"Title" - Simon the Magician or Stephen the Disciple...
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. FEATURE ARTICLE: Simon the Magician or Stephen the Disciple.
2. PRAYER REQUESTS
3. CONTACT US
1. FEATURE ARTICLE: Simon the Magician or Stephen the Disciple.
"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?) and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil" (1 Timothy 3:1-6 NASB).
Daily we thank God for His gracious outpourings which are rescuing His children, through Christ Jesus our Lord, from the certainty of death, and we praise God for the moving of His Holy Spirit in calling-out and redirecting the attention of His Church back into fellowship with Him. Daily we rejoice in the resurgence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God, and celebrate in the gains being made toward understanding the five-fold ministry; especially the knowledge and wisdom that He is imparting for apostleship and prophecy. Surely, every member of the Body of Christ can rejoice in these matters.
Yet with all of these wonderful movings of the Spirit of God, the Body of Christ must come to terms with the Word of God, in the manner in which we interpret and apply His movings today, because in many instances we are rushing (and in many instances even pushing others) ahead of the Spirit, and in these actions we are grieving the One sent to comfort and teach. In First Timothy (cited above) the Spirit clearly tells us not to place a new convert into a position of responsibility, "Lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." Sadly, we are neglecting this command today - both personally and collectively, and of this offense we must repent.
In a recent and lengthy exchange of letters with a new convert, the Lord showed me just how bold the spirit of pride (Satan's condemnation) can be. Although swearing allegiance to Jesus Christ (which I do not question, doubt or judge in any way, shape or form) this new convert continually focused upon the power and authority of God, through His Holy Spirit, and demanded that the displays witnessed in the Word of God must be his - to manifest to the world - today!
Through our exchanges I learned that this young man had a lengthy history of dealings with the occult, with witchcraft and with sorcery, and that he had been walking with the Lord for about seven months.
During one such exchange he informed me that he was told that: A). When he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, that he would;
B). Receive the Spirit of God, and that; C). The power of God would immediately be manifest in his life. A + B = C... And, in conclusion - it was this power of the Spirit of God that attracted him in the first place! (He may protest this presentation, just as he did when I first questioned him about his motives, but the fact remains: In his mind, A + B = C. And 'C' was the goal).
In response to his spiritual equation, I pointed him to Simon the Magician who, in Acts 8:9-24, attempted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from the Apostles, and who also received a stern rebuke for his efforts. In Simon's case, it appears that repentance was forthcoming. I can only pray the same will occur here.
Nevertheless, the fact remains before us today, that many of God's new converts are striving to gain ascendancy within the Body of Christ, before the Holy Spirit is releasing them. And sadly, many are permitted these positions of authority and responsibility within our organizations because it is either convenient - because a warm body is needed, or because the true overseer's are afraid to confront the new zealot on the block. In either case, the Body of Christ will suffer whenever we neglect to follow what God tells us.
More often than not, the Lord teaches me spiritual truth's through the events unfolding before me on a daily basis. He is doing so again in this instance through a work relationship:
Throughout my career I have worked with (and for) people who have gained positions of authority within an organization, but who have aspired to these positions only for the 'power' and / or income that they would receive. Without concern for anybody or anything, other than their self-interests, these 'managers' have single-handedly destroyed the morale and make-up of what otherwise could be a truly unique work experience for many other souls. This scenario is unfolding again before my eyes in the natural world, so that I would be reminded of its occurrences within the spiritual realm as well.
Like these worldly egotists, spiritual egotists will lie - to themselves and to whoever will listen to them - in order to gain an advantage. They will use and abuse whatever stands before them, in order to gain acclaim for themselves. Unlike the world, however, the Holy Spirit is not a sucker, and He simply will not be lied to. He will not be used by any of us, no matter how polished, smooth or sophisticated we may think we are, and He will not permit His leaders to lie or manipulate anything in order to gain an advantage over His people. Even though Nicolaitans exist in the world, the day of the Nicolaitan has ended within the Body of Christ. Praise the Lord!
The harvest is before us, brethren, and as we enter into God's fields, we must be ever mindful of the fact that new converts must be trained of the Holy Spirit before they can be useful in His labors. We must resign ourselves to this truth, gird ourselves to pastor and teach (mentor) whenever possible and stand firm in the truth that a new convert cannot assume a position of responsibility without first acquiring the knowledge needed from the Hand of God...
Patience truly is a virtue, and waiting upon God must be taught once again!
Stephen waited on God in the upper room with the other disciples, and once empowered by the Holy Spirit, Stephen glorified the name of Jesus Christ. We must learn to wait upon Him as well, and we must faithfully teach these things to His disciples today. In this we too will glorify the name of Jesus Christ, and in this we too will find completeness and satisfaction.
Power - as witnessed throughout the Bible - will be manifest during these latter days. The Bible tells us that this is so. God's Word, however, also tells us that power will be seen either by the hand of those who follow and worship the evil one, or by those who follow and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We must set the record straight today and every day hereafter, as to just WHO it is we are allied with, through our every word and act, so that when His power is manifest in our lives, the whole world will know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ we represent.
Unlike those who seek power just for the sake of having power, when we proclaim Jesus Christ to the world - with proper motives - the world will truly see the power of God.
2. PRAYER REQUESTS:
First, please pray for the vast number of brothers and sisters who are under attack physically... Oh, so many surgeries! So very much pain... God can overcome any and all of these health issues for us, but we must unite in prayer. This month alone we know that prayer is needed for: Christine, Pat, France, Alexander, Margaret, Al and Kathy's Mother-in-Law. There are others who have requested not to be mentioned by name.
Second, please pray for the spiritual well-being of the Body of Christ. We are suffering from growing-pains right now, and we must remain patient as we wait upon the fullness of everything that the Holy Spirit wishes to bring to us.
Finally, we must pray for healing in our relationships - family and otherwise. The lord is moving many people to repentance today - but many are fighting against Him. There is going to be a healing within those families who set their focus upon God, and who will make Him their priority.
Kathy is praying for a healing in her relationship with her son. And is seeking his return home. Four families are praying for work - and are in need! Sandee is praying for guidance in dealing with her daughter and Granddaughter. Many are praying to 'simply' be in God's will! They are seeking to know His desired ministry for their lives. Yes, come Lord Jesus...
Please, as always, pray for our ministry.
3. CONTACT: larry vosen
If you have any questions about the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Gospel, Faith or any pressing spiritual matter, please feel free to contact me. While I may not possess the answers personally, I know Who Does! Every effort will be made to answer your questions in a timely and Scripturally supported manner.
Do you have a prayer request? Please share your needs with us... We will post your needs in our "Prayer Request" sections, so that we can approach the Throne of God in a united front on your behalf.
We can be reached via email at: Contact
larry
Or, please feel free to mail your thoughts and requests to:
Larry Vosen
2600 E. Seltice Way, #203
Post Falls, ID 83854
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