Call to Worship: A praise and a warning: Psalm 95:1 “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.”
Songs: Days Of Elijah - Robin Mark
He Is The Lord- Kevin Prosch
Every Giant Will Fall - Rend Collective
How Great Is Our God / How Great Thou Art -CeCe Winans
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Song: Sound the Trumpet- Judith McAllister
Sermon: “Power to Defeat Our Enemies”
Song: Warrior - Steven Curtis Chapman
Benediction:
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Sermon: Power to Defeat Our Enemies
As we think about Pentecost our thoughts should always be about the power that comes with the Holy Spirit and presently the lack thereof. There are two facets of understanding this power. First we need to understand that we have no power to face our enemies on our own and second the enemy has no power to face us if we stand on God’s word. So obviously in order to defeat our enemies, the power of the Holy Spirit needs to be present by following God’s word wholeheartedly. If that power is not present, our enemies will defeat us. Once we understand this power and submit ourselves by humbling and turning from our wicked ways, we will realize our enemies will be powerless against us and they will be defeated. We read earlier that King Jehoshaphat understood this when a vast army came against them. , 2 Chronicles 20:11 “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Before Jesus was crucified he said to Pilot who had said to Him, John 19:10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you? 11 Jesus answered, you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them.” Paul said,
1 Corinthians 15:54 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There is great power for those who believe. Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” yet many who do not believe there is power available are leading the church astray and many are following. They have built a church that is void of the Holy Spirit’s power but strong on man’s power, which leaves them godless. 2 Timothy 3:1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” Yes the church will look godly but there is no power. There are many in the church that do not believe there is power available, many who don’t know there is more power available than what we are seeing and many who are indifferent to the power. The teachings of men and doctrines of demons have left us powerless which means we are unable to stand against our enemies. This disobedience and indifference to God’s word is the reason why the gates of hell are prevailing against us. God told Joshua, Joshua 7:11 “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.” Yet the church thinks because of faulty teaching that they continue to move in the same power as the early church yet there is no power. Judges 16:20 “Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza.”
Being defeated by our enemies is not how it is supposed to be, yet Sunday after Sunday we are being defeated just by listening to false teachers. They tell you there is power yet they do not follow the way and truth but go their own way, which leads to death. We are to follow Jesus and destroy our enemies. This is where people get confused, as our enemies are not flesh and blood yet the enemy will operate in the willingness flesh and blood. The only way to defeat “the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” is to defeat satan and we cannot defeat satan unless we have the power of the Holy Spirit and trust me when I say this, there is a vast army against us. Yes as I talked about last week there are those who think we have lost our minds but we have simply made a decision to follow God’s word and not man’s. That decision will always cause conflict. Plain and simple the bible does not say that this power of the Holy Spirit has stopped yet people continue to make the bible say what they want, just as satan distorted scripture while trying to tempt Jesus. This distortion of scripture happens all the time. When talking about Paul’s letters Peter said, 2 Peter 3:16 “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. When talking about false prophecy Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 23:36 “But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” Acts 20:25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” Mark 7:13 “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Today, tradition, reason and experience have all nullified the word of God.
This requires discernment but unfortunately most in the church lack this gift. Since most of the church has rejected the gifts of the Spirit and replaced them with man made gifts, we are defeated. Qualities of a good leader, music skills, people skills etc. are not the gifts of the Spirit. Do you really need to take a Spiritual Gifts Survey to find out whether you have these gifts? I heard a guy speak last night who said even though people are not healed when he lays hands on people he will continue doing it. That makes no sense at all. You either have the gift given to you or you don’t. James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” For this to happen the gifts of the Spirit must be flowing. 1 Corinthians 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” It will be pretty obvious if you have one of these operating don’t you think.
As we see today even in the church truth is hard to find. One person accuses another and that person denies it. But if the gifts are flowing the way they are intended then you have a place where there are no secrets. 1 Corinthians 14:24 “But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” This is why Paul said in verse one, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” If the gifts of the Spirit where truly in operation you would see more of this. Acts 5:1 “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.”
When the church begins to operate once again in the true gifts of the Spirit, the church will look once again look just like the early church, just like it is supposed to look and the fear of the Lord will return. Will there be opposition, of course there will be to the very end when satan is removed but until then we must move in power in order to defeat our enemies. Revelation 20:10 “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” We do not want to follow those who distort the word of God into blackest darkness so we better understand how far the church is away from the power we need to defeat our enemies otherwise we will continue to be defeated.
If we continue to carry on as if we have power, we will be defeated. Ignoring the signs of spiritual warfare is like ignoring the signs that you have cancer. Someone said “ignoring the signs is a good way to end up at the wrong destination.” Jeremiah 11:10 “They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.” Ignoring God’s warnings will leave us defeated just like they were defeated in Numbers. Numbers 14:36 “So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. 39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!” 41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.” 44 nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.”
