The Ministry of Spiritual Power
Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 4
What makes a local church? When is it actually a church according to Scripture?
Is it when people gather to listen to tapes of some so-called Christian leader?
Is it when a group gathers together to hear different Bible conference speakers?
Is it just to fellowship with other people?
A church that is the Bride of Christ is much more than these things!
1) There must first be worship!
The most important reason we gather is to worship according to the Word of God.
Jhn_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jhn_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
1Co 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
Worship involves presenting ourselves, our entire being, to the Lord.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Many say the church that meets on Sunday violates Scripture.
They also say this was because of some Roman ruler, who said for the church to worship on Sunday.
These same people reject the Word of God, as it reads that we worship on Sunday because the early church decided to commemorate the resurrection of our Savior, who is the foundation of the Church.
Joh 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Joh 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
The Lord's supper:
Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
The offerings were made:
1Co 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Hymns were then incorporated into worship:
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
2) There must be preaching.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
This preaching is for instruction so we can avoid false doctrines!
1Ti 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
This preaching should produce spiritual love among believers, along with increased faith.
1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
There must be spiritual nourishment.
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
Teaching godliness:
1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Teaching submission:
1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
Teaching a proper focus on life:
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Passing this work to others called to preach:
2Ti 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
3) The church must be devoted to the teaching of the original Apostles who were taught by the Lord Jesus:
Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
And Christian Doctrine:
Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Act 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Teaching in the church and in homes:
Act 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
4) The church must encourage fellowship.
Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
5) Prayer is to be important because it is powerful.
Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Act 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
1Th_5:17 Pray without ceasing.
6) Each of these things have their own importance, but they must all be included in a functioning church.
Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
7) The Church depends on the church members to support these things!
Now this does not mean sending all offerings to Rome. No, it means we must support missionaries, evangelism, witnessing, child evangelism, and discipleship.
Now the world may say that Rome is the home of the Church, but we do not want any part of Rome. The true Church is those who have the Holy Spirit living within them.
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
When these things and more are not found in the local church, then that place is not a church at all nor is it part of the Bride of Christ!
The Bride of Christ has a ministry and so does every member!
2Co 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Co 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
All these things being true, and they are, if you are a child of God, then you have met the Devil!
*****2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
If you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ as He directed, then you will face trial after trial.
The word trial is used in Scripture in the sense that we will be tested as we serve the LORD.
We will experience fatigue and weariness.
We will suffer strain and pressure.
We will have troubles and doubts.
We will face criticism and opposition.
We will suffer conflict and persecution, and anything else the Devil can throw at us.
If the Devil cannot reach us personally, he will use our families or our friends to get at us.
If you began your reading of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, you would see where the first family that existed was tested, and we live in their failures every day of our lives.
God's purpose was to give Adam and Eve a knowledge of sin through obedience, not from eating some fruit.
They sought the knowledge of "good and evil," and they attained that knowledge in the wrong way.
Their temptation came through that Old Serpent, the Devil.
Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Rev_12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev_20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
We cannot serve the Lord in His purpose for us under our own power!
It is the power of God that will sustain us in every trial and in every temptation if we let God's power work within us.
We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we must allow Him to do His work.
What is His first work?
Jhn_14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Jhn_14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Jhn_15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Notice more and more we see the Triune God involved in our lives!
Jhn_16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
We may be persecuted, but we will never be forsaken!
The supreme characteristic of the true Christian is not that we do not fall, but every time we fall, we get back up again.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
We may be beaten, but we cannot be defeated.
We may lose a battle from time to time, but in the end, Jesus Christ has already won the war.
If we remain with the Lord, He will remain with us, so we are on the "Winning Side"!
*****2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
The Lord will never forsake us!
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Yes, the Lord Jesus died, but He gave His life; no one took His life from Him!
We do not serve the Lord in the power of His death!
We are to serve the Lord in the power of His resurrection!
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
2Ti 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 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.
How many times does the Lord have to say He will never leave us until we understand He means it?
In His physical body, the Lord Jesus was always dying to self!
He was expending enormous energy to share the truth of God, His Father.
He would go without food and water for days at a time.
He would work long, exhausting days.
He would have many sleepless nights.
Someone was always wanting something from Him, and He gave of Himself.
He did these things for the sake of others and not for Himself.
