I know all about the restraining hand of the Lord. He allows his children to go only so far but no further. In my early days of ministry, he restrained me when I was ready to quit during times of awful discouragement. At times, I felt overwhelmed by all the financial responsibilities. I felt like a failure as a husband and father as well. I would get so low about my overwhelming obligations that I thought my faith would shatter completely.
First Corinthians 12 is all about the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating within the body of Christ. In this glowing chapter, the apostle Paul laid out how vital it is for Christ’s body to operate in his gifts, functioning as one body. To fulfill our calling, the church needs evangelists, teachers, preachers and people with gifts of prophecy, healing, miracles, tongues, administration and helping.
From Adam to this present day, God has been searching for a people who will entrust their lives totally to him. He desires a body of faithful believers who give him their complete trust and confidence and commit themselves wholly to his keeping.
Christ distinguished between the world’s way of doing things and his way. As his followers, we are to be different from the world, loving, serving and forgiving; and we can be sure this will offend a darkened world.
It is clear the Lord loves his church and desires to bless it. So why does Revelation 2 present such a fearsome picture of Christ as he appears to his people?
After Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, his listeners sat in awe. Scripture says, “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29, NKJV). The Greek word for authority in this verse means “with mastery, power, liberty; as one in control.” Jesus’ listeners were saying, in essence, “This man knows what he’s talking about.”
James understood suffering. In Jerusalem, persecution of the early Christians was rampant. Many of Jesus’ followers were martyred, causing others to flee across the region. What did James say to encourage the church? He wrote, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” (James 5:13, ESV).
Our ministry receives letters from many Christians who have somehow lost heart. These are followers of Christ who have truly been saved. They’ve tasted the mercy and goodness of the Lord and experienced joy, peace, hope and gladness of heart. Then something happened; they fell into some kind of sin or compromise, and the joy of the Lord left them. Now they live in turmoil and fear, completely defeated.
In the span of a mere ten verses, David expressed all the pains of life. Psalm 6 contains a revealing glimpse into the agonies that our spiritual ancestor endured all at one time, sufferings that would stretch any person beyond their limits. We see David struggled with sin, endured physical sickness, cried out with an anguished soul, faced threatening enemies and looked death squarely in the face.
