Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.
— Acts 8:5-8

On April 12, I told a bit of this story, but it so impacted my life that I want to share it in greater detail today and give you the reason why miracles often occur on a massive scale, or among large crowds of people.

It was the conclusion of five amazing days of meetings — the first large public meeting that Denise and I had ever conducted in the former USSR. Of the 32,000 people who attended the event, 7,000 people came forward to receive Christ and 926 people received water baptism — and we witnessed scores of healings, miracles, and deliverances. The meeting reminded me of Acts 8:5-8, which says:

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

In those five days of meetings, we preached Christ to 32,000 people, and the people literally “gave heed unto” the things that we preached. As a result, we saw miracles that week — including the expulsion of many unclean spirits that cried out as they were expelled from people by the delivering power of Christ. Many who had various types of sickness were healed, including the lame. And just as Acts 8:8 says, there was great joy as a result of all these happenings.

Yet there was one man who was obviously in need of a miracle, but had not received a healing touch in the meetings. He came into the meetings each night after the meeting had started so he could get to his reserved seat without fighting the crowds that swarmed into the big auditorium. Because he came in late each night, I saw him each evening. I couldn’t help but notice his desperate and sad physical condition and the distorted look of pain in his face.

I later learned that this man had been paralyzed from his waist down as a result of falling off his house 19 years earlier. For 19 years, he had used crutches like legs. He would swing his body on his crutches as he slowly moved forward one “crutch step” at a time. Once he would finally reach his seat each evening, he would collapse into his chair, exhausted from his “crutch walk.” Because he had come in after the rest of the crowd was seated, many people had watched him come into the auditorium each evening and — they were aware of his extremely disabled condition.

That week we had witnessed many instantaneous miracles. Ears of the deaf were opened. And as Christ came into people’s hearts, we literally heard demons scream as the power of Christ drove them out. It was everything I had read about in the book of Acts, but it was happening here and now — in our meeting! Denise and I were speechless at the wonder-working power of God we saw in those services.

Now it was the last night. Oh, how I longed for that paralyzed man to receive a miraculous touch. As that last meeting concluded, I stood to dismiss the crowd and bid them farewell. Suddenly I heard a lot of commotion to my left, and I turned to see what the disturbance was all about. I turned at the exact moment the man on the crutches suddenly shot straight up from his chair and threw his crutches into the air!

Before I could even catch my breath, the man jumped and began walking — free of crutches! The bottom half of his paralyzed body had suddenly come alive. This was the first time this man had walked in 19 years without the assistance of his crutches. He literally went walking and leaping and praising God all the way to the front of the auditorium, where he threw his crutches on the stage and then stood there jumping for joy!

There was a crowd that night of approximately 8,000 people. When they saw this miracle happen right before their eyes, hundreds rushed the stage for more prayer. Only God knows how many more people received miracles that night.

When the auditorium authority said it was time to shut down the meeting, people didn’t want to leave and had to be forcibly directed out of the arena and onto the street. People clung to us, asking for more prayer, but it was time to leave, so we quickly left the stage through a private back hallway and a door that opened right to our transportation. However, when we exited that exterior door, several hundred people had already surrounded our vehicle, wanting one more opportunity to receive prayer.

Later as I meditated on the miracles we saw that week, I kept going back to Philip’s experience in Samaria in Acts 8. It specifically says, “…The people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake…” (v. 6). This is precisely what had occurred with us, so I opened my Greek New Testament to study what these words meant in the Greek.

The words “one accord” is homothumadon, a compound of homou and thumos. The word homou usually points to a moment when something happens at one time or simultaneously. The word thumos here carries the picture of passion. The people were excited about what Philip was preaching. The Greek word tells us they were completely stirred up and excited about what they were hearing. And it wasn’t just a few of them, but all of them at once were caught in the moment — in an eruption of thrill.

The crowds were so enraptured by what Philip was preaching that Acts 8:6 says they “gave heed” to the things he was speaking to them. The words “gave heed” are from the word prosecho, a compound of the words pros and echo. The word pros means near, and the word echo means to hold or to embrace. When the two words are compounded, the new word prosecho means to hold near or to draw near. It is the idea of giving one’s full attention to what is being spoken and heard — and drawing as near to it as possible. In other words, all those people under the sound of Philip’s preaching were fixated on and undistracted from his message.

Prosecho can also be translated to give one’s full attention to a matter, to apply the mind to a thing, or to give serious consideration and contemplation to what is being heard. This was not a light-listening moment in Philip’s ministry in Samaria — those people were listening with 100 percent of their hearts and souls!

No wonder Philip’s crowd experienced so many miracles! Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As they listened so intensely to the message of Christ, faith came exploding into their hearts — and where faith explodes, the supernatural takes place.

This truth, by the way, provided my answer for why we saw so many supernatural signs and wonders in that big meeting in the USSR. The crowd was fixated on every word we preached from that stage. And where the message of Christ is really heard, faith comes. That explains why miracles started occurring all over that vast auditorium. The people heard, believed, and received.

This shows how important it is that you really listen when the Word of God is being preached. If you’re talking to your neighbor, writing notes, sending text messages, thinking of something else, or merely not listening, the Word can have great effect on the people all around you, yet have no effect on you. If you want to see the supernatural, you must be totally focused on the message that’s being preached, for faith comes by hearing — really hearing — the Word of God. And when the message has been heard and embraced by 100 percent of a hearing heart, the environment becomes right for the supernatural to start taking place!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, first of all, I repent for each and every time I’ve been where the Word is preached, yet I disrespectfully allowed myself to be distracted by other things in my mind by writing notes, by sending text messages, or by visiting with my neighbor. Father, Your words are life. Each one contains the power to save, to heal, to deliver, to transform, and to make all things new. Forgive me for not giving Your Word the full esteem and utmost regard. I’ve been wrong for not totally focusing on the message being preached. For this, I truly ask You for forgiveness. I ask You to help me discipline my mind to focus as I respond with ears to hear and a heart to receive what is being preached so that the message will impart faith to my heart!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I boldly confess that each time the Word of God is preached, I give it my full concentration. I refuse to be dull in my hearing or to negatively influence the atmosphere of a meeting with hardness of heart and unbelief. Instead, I shove all other thoughts aside, and I fixate on the Word being declared to me. As a result, faith is ignited in my heart, for faith comes by hearing — really hearing — the Word of God. As I mix my faith with what I hear, I not only see and experience supernatural results in my life, I also affect the atmosphere and help create an environment for the supernatural power of God to explode around me so others can hear and be healed, saved, or transformed by the Word of God. Such supernatural occurrences were not meant just for Bible times. They are for anyone in any generation who will draw near to the Word, focus on it, and receive an influx of faith. And I confess that this is a description of me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever been in an atmosphere where miracles were taking place? How did it affect you? What kind of miracle did you personally observe?
2. From what you’ve read today, can you describe how vitally important it is for you to allow no distractions when you’re hearing the Word of God preached?
3. What can you do personally to help create an atmosphere for the Word to have a great effect both on you and those around you? What do you need to stop doing while the Word is being preached so that you can be more attentive and get more out of the message?

These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
— 1 Timothy 3:14,15

Growing up in church, there were many opportunities for my parents to teach me how I ought to behave in the house of God. Today I see that many parents are not teaching their children about these things, and it’s a shame. Children must learn to respect the house of God and the atmosphere where God works among people corporately.

But children must be taught this kind of appropriate behavior in order to learn it; it doesn’t come to them naturally. When I was a boy, my church friends and I didn’t always do so well at behaving correctly in church. But each time I erred, I paid for it handsomely when the service was over and my father and mother disciplined me at home!

For example, there was the notorious Sunday night service when we kids were seated on a cracked pew in church. Every time we bounced up and down on that pew, it squeaked. I was a young boy at the time, and the thought of making our seat squeak every time I bounced on it just elated me! So I started vigorously bouncing — up and down, up and down, up and down. My friends sitting with me joined in the fun, and we all bounced until I (and everyone else in the auditorium) heard a huge, cracking noise like the splitting of timber. It was our pew cracking all the way through, from one end to the other!