As we serve the Lord to stay mentally sharp, we need to die to self and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is the truth of our Pastor and every man of God and each one of us.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
As human beings, we do not present such a formidable challenge to this world, but when we die to self and live the life of Jesus Christ, then others see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ within us.
To some, this will lead them to turn to the Lord to be able to conquer their own life.
Most people realize that some things they do are not right and that they have wronged many people.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
*****2Co 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
There is only One Spirit of Faith!
Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Psa 116:10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
It is only our faith in the truth of the Lord Jesus that can sustain us!
We must resist all temptation to give up!
It is the power of our faith that will keep us from being discouraged.
Faith means we believe with all our hearts.
Faith means we stand against every opposition to the Word of God.
Faith means we can see the evidence of God in His creation!
I still believe the greatest Scripture in the Word of God is His first words.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Our world and everything in it was created and sustained by the Holy Trinity.
We are saved by that same Holy Trinity.
We will live in Heaven with that same Holy Trinity.
If we cannot believe this, then we cannot be Christians!
We must believe what we say of the Scriptures!
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
*****2Co 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
The one thing we can say is that God always has the last word. No one can overrule Him!
God did raise the Lord Jesus from the dead because it was important for Jesus to die.
He died to take our sins to Hell where they belonged.
We must not forget that this death was a separation from His Heavenly Father.
We must do all we can to maintain a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father!
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
The Lord Jesus Christ had to pay with His life for the testimony He gave.
By His death Jesus saved us from the wrath of His Father and from His Judgment at the White Throne.
There will be no winners at the White Throne Judgment!
We know that Jesus died, but He could not stay dead. With this part of His mission complete, He arose from that death.
When we think on these things, we can be encouraged.
The same God that raised the Lord Jesus from His death will raise each of us from our own death.
The Holy Spirit made sure for us to know this is true!
1Co 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
No matter what purpose God has given to us, serving the Lord has its problems, but knowing that no matter what happens to this body, it will not keep us out of God's New Heaven.
God can do as He says He will do!
God does not speak just to be speaking; He is all-powerful!
One of the great lessons we learn when serving the Lord is that He is willing and He is also able to do what He says.
Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
God will be happy to see us when Jesus lets us through the Door to Heaven.
If we trust the Lord Jesus for our salvation, then we must trust Him in everything He says.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
The Bible reveals to us the Will of God through His Son.
The Lord says everything He did was for our sakes.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God repeats this here in verse fifteen.
*****2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
We live in a lost world that is on its way to Hell.
God will take care of the world and will rebuild it as it was in the first week of creation.
Our job is the same job Jesus had when He walked upon this earth: to reach out to those who are lost and without Yahweh, the true God.
The God of the Bible is full of "mercy," and He is willing to show His "Grace" to all who will believe.
Only if we stay in the fight, refuse to be defeated, and glorify God with our lives can we show God's blessings to this lost world.
1) We are to meet the needs of the people by showing them the love of God.
Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
2) We must lead those who are lost to the only Savior.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
*****2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
If we are true to the Lord and full of faith, we will never quit on God.
The things we have just read about in the other verses will give us the strength we need.
At the end of every day, we may want to quit, but if we meditate on the truth of the Lord Jesus and get a refilling of the Holy Spirit and do not forget all the benefits of being a child of God, we will be renewed to face another day.
This old body will take a beating, but the death of this old body is the pathway to eternal life, just asverse fourteen reminded us.
The Holy Spirit said in verse 1: Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
We put on the New Man: Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
If you have many years already on this body of flesh, you know for certain that it is wearing out.
People say our bodies, the day we are born, begin the process of growing, but in reality, our bodies begin the processes of aging, wearing out, and wasting away every day.
Once the Holy Spirit moves into our soul, He allows us to draw near to God for strength and growth.
It is this strength that delivers us from the trials, the pressure, and the troubles of this world.
When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, and it is this power that renews us!
Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
*****2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The troubles we have in this world cannot compare to the glory we shall receive in Heaven!
We should not focus on the temporary things of this world but focus on the eternal things in the glory world.
Our goal is to spend eternity with the Lord in New Heaven and the New Earth and fulfill every purpose He has for now and for every purpose then and forever.
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
We will have a purpose in Heaven!
Things that are seen are only temporary things!
The things that are not seen are eternal, everlasting, endless, forever, permanent, immortal, and glorious.
Let's think on these things and make them our goal!
Amen