Just because someone tells you that you are filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean that you are. There are millions of presumptuous so-called Christians who have no idea they have become powerless. Every week, day after day they follow men and woman who distort scripture and lead them astray. They are told they are filled yet there are no gifts in operation, they deny God’s word and satan remains victorious, all the while day after day people die only to find out later they are going to eternal punishment not eternal life. The condition of the church is so bad that people don’t even know they are listening to false prophets and teachers leading them astray. They continue to grieve the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 63:10 “Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.” So not only do we have satan fighting against us we also have God against us. He even brings delusion on them and they continue to go their own way. Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Yet people love it this way and continue to perish without knowledge.
The knowledge is right here in front of us. The word of God spells it out yet just like in the days of the Kings, the people refuse to listen. 2 Kings 17:14 “But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” So what have we imitated? The church has followed worthless idols, which are false gospels that have infiltrated the church. They began to trust in men with names like Calvin, Wesley, Luther, Darby just to name a few. They even have statues of Francis Asbury, John and Charles Wesley at the seminary I went to and if you go to the store you can buy some keepsakes. This is more than remembering men but an idol to their ways. They stopped trusting the word of God and followed mans ideas about God. Mark 7:6 “He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Colossians 2:20 “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Many followed the way of legalism but many have followed the CEO, purpose driven, seeker friendly churches and do as the world does yet continue to deny the power. They have set aside God’s word and stopped following his commands. And like these people in Kings they are so stiff-necked they refuse to listen and turn around and follow the truth. This is not about following the right idol or denomination. Yes every denomination thinks they are right but they are all wrong. The very definition of the word tells you they are all wrong. One definition states a “denomination is a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith.” Another definition said, “identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others.” So you have these groups that believe this but not that and definitely not what the other this or that believe. That can’t be if we follow Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” The deception and delusion is so great that most have accepted this desolate state of affairs the church finds itself in. The cancer has spread, we are at war but the church does not want to listen. It is not about whether our beliefs are right it is whether we believe in the word of God.
All through scripture we see a battle taking place but the good news for us is Jesus has one the battle. Having said that I want to stress again that yes Jesus defeated satan at the cross but we must continue the battle as we carry our own cross. This is why he then gave us the Holy Spirit so that we too could be empowered just as He was. If there was no continued battle, we would not have been told to put on the armour as the devil is on the prowl to tear us apart. This power is the only way we can carry out his commands. Too many Christians don’t have their armour on and have no idea how to handle the sword. Most are so naïve that they are actually fighting against the truth in their ignorance. We are at war not against each other but against the dark forces. Not until we come together as the body of Christ will we be victorious once again. When they confessed their sins in Nehemiah they said, Nehemiah 9:16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.” Ezra 9:6 “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today. 8 “But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place[a] in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage.”
So we continue to humble ourselves before our mighty king and wait to be clothed with power once again. That clothing is the armour of light, Jesus Christ (Romans 13) Yes satan has infiltrated our ranks and the church has literally imploded. We know from history that God will let that happen and even send the enemy against us because of disobedience but we also know from history that God will make a way for his faithful. God will always raise up someone to lead the charge against the enemy. 1 Samuel 2:35 “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.” Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Numbers 27:15 “Moses said to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.” 22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.” Deuteronomy 34:9 “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.” Joshua 3:7 “And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.” The parents of Samson were told Judges 13:5 “You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 16:1 “The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” 2 Samuel 3:17 “Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.” Earlier 1 Samuel 17:45 “David said to the Philistine Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
Not only will God always raise up one of His servants, His power will also be present. Jesus also was set apart to save the world. 2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Jesus then gives each of us the authority to go out and do the same. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Mark 16:19 “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
This is how it is supposed to be. We are to continue the work of the disciples in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot defeat the vast army that is against us otherwise. The story of Paul is the same as David, Saul, Joshua and Gideon and Samson to name a few. None of them could accomplish what they did without the power of the Holy Spirit. Next week I want to look at the Apostle Paul and the power that was not talk. Paul said 1 Corinthians 4:18 “Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” This should be our standard and once again will be because the Kingdom of God is not about talk. Paul shows us that it is not the best speaker who is powerful but the one who has the power. He said, 2 Corinthians 11:6 “I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge.” We need the power of God in our lives to defeat our enemies, not just to go to church on Sunday. As I said we are at war but at this point we are loosing. Notice I did not say lost. Why? Because our gracious God promised David there would always be remnant.
When we look at the Apostle Paul, we see he was. Romans 1:1 “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” Galatians 1:15 “God, set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace.” He was anointed with power and went out in the same power Jesus went out in. Luke 4:16 “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Acts 26:17 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” So just like David was sent to rescue God’s people from the Philistines, Paul was sent to rescue the people from the power of satan. Just as Paul was sent out, God will always raise up a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Nothing has changed, as this is God’s plan for the church.
Ephesians 2:19 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
As we return to the Lord and His word, we too will see His power move among us once again. If His Spirit dwells in us so will all the gifts be available for the building up of the church. 1 Corinthians 14:1 “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
