minutes before I see Jesus I have no regrets. I will live my life to glorify and exalt the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," she concluded.

What do we do as we wait for this glorious day, of which we have no knowledge of the day?  See verses 12-27 of 1 Thessalonians 5 for the long list that includes things like:
Acknowledge those who work hard among you and those who care for you.
Live in peace with each other.
Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Rejoice, pray and give thanks.
Test the spirits and hold onto good, while rejecting every kind of evil.
Let God sanctify (purify and cleanse) you.

We are also to go into all the land and preach the Gospel, starting with the neighbors. There is no time to be idle, disruptive, drunk or playing with the edge of evil.  We must be awake and sober to be doing our Heavenly Father's business.

~Page Johnson

Running From God

Scripture Reading: Jonah 1

Focus Verses: Jonah 1:1-3a  "Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 

As I mentioned in our devotion last week Jonah disobeyed the Lord before obeying and going to Nineveh.  In fact when God said “arise and go to Nineveh” Jonah actually headed for Tarshish which was in the opposite direction.  

 

Has God ever asked you to do something and you did the opposite?  I know I have.  Jonah could have just stayed where he was, but the Bible says he went in the opposite direction, because he wanted to get away from the presence of the Lord.  When we disobey and sin we don’t like being in the presence of the Lord because it makes us uncomfortable.  Jonah had his reasons why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh.  But no reason is good enough to make us want to disobey God.  When we disobey God what we are actually saying is “I know what’s better for me than God does.” We all know how Jonah’s plan turned out for him, in the belly of a big fish. 

 

There is something I hear the children in Kenya say quite often. "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”  If God is good all the time then God knows what is good for us all the time, and He can be trusted.  So when God is asking you to do something, don't run away from Him.  Let’s do what He says gladly.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

The World Needs Revival

Scripture Reading:  Jonah 3

Focus Verse: Jonah 3:5  “The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.”  

Many people think that what happened in Nineveh was the greatest change of an entire city that the world has ever seen.  The Bible says from the greatest to the least turned from their wicked ways and turned to God.  That’s a powerful repentance.  And God used Jonah, a man who was not even obedient to God, at first, to go to Nineveh.  No man can manufacture a massive conversion of the heart like this.  Only the Spirit of God can bring about this kind of change.  God knew what He wanted to do in Nineveh and He would have accomplished it either with Jonah or without Jonah.  No man can start a Godly movement and no man can stop it.

Here in the US we are seeing an impressive revival that started as an ordinary chapel program until one young man gave a testimony of God.  This began a cascade of repentance among those present.  The service continued through the night and into the next day and has not stopped for a full week.  They switch out those leading in prayer, reading of the scripture, leading in worship, etc. People are coming from all over to attend.  We are seeing God’s Spirit working on this Kentucky college campus in the lives of many young people.  I pray that this may be the beginning of America turning back to God.  We realize that in the last few years America has drifted so far away from God.  

A revival starts when God’s Spirit pours out into individual lives.  The evidence of true revival, a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers, is changed lives.  Let God do the work of revival in my heart.  Allow God to do the work of revival in your own heart.  Now is the time to lay aside the sin and hindrances of this world and submit ourselves to Him fully.  Romans 13:11 says, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is... time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”   We do not know the day or the hour of Jesus' return.  Let this revival of God working begin in our lives, and then share it with others.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Wait for God's time

Read: Matthew 4
Focus Scripture : Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Have you ever felt the temptation to get something before it's right time? You know very well that you need it but you don't want to wait for God's time before you can finally have it. Maybe the pressure to have sex before marriage or the temptations not to wait with your partner when you still don't have a child. Did you ever feel like, okey "God knows I am His child and that I should be entitled to these things so nothing wrong even if I have them now?"

Jesus found himself in such a situation with Satan. He had just begun His ministry which would finally bring glory to Him and the Father. Satan knew very well that Jesus was going to overcome and finally be crowned with glory so he wanted Jesus to have this kingship before God's appointed time. Jesus came to overcome but He had to go through trials, rejection, pain, crucifixion and death before He could be finally crowned. He had the choice of bowing before satan and having it easy but He didn't fall into the trap of Satan. He knew that true glory only comes from obedience to God the Father.  You, too, must be willing to endure your cross if you truly want God's best plan.  Satan is a deceiver who doesn't want believers to accept to wait patiently upon God's time. He has a photocopy of what you need but God has the original of your need.

Finally, after Jesus had endured and refuted the tricks of Satan and went to the cross and overcame, he quotes these beautiful words in Matthew 28:18 - “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." What the devil wanted to give Him as He began his ministry is now fully given to Him by God the Father in a glorious way but He had to endure the cross. Believers need to wait for it from God and never rush into the offers of Satan.   Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. Romans 8:18 - For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Whatever God wants to be yours will be yours regardless of what time, but you must be willing to endure and persevere for it. Refute and resist the devil and he will flee away from you. (James 4:7)

By,
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director Bethesda Faith Ministries

False Teachers

False Teachers
Bible Reading: Jude
Focus verse: "I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 4

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to those who are together in the salvation of Jesus.  He really wanted to send a letter rejoicing in their common salvation, but could sense that he should be sending some warnings as well.  The first warning is to strive to keep the gospel pure and not distorted.  He wants you to check what preachers teach to see if they match up to the Bible, the original writings.  False teachers will be plentiful in the last days.  It's interesting that the book of Jude comes before Revelation in the Bible.  There are many who claim to speak for God today.

How can you find the true preachers?  How do you notice a false teacher?

First, you must study the Word of God for yourself.  When you know the truth, you will recognize a lie.

Second, be sure of their views are right on who Jesus is, the trinity, repentance and Christ's work of redemption for salvation.  Matthew 16:15-16  Is the Gospel part of their message or does it seem incomplete or perverted?

Third, look for the fruit of a Christian in their lives. Matthew 12:33 Do you see a heart that is affected by the Holy Spirit in their lives. Nobody is perfect, but do their lives show fruits of the Spirit?  Galatians 5:22-23  Do you see humility or pride?

Fourth, are they teaching from the Bible or their own ideas and thoughts of what is reasonable to them?  It may sound good, but our hearts can deceive us.  The Bible says "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." 2 John 9  Remember that at false teacher can have good intentions, but in the end, they are a tool of the enemy

Thanks Jude, for the warnings, caution and encouragement!  We must be aware of false teachers and the dangers of following them.  We must remain faithful to the true Gospel and encourage one another.  We must show mercy to those whose faith wavers, rescue some from judgement, show mercy to people while hating the sin that contaminates their lives.  May God have glory in our lives as he keeps us completely His forever.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries