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"Seek 1st God's Kingdom!"

LESSON # 7 :GOD'S FAVORITE BUT FORGOTTEN CHURCH SERVICE

> john roy bohlen & John 5:30

 

GOD'S FAVORITE BUT FORGOTTEN CHURCH SERVICE

or

BODY MINISTRY

I Cor.14: 1,26 & 37

or

"THE CHURCH SERVICE"

There are several kinds of church services:

1. EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS. We will define the evangelistic service as having a goal primarily to reach the unsaved, through a whole variety of kinds of "Kingdom " An example of this kind of meeting is seen in Acts 2:40-42, “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, „Be saved from this perverse generation.‟ 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. (NKJV) Since we write elsewhere about out-reach, evangelism and church growth, we will not discuss Kingdom Evangelism here, at this time.
2. TEACHING MEETINGS: These are meetings that are primarily directed toward various kinds of teaching and preaching being done by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, etc. In the books of Acts 2:42-43 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (NKJV), we see that the early Church devoted themselves earnestly to "the Apostles' Doctrine" - that is, foundational teaching that was done by the apostles. God placed a very high priority on this, as contrasted with the Church of today knowing that apostles exist today, or who they are, or allowing them to teach, or rehearsing their teaching to each other. The fact is, that God is marvelously restoring the apostles to the Church today, and they are being used of God, as were the 1st century apostles. The "Kingdom Church" and the "Perfect Church" will become and remain so, only to the extent that these Kingdom apostles

 

are recognized, welcomed and allowed to minister. One inevitable function these foundational ministries will perform, is seen in Ephesians 4: "And He (Yahweh) has given (to the Church) some to be apostles, and some prophets - - - for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of

Christ: 'til we ALL come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ - - from whom the WHOLE Body fitly joined together and compacted by that which EVERY joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of EVERY part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

Acts 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. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said,

„Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.‟ 11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed."

There are many other kinds of meetings that the Bible describes, such as prayer meetings, communion, fellowship, business meetings, times of praise and worship. But there is one kind of meeting spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14 for the growth and survival of the Body of Christ which vitally depends upon this kind of service to be. Please, let‟s pay close attention to what we call a “Believers‟ Meeting.

3. THE "BELIEVERS' MEETING": This kind of meeting that will be the inevitable result of a balanced anointed and appointed functioning of the apostles and prophets in the Body of Christ, which will never be perfect until and unless this happens. Let's take a look at:

I CORINTHIANS 14:1, 26, & 37

Let's take verse 37, first. It says: "IF ANYBODY THINKS HE (or she) IS A PROPHET OR SPIRITUALLY GIFTED, LET HIM (or her) ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHAT I AM WRITING TO YOU IS THE LORD'S COMMAND."

In other words, THESE CONSIDERATIONS ARE NOT OPTIONAL! The stuff God says through the Apostle Paul here is not optional „take it or leave it‟ information! These are the commandments of God. Will you take just a moment to acknowledge that the teaching material in this chapter is a “command of God” and, is therefore, not optional, but mandatory, obligatory and compulsory.

Well, let‟s look at the first things that God commands us in this chapter. From the Amplified New Testament: “ Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love – make it your aim, your great quest; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments, especially that you may prophesy.”

 

THE VISION OF THE SWISS CHALET

I had a vision one time of this sleepy little Swiss village with the smoke curling lazily up from the chimneys. I was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of this lovely Swiss chalet, when I suddenly became aware that there was a huge avalanche sweeping down the mountain toward the chalet, and would destroy the whole village, and me, included, unless I jumped out of my chair, leaped off the front porch and ran helter-skelter, pell-mell down the path „Dagwood-style‟, to grab hold of the end rail of the caboose of a choo-choo train just chugging out of town. I intuitively understood that my very life depended on my putting all super- Herculean effort into catching that train - otherwise I would miss it, and die!

Then Daddy Yahweh, (the Lord Jesus - God), gave me to know that this vision was an illustration/interpretation of I Corinthians 14:1. The sleepy village represented the lazy status quo. The rocking chair represented a lazy, passive attitude toward the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The avalanche represented the enemy's attempt to keep us from "possessing the land," "taking the Kingdom by force," "actualizing our potential in God" or "enjoying our enjoys," as my Daddy used to say. The train represented the attainment and fulfillment of these things just mentioned and the fulfillment of this first verse. The great effort necessary to reach the train represented the effort talked about in this verse.

The first thing we should notice about this verse one, is the command for us to love each other fervently, that we should make love, our great aim, our great purpose.

“ABOVE ALL!!!”

The motivation for everything in life and in the life of the Church must be LOVE! “By this shall ALL men (and women) know that you are My disciples - IF ye have love for one another!” (Please see our book on the extreme importance of right relationships - "The Cult Of Cannibals!") 1 Peter 1:22 and 4:8 indicate that “ABOVE ALL, we must love each other fervently from a pure heart.” The word

„fervently‟ here can be illustrated by the fervent blast furnace kind of fire that was heated 7 times more hot. When they opened that furnace door, the bad guys were burned up, as opposed to a not-so-fervent fire in a fire place that is gentle and lazy and cozy.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:26

Please keep in mind our verse 37 which makes all of this God's command. Now, let's consider verse 26: “HOW IS IT THEN, BRETHREN? (Sistern, too!) WHEN YOU COME TOGETHER, EVERY ONE OF YOU, (or, "each one of you") HATH A PSALM, HATH A DOCTRINE, HATH A TONGUE, HATH A REVELATION, HATH AN INTERPRETATION. LET ALL THINGS BE DONE UNTO

EDIFYING.” Tell me, how long has it been since you obeyed this „command‟ of God? The Great Commission demands that we teach you to obey these commands as well. Here's they are again: “WHEN YOU COME (to meet) TOGETHER, EVERY ONE OF YOU, (or, “each one of you”) HATH A PSALM, HATH A

 

DOCTRINE, HATH A TONGUE, HATH A REVELATION, HATH AN INTERPRETATION. LET ALL THINGS BE DONE UNTO EDIFYING.”

Do you know what this verse means? It means what it says!!!

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN???

How long has it been since you came to the church meeting with a psalm to sing? How long has it been since you came to church with a teaching to share?

How long has it been since you came to meeting with a tongue to give? How long has it been since you came to church with new insight to share?

How long has it been since you came to church with an interpretation? And since verses 1 and 3¸ command that we should "covet to prophesy" and verse 31 says that "all (this means 'all') may prophesy one by one" –

How long has it been since you came to church with a prophecy to prophesy??? It is commanded!!!!!! Will you obey?

Now, we have the opportunity to teach the people how to function in this way! The

„perfect church‟ will. God's Church will. The Kingdom Church will. Ephesians 4 will be fulfilled! Jesus is worthy of a perfect Bride. He has been promised a Perfect Bride. And, by all that's holy, He is going to have a perfect Bride!!!

How would you like to have, as an epitaph, on the tomb stone of your life: “HE (OR SHE) DROWNTED IN HIS (OR HER OWN PEW!!!”

The vast majority of those who pass for "christian" today, in most churches, are drownding in their own pew! They have been faithful to go to church, time after time, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade and take it in, take it in, take it in, take it in, take it in, take it in, take it in!!!! But - give it out???????? Not on your life!!! Speak in tongues? (v.39) Not in most churches!!!

"WOMAN - PREGNANT FOR 30 YEARS!"

I would like to tell you a kind of "ishy" story, but one that I believe is important to the facts we are presenting. I "happened" to see a head-line in one of these "gossip tabloids" which said something like: "WOMAN - PREGNANT FOR 30 YEARS!" When I mentioned the details of the story to some doctors and medical people, they agreed that what this paper reported - WAS POSSIBLE!  I've also seen this on t.v.

Here's what the paper (the t.v.) said had happened: Apparently, a woman in her youth had conceived without her knowing it, but that the baby died in her womb. Then, instead of her body naturally rejecting the unborn baby, it became encapsulated and "preserved" (though it was dead) in a kind of "mummified" condition within her womb. This kind of thing happens, sometimes, when a foreign object, such as a bullet, a piece of shrapnel or other material, even a splinter, can become encapsulated in a protective tissue. Many years later, in the course of time, this lady needed surgery in connection with another unrelated matter, when the

 

body of this encapsulated baby was discovered. As I said, actual case histories of this possibility really exist.

You may wonder why I'm telling you this story, but the truth of the matter is that it is much more serious, in the Body of Christ for you as a saint to have become impregnated with the Word of God, and that, for years, you have taken it in, and taken it in, and taken it in, but have NOT, relatively speaking, given it out! Just for a moment, sit down and try to figure out how many sermons and tapes, videos, c/ds have you listened too, how many Bible studies, Sunday School lessons, Christian radio or t.v., devotionals, testimonies, inspirational talks, Scriptures read, Christian songs sung, prayers prayed - over your life time. - You have become impregnated with God's Word - and have carried it and carried it, and have carried it, but never gave birth to it – until the Word died within you, became encapsulated within you - but you've not given birth to it!!!!!!

Here, from I Corinthians 14, in verses 37, 14, and 1, the command comes - that everyone SHARE - regularly - not just as a sometimes thing - but regularly. If you do not - something grotesque happens to you! Through the lies of the devil, a miserable lack of self-confidence, God confidence and a lack of opportunity, you haven't shared. But the command of the Scripture is - "How is it then Dear Ones, WHENEVER you come together, EACH ONE, (or, EVERY ONE), has a psalm, a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, an interpretation, - let all things be an encouragement!!!"

I have asked you before, but now I ask you again, in the Presence of God: When was the last time you were obedient to this command of God? How many times, in this last year, did you sing a new extemporaneous psalm in a Christian service - or give a message in tongues, or an interpretation, or a prophesy? (Verse 31 says, “That you may all prophesy one by one!”

Before we talk about spiritual pot-luck, would you like to see this above command in other translations? Here they are: 2) a message in tongues, or 3) an interpretation, or 4) a prophesy? 5) a testimony

• “everyone” = NIV
• “- ever you come together, each of you has a NKJV
• “When you assemble, each one has a ” NASU
• “When ye come together, everyone of you hath a ” KJV
• “When ye come together, each one hath a ” ASV
• “When you assemble, each one has a ” NAS
• “When - together, each one has an ” RSV

Question: If you attend a church, when was the last time you sang a spontaneous song, or gave a teaching, or gave a revelation, or spoke a message in tongues, or gave an interpretation???

Question: If you are a pastor, when was the last time you made room for, or taught the people to regularly share in this way??? I greatly rejoice that Pastor Andy does!

 

SPIRITUAL "POTLUCK"!

Do you enjoy "Pot-Luck Dinners?" I do! Some prefer to call them, something else, like "Pot Providence," or "Pot Blessing," or "Covered Dish Dinner," or "Love Feast." Some Christians are superstitious about using the word "luck," as though it will bring them bad luck, to talk about good luck. But, have you ever been half way through the line at a "Pot Blessing - Covered Dish Dinner - when you ran out of luck??? I have. Can you picture it with me? Now I personally am usually at the end of the line at a Pot Providence dinner, because "The last will be first," and besides, I want everyone to know that I am humble, and so, to publicly demonstrate my humility, I am almost always the last, but there I am, half-way through the line, and they run out of chicken, or pork chops or cherry pie. There the line is, can you picture it? - standing there with my fragile paper plate in hand, along with the plastic fork and a napkin, and 'boyoboy are you ever hongry', but by the time you get halfway through the line, there is no chicken left, but plenty of beans or lettuce - and you are expected to keep a right spirit??! Before you get to the small amount of remaining macaroni, the people are crowding past you who have already been through the line one time already, with chicken and pork chop bones on their plates! Now you know why I like to call these kind of meals a 'Pot Luck' - because you don't want to run out of luck - half way through the line of pots!!!

One thing that really bothers me is when the Dear Ones don't bring enough food to even feed their own family, though they are able to. Or worse yet, for some of the single people to assume and presume that since they don't cook, and since the married ones with kids cook so good, and have a home set up, that they don't have to bring anything - except an appetite!!! These are often the first ones in line, and they eat the most - so that those of us are 'umble, go 'ungry!

I Cor. 14:26 is God's recipe for a regular "SPIRITUAL POT LUCK," or, if you will, a Holy Spirit ordained Love Feast Pot Providence Blessing. God says, "I want you Dear Ones to have a good time, a banquet - a yummy tasting spiritual feast, an edifying, nourishing dinner. I command everyone to bring something from Me!!! I want you to lovingly and carefully prepare. I command you to bring something nourishing. I want it to have substance. I command that you bring enough!

"EMPTY HANDS"

The Bible teaches that, at certain times, it was horribly wrong to appear before Yahweh with empty hands. Exodus 23:15; 34:20 "- - none shall appear before Me empty (handed)." And in Deut.16:16, "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Yahweh thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles: and THEY SHALL NOT APPEAR BEFORE YAHWEH EMPTY (handed). Every man

shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Yahweh thy God which He hath given thee."

INSTANT MINISTRY: In many of the third world countries, the moment a person becomes a Christian, that one also becomes an evangelist. And, in many cases, also

 

becomes a pastor within a few years, often with several works under his authority. But in the United States, and other countries where Christianity has been around for centuries, it is extremely unusual to see even one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifested, for weeks, months or years on end.

The story is told of the natives of a foreign country where the missionaries had to leave after only a short time. The natives came running out on top of the water, and said, „We've only got from Matthew, to John 3:16! What's next?!‟

Our friend, Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill, says, "One of these days, some simple soul will pick up the Word of God, read it, and believe it, and then the rest of us will be embarrassed."

STORY OF „RAMONA”

Some years ago, while ministering in Nebraska, I attended a meeting where I met a woman, named (I think) Ramona. Ramona was brilliant. She had also written a book. Ramona was a lovely Christian with a powerful testimony. The method by which she had written her book was with a stick between her teeth, with which she laboriously touched, letter by letter, the key board, in order to write down her thoughts. You see, something had happened to Ramona that had left her body horribly crippled and spastic. Her head was brilliant, but she could not get the rest of her body to cooperate.

This true story of Ramona reminds me of the Body of Christ. There is nothing wrong with the Head of Christ‟s Body, that is, Christ Himself. No, no – but, when Christians do not DO what Christ the Head of His Body wants them to do, the members of Christ‟s Body, then that Body becomes spastic, uncooperative, unproductive, out of control – a hideous thing! (Ramona was not hideous.) But the Book of Ephesians in the Bible, speaks of Christ having a glorious Church that is perfect, without spot or wrinkle!!! This is why we need to be training members in the Body of Christ to know how to cooperate with the Head of the Body, to do the will of God, to be led, consistently, by the Holy Spirit, at all times and in everything.

"And God has given (to the Church), apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ: - - by that which EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES, according to THE EFFECTUAL WORKING OF EVERY PART-"!!!! Eph.4:11-16.

FREE FOR ALL

"11 And He (Christ) gave (and continues to give) some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him

 

in all things, Which is the Head, even Christ: 16 From Whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” KJV

1 Cor 12:27 “Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets?” KJV

Does this sound like everyone should be on the same level in terms of authority to lead? Co-equal in worth before God, Yes! Co-equal in responsibility to lead? No! The order is 1. Apostles. 2) Prophets. 3) Teachers, etc. In the local church, the order is 1) The apostle, having the oversight of the local pastor. 2) The local church pastor that the apostle has blessed and commissioned. 3) Whomever the local Pastor has delegated to be in charge of the Home Meeting. Early in my ministry, Apostle Jack Winter told me, to this effect, "John, you are in charge of the meeting! If someone else, even more experienced, comes into the meeting, remember that you are responsible before God to keep that meeting on God's track, and in God's will. Do not allow anyone to take the authority of the meeting away from you.” This of course, did not mean that no one else would be allowed to share, but it was the wrong wresting away of, and the usurping of control, Jack spoke.

There is a law in the United States against the disruption of a religious assembly. If the person interrupting will not behave, they can be asked to leave. If they refuse to leave, you may ask the people to sing, until the elders or, if necessary, the police come and forcibly remove the rebel.

THE KING‟S GREATEST SECRET!

There are approximately 300 billion stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy. The only thing we can see in our skies, outside of our own galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy, near the constellation Cassiopeia, just behind the great square of Pegasus. Under the best viewing conditions, only the nucleus can be seen as a faint misty patch of light, about the size of a fingernail on your hand extended at arm‟s length. In that Galaxy are about 400 billion stars. It is about 2.5 million light years away. To figure out how many miles that is, simply multiply 186 thousand (the speed of light per second) times 60 for a minute, times 60 for an hour, times 24 for a day, times 365 for a year, and total a figure close to 6 trillion miles that light travels in one year. Then, simply multiply 6 trillion times 2.5 million light years to get the distance to Andromeda. This equals 12 to 14 quintillion miles, or 20 quintillion kilometers.

That‟s 12, followed by 6 sets of 3 zeros, or 12 to 14, followed by 18 zeros! Yet, we see that this is really a short distance by space standards, as the known extent of the Universe is approximately more than 13 billion light years in every direction, or 26 billion light years, compared to 2 1/2 million light years – the distance to Andromeda. The Bible says, in Isaiah 40, in the NIV that Yahweh “has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens”. The Bible also says that the Heaven of heavens cannot contain God: In 2

 

Chron 2:5-6, King Solomon says, “And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build Him an house, seeing the Heaven and Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before Him?” KJV

Yet, the Bible also says that God is willing to dwell inside of a person, that Father Yahweh Papa God, God the Son, Yahshua Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit, are willing to come and live on the inside of us, if we only invite Him to come in. John 17 and Revelation 3:20 and an abundance of other Scriptures confirm this. Just think of it! The Creator King of Everything comes to live between our ears, behind our eyes, in side of our very skin!!! God wants to do more than help us live our lives, He wants to live His very Own Life through us, unhindered by us. God wants to do more than help us say good words, He wants to speak His very Own words through us, uninterrupted by us. Think of it! Almighty God, willing to live and move and have His Very Own Being, inside of your skin!

But can you see the implications that this is supposed to have for a Believer‟s Meeting, where each person present has God living on the inside of them, wanting to express Himself. It is incredibly exciting to get together with the dear ones, and to allow the Creator King of Everything, express Himself creatively, through each one, through everyone present!!!

"If two of you gather together in My Name, there am I in the midst of you." But we have the power to not allow God to express Himself through the dear ones. May we respectfully suggest that you allow God to say and do whatever He wants through the Believers. What an exciting prospect! Yet, most churches have the attitude, "This is what we pay the pastor for. It is our job to watch him do the will of God and listen to what he believes is the will of God. In actuality, they should be paying the pastor to train THEM to do and say and be the will of God.

Can you see the difference that the King‟s Greatest Secret! should make in the importance and the ability and the significance of a person having the opportunity to share with others? If you do not have a copy of our King‟s Greatest Secret! , then you may write to us for your very own free copy! Write to us at Great Commission Ministries, 9473 County Road D, Webster, Wisconsin, 54893.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A KINGDOM FELLOWSHIP AND A FELLOWSHIP

In our teachings, we constantly try to help the dear ones see the difference between that which is Kingdom, and that which is not of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is what God is the King over. The Kingdom of God is the will of God, the leading of the Holy Spirit, a right heart attitude, a right spirit, a right heart condition, “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Rom 14:17 “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” KJV

This means that a Kingdom Believer‟s meeting is a meeting that is led by the Holy Spirit, in the will of God, with a right heart attitude, and in an atmosphere of love and mutual respect, a safe haven for people to 'try their wings', and for them to

 

gently allow Christ to share creatively through them, for everyone‟s encouragement, up-building, and benefit. The leader of the meeting is to use his or her authority to see to it that every humble dear one has an opportunity to share, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, to the very best of his or her ability. By giving the Christ within each person, an opportunity to share, you are also allowing that person an opportunity to grow, and to learn and develop, along with the growth and development and encouragement of each of all the other dear ones. What an exciting adventure!!!

GOD'S ORCHESTRA

Try to imagine what it would be like to be part of a great orchestra. I used to play percussion in the Southeast Iowa Symphony. In an orchestra, each person is to play the part assigned to him or her, to follow the musical score, and the notes written thereon. Imagine being the player (as I was) of the large kettle drums, the huge concert cymbals, or the big bass drum, and missing your cue, your part, and either playing loudly when you should not, or failing to play when you should. This is how it is in a Believer‟s Meeting when you contribute when you should not, or fail to contribute when you should. Remember our illustration of Ramona‟s spastic body, being like the Body of Christ where the Head is functioning perfectly, while the rest of the Body is spastically uncooperative? Remember the woman who became pregnant, but who never gave birth? Remember the pot-luck where people did not assume responsibility to bring something to share with the others? Remember the command of Christ, in verse 26, of 1 Corinthians 14, that commands EACH ONE or EVERY ONE, to 1) sing a psalm, 2) bring something that the Lord showed them from the Word, 3) share something that God showed them in their lives, 4) Bring a message in tongues, 5) Bring an interpretation of that message in tongues, and 6) all and each, covet to prophesy, one by one. Will you accept the challenge and obey this command of God?!!.

WHAT TO BRING!

There are times when having a pot luck dinner, some of the ladies in charge, will assign certain people the responsibility and privilege of bringing certain items, in addition to their main dish, such as a salad, or drinks or a dessert. In that same way, the Holy Spirit gives a list of items EACH ONE or EVERY ONE is to bring to this Spiritual Pot-luck.

• The first of these is a “prophecy”. A prophecy is simply nothing more or less than God saying something to someone through someone. There are as many ways of bringing a prophecy as there are ways of communicating with each other. An example of prophetic prayer, would be the prayers the prophets prayed, prophetic advice would be like the prophets gave, prophetic drama like Ezekiel and the other prophets did, prophetic music, like the prophet David played for Saul, when the evil spirits fled from King Saul, or the simple testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of prophecy, spoken of in Revelation 9:10. A prophecy in a meeting must be loving, encouraging and edifying. Otherwise it must not be given. Prophecy in this case is a simple word of encouragement to the dear ones from the Christ within you. You

 

simply allow the Lord to encourage the dear ones through you. It is to be no more complicated than this!

ENCOURAGEMENT IS ENCOURAGING!

I once received a brilliant revelation from the Lord. You will agree with me that it is brilliant when I share it with you. The revelation is: Encouragement is encouraging! The reason this is so brilliant is: If more people realized that encouragement is encouraging, they would do more encouraging!!! God has ordained and ordered that people receive encouragement through prophecy and the believer's meeting. But, wouldn't it be sad, very sad, if one came to a service, seriously in need of encouragement, sat in the service needing encouragement, and went home, still needing encouragement! Yet, this kind of thing is likely to happen, EVERY time a believer's meeting is lacking in this encouraging kind of ministry from the believers. Amen.

HOW

Remember: All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are received by faith, and are exercised by faith. One sees to it that himself or herself is up-to-date with God, having confessed all sin, not having a guilty conscience, being totally committed to God, and stepping out in faith, feeling the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit, simply and gently sharing from the Christ within you, to the very best of your ability. You must see to it that whatever word you give, it must be a word of loving encouragement. Amen. The Bible, in verse 1, of 1 Cor. 14 COMMANDS us to “covet earrrnestly that we may prophecy”!!! Since verse 33 tells us that these things are a commandment of the Lord, then we are to know that, unless we are earrrnestly coveting to be used of God to prophecy on a regular basis to others, that we are being disobedient to the Heavenly command. Amen. Can you see this? Can you agree with this? If so, you are on your way to being a person who is consistently being used of God to encourage and uplift and edify others.

1 Cor 14:1 “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” NAS

1 Cor 14:31 “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” KJV

1 Cor 14:39 “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.” KJV

1 CORINTHIANS 14:26!

1 Cor 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, everyone of you (or, each one of you): 1) “hath a psalm”, 2) “hath a doctrine”, 3) “hath a tongue”, 4) “hath a revelation”, 5) “hath an interpretation”.

2)    “EACH ONE HAS A „PSALM‟!”: WHAT DOES IT MEAN “EACH ONE HAS A “PSALM‟ ”? WHAT IS A PSALM? IS IT TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE

 

PSALMS FROM THE BOOK OF PSALMS. LET‟S LOOK AT SEVERAL SCRIPTURES TO GET THE SETTING:

Eph 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” KJV

Col 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” KJV

1 Thes 5:16 “Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings.” KJV

Heb 13:15 “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name.” KJV

WHAT IS A PSALM?

Try to picture David when he was a lad, out in the country, day and night, with the sheep, perhaps, with his harp, making up songs to the Lord Yahweh. Every one of the Psalms, were, at one time, not yet written or "invented". There, David simply made up psalms as the words and melody originally came to him. This same dynamic, this same process, on the spur of the moment, is what is meant by, “every one (or) each one has a psalm! The Lord wants us to be singing, much more than we do, songs of praise and thanksgiving, as we go along life‟s way, while working, playing, when alone, with others, in the car, in the home, while relaxing, at any time, at any moment, God appreciates songs of gratitude to Him.