As that pew split and cracked, it sloped down to the ground — and everyone sitting on it slid onto the floor and under the pew in front of us! It was quite a sight and sound, interrupting the whole service as men, women, and children came crawling out from under the pew in front of us to find another seat in the auditorium.

I knew that I was going to be in serious trouble after church that night — and I was right! My father gave me a strong lesson, never to be forgotten, about how I was to behave in the house of God!

Then there was another time when, during a Wednesday night service, a group of us boys skipped the service and — for some unknown, unexplainable reason — decided to climb onto the roof of the church auditorium just for fun. We each scaled the wall of one side of the building and scrambled all the way to the peak of the main auditorium — while the service was simultaneously being held!

We boys all noticed what a cool, “hollow” sound we could produce if we stomped on the roof, so we started entertaining ourselves by stomping and stomping — until the side door of the auditorium was flung open, and the pastor himself emerged! He called out to us to get off the roof and find our seats in the service!

That was another night I’ll never forget! I paid a dear price not only for skipping the service, but also for interrupting the preaching of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit taking place inside the auditorium beneath our stomping feet!

Another memory of my behavior in church as a young boy is from a time when my parents sang in the church choir. Choir rehearsal was always after the Wednesday night service. While my parents practiced with all the other adults, the Renner kids and some other kids of parents in the choir had nothing to do. So we would run around the church, scamper around the auditorium, and often prove to be a distraction to the choir rehearsal, which was led by our pastor.

One Wednesday night, we kids were especially disruptive, so our pastor yelled, “Renner kids and all you other kids, get up here!” We shook at his tone of voice because we knew that we had crossed a line that night and were about to get in trouble. We all stood before him on the church platform waiting to be rebuked. But instead of scolding us, he said, “I’ll give you a dime to leave the church building and go across the street to the gas station to buy a soda. But you have to promise to stay out of the auditorium until rehearsal is over.”

A soda! That was a big deal when I was a youngster, so we excitedly extended our palms toward him as he placed a dime into the hands of all us Renner kids and the other kids who were with us. We then ran down the aisle of the church, burst through the auditorium doors, and headed across the street to the gas station, where we each inserted our dime into the pop machine and bought ourselves a soda as the pastor suggested.

But when we returned home that night my father had a serious talk with me about my behavior in church. And every time I misbehaved in the house of God, he used the opportunity to teach me about right and wrong behavior in church. Because of my parents’ instruction as I was growing up, I learned how to behave appropriately in church — and that helped me know how to teach my own sons when Denise and I became parents.

This reminds me of First Timothy 3:14 and 15, where Paul wrote, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” In verse 15, Paul was addressing wider issues that affected the whole house of God. But there is a principle in this verse I wish to discuss: We “ought” to know how to behave in the house of God!

The word “ought” in verse 15 is the Greek word dei, which describes a necessity or something that isn’t optional. In other words, this is mandatory behavior. The word for “behaveth” is from the Greek word anastrepho, which means to conduct oneself appropriately. It is simply inappropriate to be disrespectful in the house of God or to act unbecomingly in the presence of other believers who are trying to seek God or to prepare for His work.

Paul said it is obligatory that we behave appropriately when we are in the house of God. This is something that must be taught and imparted, and it is why I am so dismayed at parents who do not teach their children how to behave properly when they are in church. Frequently children talk loudly, sit lackadaisically, or even move about the auditorium with no restrictions from their dad or mom.

We once had parents in our Moscow church who refused to discipline their son and teach him to sit quietly and listen during the service. They actually allowed him to run all over the auditorium, which disturbed everyone who was trying to hear the Word of God. These parents had been counseled multiple times about this problem, but to no avail. The disruptive behavior of their children continued without parental correction.

One Sunday, I’d finally had enough of the outrageous behavior of this child — although I realized the problem was not really with the child; it was with the parents who refused to discipline him. So I called the parents aside and told them that if they would not enforce a measure of order with their son when they came to church, they would no longer be welcome because they were so disruptive to others. That was the last time they ever came to our church.

This unchecked behavior in the house of God isn’t true only of children. We live in a society that has increasingly drifted so far from God that when people finally do come to church, they often talk out loud during the service, loudly chew gum, write notes back and forth to one another, send text messages on their phones, and do other things that are disruptive and disrespectful. As more mature believers, it is our God-given responsibility to gently teach them to respect the house of God and how to behave while they’re in church.

In early New Testament times, people were attending church for the very first time since they were newly converted. Neither men nor women knew how to behave in church and had to be taught. But they were taught, as we can see in First Timothy 3:15. Paul knew that people had to learn how to behave in the house of God; thus, he addressed the issue in this verse.

I ask you today to look at your own children or grandchildren and determine if they behave respectfully when the Word of God is being preached or taught. Do they move freely about during the service, write notes, chew gum, or do other things that are distracting or disruptive to the preaching of the Word and moving of the Spirit?

The house of God is a cherished place where we assemble corporately to worship Him, grow in Him, and serve Him together to further His purposes. That’s why it’s so important to allow Him to teach us — so we can then teach others that it is a place where respect and honor are mandatory. I encourage you to make a decision today that you and your house will always fit that description when in church, behaving in a way that helps others hear the Word of God and that does not disrupt the moving of His precious Holy Spirit!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to help me behave appropriately when I am in the house of God — not only when I am in a service, but also to behave appropriately as a Christian. May my lifestyle and behavior bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive me for the times I have acted out of order or done things that were inappropriate or disruptive. Help me develop a personal discipline in the way I conduct myself not only when I am in the house of God but also in every area of my life because I am, in fact, Your temple, and Your Spirit resides within me. Therefore, I desire to conduct myself worthily as I ought at all times in a dignified manner that reflects You, giving both You and the sanctuary where Your people gather the full respect that is due according to Your will.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am mannerly, honoring, and respectful when I am in the house of God. I listen attentively, and I do not disturb others who are trying to hear the Word. I honor God in my behavior. When I see others, either young people or adults, who are disruptive and dishonoring, God shows me how to respectfully teach them how to behave and to conduct themselves in church. Because I am serious about my life with Christ, I behave seriously when I am in the house of God!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. If you grew up in church, can you recall times when you had to be corrected and taught how to behave in the house of God?
2. When you see how others behave inappropriately in the house of God — sending text messages to other people, talking out loud, and so forth — do you ignore it, or have you found a polite way to teach them that their behavior is incorrect?
3. Nothing is more serious than the proclamation of God’s Word and the moving of the Holy S What things have you witnessed that can disturb these holy moments?

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious….
— 1 Timothy 1:13

Sometimes I hear people say, “I just don’t know if So-and-so can come to Christ. They are so hardhearted and far from God!” If you’ve ever said this about a person in your life, today I want to give you hope. We’re going to look at what kind of person Paul was before he came to Christ — and I believe you’ll see and understand that if God could save Saul of Tarsus (who became known as the apostle Paul), then He can save anyone!

In First Timothy 1:13, Paul described himself before his conversion to Christ: “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious….” Although Paul was a strictly religious Jew before he surrendered his life to Jesus, he admitted that he had been guilty of blasphemous behavior. The word “blasphemy” is the Greek word blasphemia — and it does not primarily refer to speaking irreverently about divine matters. It has a broader meaning that refers to any type of debasing, derogatory, nasty, shameful, ugly speech or behavior that is intended to humiliate someone else. Paul used the word “blasphemer” to describe his own past words and actions when he purposefully mistreated and humiliated believers for whom he had no tolerance.

Before Paul’s conversion to Christ, he persecuted believers in Jesus Christ with a vengeance. To make sure readers understood how atrocious his treatment of Christians was before his con- version, Paul then clarified what he meant, stating that he also used to be a “persecutor” and “injurious.”

The word “persecutor” comes from the Greek word dioko, which means to pursue or to ardently follow after something until the object of pursuit is apprehended. It was the very word used to depict a hunter. By using this word dioko, Paul revealed that he aggressively pursued Christians to capture or kill them like a relentless hunter tracking the scent of an animal.

Proof of this is found in the book of Acts. For instance, Acts 7:57,58 states that Paul (then called Saul of Tarsus) was present at the stoning of Stephen: “Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.” Also, from Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa, we know that he cast his vote for the death of many believers. The apostle told Agrippa, “…Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them” (Acts 26:10).

There is no doubt that before Paul came to Christ and was still known as Saul, he was such a scourge to the Church that believers everywhere had heard of his vengeance (see Acts 9:21). Saul was obsessed with a sense of duty to eradicate Christians and to cleanse this “filth” from the Jewish community. In fact, when Paul later described his behavior before his conversion in First Timothy 1:13, he used the word “injurious” to explain the maliciousness of his past behavior.

The word “injurious” is the word hubristes. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament states: “The word [hubristes] indicates one who in pride and insolence deliberately and contemptuously mistreats, wrongs, and hurts another person just to…humiliate the person. It speaks of treatment which is calculated to publicly insult and openly humiliate the person who suffers it.”11

Although Paul laid claim to being among the most religious Jews (see Philippians 3:5,6), his use of the word hubristes in First Timothy 1:13 reveals that hatred raged in his heart. Paul acknowledged that his loathing of Christians was once so intense that he derived personal pleasure when humiliation and pain were inflicted on them. Whereas the word “blasphemer” reveals that he once verbally humiliated believers, the word “injurious” indicates that his physical behavior toward Christians was shameful — and that he enjoyed doing it. Both his words and actions were intended to debase, defame, dehumanize, depreciate, drag down, malign, mock, revile, ridicule, scorn, slander, slur, smear, and vilify believers.

When Paul was still Saul of Tarsus, he discriminated against believers, treated them with hostility, dehumanized them, and even contributed to their deaths (see Acts 8:3; 9:1; 26:11). He was moved with rage to extinguish the spreading flame of Christianity. However, one encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus was all it took for Saul’s heart to be emptied of rage and hatred and filled instead with a deep love for the Church he had so horribly persecuted and humiliated in the past.

In a split second of time, this man who had been such an enemy of God and the Church was converted to Christ and totally transformed. When people heard that he had come to Christ, it was hard for them to believe at first, because he had been such an ardent persecutor of the Church (see Acts 9:21). But his conversion was real — and it proved that if God could save Paul, then God could save and change absolutely anyone! If there was ever a situation where it seemed impossible for someone to be saved, it would have been Saul of Tarsus — but one encounter with Christ changed everything in a split second.

So what about your friend, acquaintance, relative, coworker, and so forth, who seem so distant from God? Are they so far that they cannot be reached and changed? No, Paul’s testimony affirms that God can reach any heart, regardless of how hard it is or how far that person has wandered from God. So don’t give up hope! Keep praying and believing for your lost loved ones to come to a saving experience with Jesus Christ. If it can happen to Paul, it can happen to anyone!

11 Cleon L. Rogers, Jr. and Cleon L. Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), p. 488

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I thank You that Your saving power can reach any person, regardless of how deep they are in sin, how hardhearted they are, or how far from You they may have wandered. Your mercy extends to every person, and Your salvation was meant to save every person! I thank You for giving me hope for my friends and loved ones through the testimony of the apostle Paul. Today I pray for my friends, acquaintances, and relatives who are far from God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will direct their paths into an encounter with the living Christ that will suddenly transform their lives for eternity!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I boldly confess that my friends, acquaintances, and relatives are on a collision course with Jesus Christ — and that they are going to be saved and changed in a split-second experience with Him. Although they are not walking with God and seem hardhearted right now, God is working mightily to invade their lives and to bring His saving power into their spirits. They may not know it, but they are on the verge of salvation! By faith I call them out of darkness and into the light of God’s Kingdom, where His righteousness, peace, and joy will cause them to increasingly yield to the Lordship of Jesus Christ until their lives fully manifest His glory on the earth.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Whom are you praying for to receive salvation? Do you have a prayer list of people that you believe will come to faith in Christ? How often do you pray for these people?
2. When you read of the salvation of the apostle Paul, do you think of others who are now in Christ, who had once been far from God? Who are those people? Is one of them you? Can you say that if you could be saved, anyone can be saved?
3. How long has it been since you’ve shared your testimony with someone who does not know the Lord? Can you think of people who would be open to hear your story? Is there a reason you haven’t shared your testimony with them? Do you realize that your story could be the final stroke that brings them into the kingdom of God?

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
— Matthew 22:15

In the early years of our ministry in the former Soviet Union, a group of local psychiatrists determined among themselves that I was using a high level of hypnosis to control the people who attended our church. They stated that my level of hypnosis was so developed that I could even manipulate and control people who read my monthly teaching letters that we sent to television viewers. They suggested that as people read my letters, an amazing hypnotic power dramatically affected the readers, causing the readers to want to do what I had encouraged them to do in my letters. Of course, we know it was the power of the Holy Spirit at work, but this was their secular interpretation of what they were observing in our church members and TV viewers.

These psychiatrists were so convinced of these hypnotic powers that they paid a visit to the Department of Religion to express how gravely concerned they were about the level of hypnosis I was using to control people. I was unaware that I was “the talk” of this group until we received a call from the Department of Religion to inform us that five unidentified psychiatrists would be covertly attending all of our church meetings for three months to study the method of hypnosis I was using to control my entire congregation. Of course, since I know nothing of hypnosis, I was amazed! All I had done was teach the Word of God verbally and in written form — under the anointing of the Holy Spirit — and it was producing results in people’s lives!

I must tell you — when you know that five psychiatrists are somewhere out in the crowd, listening carefully and trying to find something against you so they can accuse you before the government, it can try to play with your mind. It tends to make you very self-conscious about what you do or say lest it be misinterpreted.

At first, I found myself very guarded in nearly every statement I made, very aware of the psychiatrists who were somewhere in the crowd, listening to “catch” me in something that I did or said publicly. But then I remembered Jesus and the time when the Pharisees listened carefully to Him in order to try to “catch” Him in His words so they could bring an accusation against Him. Knowing that Jesus had experienced the same thing, I turned to the Master to learn how to deal with the situation.

Matthew 22:15 says, “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him [Jesus] in his talk.” The word “council” is the Greek word sumboulion, which describes a mutual agreement to devise a course of action with harmful or evil purposes. This tells us plainly that the Pharisees were very deliberate in their actions. They met together, agreed on a mutual course of action, and then proceeded to try to catch Jesus off-guard and “entangle” Him in His talk so they could find a reason to charge Him.

Reading this story personally helped me because it sounded so much like the five psychiatrists who were scattered throughout our congregation. I knew that if Jesus could stand successfully against the Pharisees, then the Holy Spirit could empower me likewise to stand strong and stable in the face of these psychiatrists whose sole purpose was to prove that I was controlling and damaging people with hypnotism.

Matthew 22:15 plainly states that this group of Pharisees wanted to “entangle” Jesus in his talk. The word “entangle” is a form of the Greek word pagideuo, which can be translated to ensnare, to catch in a trap, or to acquire information about an error or fault with the purpose of causing harm. It carries the idea to catch off-guard or to catch in a mistake.

Other translations of the New Testament put it like this:

• “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk” (American Standard Version).
• “Then the Pharisees went and conspired together plotting how to trap Him by [distorting] what He said” (Amplified Bible).
• “Then went the Pharisees and held a counsel how they might ensnare him in speaking” (The Darby Bible).

The Greek wording in this verse emphatically means they purposefully tried to catch Jesus with tricky questions. But Matthew 22:18 says Jesus “perceived” what they were doing. The word “perceived” is ginosko, and it means that He knew, He surmised, and He perceived their wicked intent. Rather than be threatened by them and their presence in the crowd, Jesus boldly addressed them — so boldly that “when they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way” (Matthew 22:22).

The word “heard” is a participle, which denotes continuous action. This means the Pharisees stayed for a considerable period of time and listened to what Jesus had to say as He poured forth the truth in utter boldness. Yet when all was said and done, they had caught Him in no trick, so in the end, they just “marveled” and went their way. The word “marveled” is the Greek word thaumadzo, which means Jesus’ detractors were so shocked at what they heard and how He delivered His message that they were rendered speechless and struck with awe. Jesus completely disarmed them.

This also revealed to me that Jesus didn’t change His behavior or His message to fit the doubters in the crowd. In fact, knowing that they were present, Jesus poured it on even more strongly — and as a result, they eventually left Him and, for that time at least, bothered Him no more.

Once I had a deeper understanding of the way Jesus handled this situation, I knew that I was expected to respond like He did. Rather than cower in fear because these five psychiatrists were there, I was to preach more boldly and more fearlessly than ever before. This wasn’t a time for me to be self-conscious.

So I decided if those doctors wanted to know what kind of power was operating through me, it was time to give them a very vivid demonstration! For three months, I poured out the Word of God in power and with the conviction and anointing of the Holy Spirit. When the three months were complete, the psychiatrists left, went their way — and filed their reports of what they had observed.

I personally saw those reports. In them, they indicated that they could not explain either the boldness or the effect of the message — and they suggested that it was something that superseded the powers of hypnotism. A few of them had been so helped during those three months that they continued to attend our church for a period of time to receive more help! Oh, what I learned from that experience!

Just like Jesus, we are not to change the way we present ourselves or our message simply because of who is in the audience or because of whom we’re talking to at the moment. We have no need to apologize for what we believe or for the power of God that works through us. If we shrink in fear, they will perceive it as weakness, but if we stand forth boldly and pour out what we really believe with the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, it will silence our critics.

Once I was seated on an airplane next to a fabulously well-known, foul-mouthed actress. I thought, “Oh, great, what will I tell her if she asks what I do?” But I decided not to retreat. I was going to be direct and honest and then leave the results with the Lord.

The woman responded to my frankness when she heard that I was a Gospel preacher — and when she heard me describe my family and how we all serve together, she began to weep over the condition of her delinquent daughter and son. For three hours I counseled her from the Word of God about steps she could take to redirect the detrimental path they were currently taking. She was not offended; she was helped. If I had squirmed and sheepishly told her what I did, I am certain she would have shunned me. But my frank, bold response threw open the door for a conversation, which I pray helped her with her children and her personal spiritual life.

Never forget that when you are true to the Word of God and your Spirit-inspired convictions of who you are, the Holy Spirit will be right there to empower you through every situation! The Spirit — working through you — will protect you and render your accusers silent and leave them better off for having been with you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to forgive me for the times I’ve allowed myself to be affected by people I knew were in the crowd or by whom I was talking to in a moment. Help me stand fearless and true to You, to Your Word, and to who I am. I have no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed or to squirm from fear of what man thinks of me. Just as Jesus boldly spoke to the Pharisees who tried to catch Him, help me be bold in moments when I am tempted to be weak or to draw back. Your soul takes no pleasure in those who draw back, so I refuse to be intimidated! Your righteousness makes me as bold as a lion. Therefore, since God is for me, I will not fear any mere man who may come against me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that just like Jesus, I will not change how I present myself or what I believe when I know opponents are listening to me, looking for something negative to say about my faith. I have no need to shrink down or apologize for what I believe or for the power of God that works through me. I will stand forth boldly and pour out what I really believe with the anointing of the Holy Spirit empowering me. I will be true to the Word of God, steadfast in my convictions, and unashamed as I present the Gospel by the power of Christ in me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a time when you really felt put on the “spot” because of your faith? Did you stand firm in what you believe, or did you cower in fear and retreat?
2. Have you ever had someone intensely question you about what you believe? How did you respond? How would you respond if it happened today?
3. Has there been a moment when you were afraid to stick with who you really are, but you did it anyway and found the other person was receptive to you and to what you had to say?