THE DEVIL LIED TO YOU!

Just for fun, sometime, ask a group of people if the devil, or someone told them that he or she could not sing well. But the joke is, that “as a person thinks in their heart, so is he (or she)”. Prov.23:7 You will find that the great majority of people do not believe that they can sing well. But, another joke is, that God loves to hear you sing songs of praise and gratitude and thanksgiving to Him. The Bible commands us: in the following verses, to “make a joyful noise” unto the Lord God Yahweh!!! Psalms 66:1; Psalms 81:1; Psalms 95:1;Psalms 95:2; Psalms 98:4; Psalms 98:6; Psalms 100:1. Will you??! Or, will you continue to believe the lie that you cannot sing?.

Can you picture a life-style in which you go about your day and your life, more or less, continually busy, whistling and singing songs of love and thankfulness to God? Walt Disney studios can. Rogers and Hammerstein can. God can. Now, when you come into the Believer‟s Meeting, during the time of praise and worship, it is very important that you be given an opportunity to sing a new song to the Lord, making

 

it up as you go, like the Psalmist David did, out on the hills of Galilee, with his sheep. It is even more important that you take advantage of the opportunity given, and SING your song to the Lord. This is what is meant by the phrase, “every one (or each one) has a psalm!

“YOU ARE JUST SHOWING OFF!”

When the enemy comes to accuse you that you are just showing off, a good response is, “That‟s right devil, just watch me! I am going to show off for Jesus!” When you go to give your Mother a kiss on the cheek, you are showing off. You are showing her, showing yourself, showing for any one else to see, that you love her, that you appreciate her. How very sad it would be if you refrained from, restrained yourself from, held yourself back from, hesitated to, were ashamed of, kissing your very own dear Mother, because someone might just happen to think that you were just showing off!

Having a psalm is simply opening your mouth and saying a little prayer of thanks, or a little testimony of the greatness of God, or, perhaps, a little song from the Lord to His people, of encouragement and love. The only thing needed now, to make it a little psalm is to sing it instead of saying it. God bless you as you open your mouth and give it a try, for “with such sacrifices, God is well pleased”!!!

• “hath a doctrine”: Having “a doctrine” is simply sharing a little nugget or blessing that you received while reading the Bible, or, while thinking about a portion from the All that is required is to say something like: “I‟d like to share a little something that it seemed like the Lord showed me from the Bible.”

THE GIFT OF TONGUES: Since we already discussed this lovely and mysterious gift previously, we will respectfully encourage a review of those teachings. Thank you. In addition, and in connection with this passage, here is a little more information concerning this precious gift from God:

EVERYONE (or EACH ONE) HAS A TONGUE!

The only thing necessary for a person to give a message in tongues among a group of believers, is the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit, at which time a person, by a simple choice of his or her own will, begins speaking in this new tongue that God has given.

Again, there are several misconceptions about the public sharing of tongues:

• “The sign gift of tongues speaking is different than the speaking in tongues among the ” This is a wrong mentality. Tongues is tongues, and, God can use any tongue He likes.
• “God must take me over and jiggle my jaw and force me to speak.” Wrong again! God wants you to cooperate with Him. He wants to gently encourage you to speak, so you take a breath and simply begin speaking! 3) "You must know ahead of time, whether or not there is someone present who can give an interpretation to the tongue, before a message in tongues is " Wrong again! God may want you, yourself to give the interpretation, or, someone else, by a step of faith. Yes, the Bible does say that a message in tongues should have interpretation, but, if no one else is willing or

 

prepared to interpret, then go ahead and obey the verse that says “Let him (or her) that speaks in tongues, pray that you may interpret.” Remember, all of these gifts are exercised by faith, so, simply take faith and exercise these gifts. After all, the Bible says, that “Each one, has a . . .”

Let me ask a question: Who does “everyone” include? Doesn‟t “everyone” include you?!! Who does “each one” include? Doesn‟t “each one” include you?!! O.K., then, take a deep breath, make sure there is no sin in your life, and that your heart is right, and, with love in your heart, and the determination to edify and encourage in your spirit, go ahead and move in these areas freely and with confidence.

“HATH A REVELATION”: This kind of sharing simply goes like this: “I believe that the Lord showed me something recently that I would like to share with you.” We believe that it is better to say, “I believe that the Lord showed me such and such”, rather than to say “God told me . . .” because it smacks of infallibility, and may come on too strong, and may be too intimidating. On the other hand, saying, “I think the Lord showed me. . .” may be too week, as we are more interested in what God thinks.

"HATH AN INTERPRETATION" : “Interpretation” here, speaks of the interpretation of a message in tongues. First, the Bible tells us “I wish that you all spoke in tongues” 1 Cor 14:5a Then it commands us, that if we speak in tongues, that we should pray that we may interpret. It seems obvious then, that the Lord has both gifts freely to be given to every believer! In fact, we believe that the good Lord wants every believer to be moving in ALL the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit, in the same way that every household should have a tool box with a hammer, a saw, a screwdriver, an tape measure, a pliers, a drill, a pencil, a knife, a level, etc.                                        Now the Bible does say, in 1 Cor 12:11 “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” Some people take this word

„severally‟ to mean that God will only give anyone 3 of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. First of all, the word „severally‟ is translated „individually‟ in several translations, and carries the thought that God gives the number of gifts to whomever He wants, whenever He wants. It is true, that, as with household tools, where most jobs require several tools, so also, in the Holy Spirit, when one gift is used, it needs normally to be accompanied by 2 or 3 other gifts. For example, when a “word of knowledge” is given to a person about a situation, usually, a “word of wisdom”, or “faith” or “prophecy” is also needed.

Again, remember that every one of the gifts requires the exercise of your will, an act of deliberate choice on your part, along with an appropriation by faith, the ability to be used of God in the exercise of any gift or gifts. This, of course, must be accompanied by a gentle leading of the Holy Spirit.

Keep in mind that “above all” is the need to be motivated very strongly by the love of God, because, “the greatest of these, is Love!” Without love, we are no better than an empty beer can, rolling down a lonely street in the wind, at midnight – no better than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

 

We need to be patient with ourselves and with each other as we have opportunity to “practice” being used of God in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As the Lord reminds us in Heb 5:14: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” KJV This means that, as we step out in faith, endeavoring to be used of God in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that our hitting of the target will greatly improve and grow as time and practice goes on. This is why we leaders have a great responsibility to provide a safe and accepting atmosphere for the dear ones, as they are given opportunities to have their senses exercised “by reason of use” or by practice.

2 Tim 2:16 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” KJV

Other gifts that we have to look forward to are: Healings, miracles, faith, wisdom, knowledge, and the discerning of spirits. May the good Lord, Papa Yahweh, bless you to the supernatural maximum. Amen!

QUESTIONAIRRE

1. In 1 Corinthians 14:37, where is says that "If anyone thinks himself to be spiritual or a prophet, let him, (or her) recognize that these words are a commandment from the " Do you believe that this verse applies to you? Do you believe that this chapter, these verses are God's commandments for you?
2. How long has it been since you obeyed this „command‟ of God? The Great Commission demands that we teach you to obey these commands as Here's they are again:

“WHEN YOU COME (to meet) TOGETHER, EVERY ONE OF YOU, (or, “each one of you”) HATH A PSALM, HATH A DOCTRINE, HATH A TONGUE, HATH A REVELATION, HATH AN INTERPRETATION. LET ALL THINGS BE DONE UNTO EDIFYING.”

3. Do you know what this verse means? It means what it says!!!
4. How long has it been since you came to the church meeting with a psalm to sing?
5. How long has it been since you came to church with a teaching to share?
6. How long has it been since you came to meeting with a tongue to give?
7. How long has it been since you came to church with new insight to share?
8. How long has it been since you came to church with an interpretation? And since verses 1 and 3¸ command that we should "covet to prophesy" and verse 31 says that "all (this means 'all') may prophesy one by one" –
9. How long has it been since you came to church with a prophecy to prophesy??? It is commanded!!!!!! Will you obey?
10. How would you like to have, as an epitaph, on the tomb stone of your life: “HE (or she) DROWNTED IN HIS (or her OWN PEW!!!”

DISTRIBUTION OF C/D'S

COMMISSIONING - LAYING ON OF HANDS - BLESSING - IMPARTATION