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus….
— Colossians 3:17

As you know, the Holy Spirit lives inside you if you have been born again, and your body individually is His temple here on the earth (see 1 Corinthians 6:19,20). After Jesus died for you, washed you with His blood, and placed His Holy Spirit inside you, don’t you think you should think once, twice, or more about everything you do?

The Holy Spirit — your internal Resident — is right there with you all the time. And whatever you say, do, watch, or participate in, you involve Him because He lives inside you. So if you can say and do things, knowing those words and deeds will bless the Holy Spirit and honor the name of Jesus, then go right ahead and say and do them. But if you are even a bit concerned that what you say or do will grieve the Spirit or bring dishonor to the name of Jesus, you should refrain from it.

In Colossians 3:17, the apostle Paul said, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus….” Let’s look at this verse a little deeper today.

The word “whatsoever” is translated from the Greek phrase ti ean. The word ti describes the most minute, miniscule detail. This is important, because it tells us God is concerned about every action in our lives — not only the large ones, but even the smallest. The word ean generalizes the subject to mean whatever. But when ti ean are used together, it can be translated whatsoever, as the King James Version records it. But it is important for you to know that included in this word “whatsoever” is the picture of every little detail, even the smallest, most minute, miniscule detail.

This verse continues, “And whatever you do….” The word you “do” is a form of the Greek word poieo, which has a wide range of meanings in the New Testament. Here, however, it infers any action that one does. It is another word with wide-range meaning, which tells us that we must be careful about whatever we say and do, for every little action has an impact on our internal Resident, the Holy Spirit, and on the honor we should bring to the name of Jesus with our lives.

Colossians 3:17 continues, “And whatever you do in word….” The word “word” comes from the Greek word logos, and it depicts spoken words. This means that our words have an impact on the indwelling Holy Spirit and the manner in which we honor the Lord Jesus.

In other words, there are some types of verbal communication that should never come out of the mouth of a committed Christian. We read about this in Ephesians 4:29,30, where we are commanded, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God….”

I want you to especially notice it says that we must not allow “corrupt” communication to proceed out of our mouths, for it “grieves” the Holy Spirit. The word “corrupt” is the Greek word sapros, which describes anything that is rank, foul, putrid, rotten, corrupt, or worthless. This could include gossipy language or simply putrid talk. Ephesians 4:30 says that it “grieves” the Spirit when a believer talks like this. The word “grieve” is lupete, and it means it deeply pains the Spirit when a believer talks in this fashion.

This tells us that when a Christian uses corrupt language — which could include anything that doesn’t minister life to someone else — or any language that is rotten and worthless, it grieves the Holy Spirit and brings dishonor to the name of Jesus. Thus we must avoid being gossipy or using language that is not worthy of Jesus’ name or the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.

But the verse goes on to say, “And whatever you do in word or deed….” The word “deed” is a form of the Greek word ergos, which refers to our actions or deeds. This would include our treatment of others, how we handle our money, what we do with our time, what we look at on TV or on the Internet, etc.

“Deed” — ergos — is all-inclusive of everything, making it impossible to give a full list of “deeds” here. But if you will listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit, you will know when your actions or deeds grieve Him. When that occurs, simply back off, immediately repent, and resolve not to do it again.

Paul continues in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus….” The word “all” in Greek is the compound word panta — which is the word pan, meaning all, with the affixed ta, referring to everything. Thus the word panta means all things — nothing excluded. We are to do everything we do — nothing excluded — in the name, or to the honor, of our Lord Jesus.

• If the movies or TV programs you want to watch don’t give honor to the name of Jesus…
• If what you’re watching on the Internet doesn’t give honor to the name of Jesus…
• If the words you are speaking don’t give honor to the name of Jesus…
• If anything you want to do doesn’t give honor to the name of Jesus…
• THEN DON’T DO IT! It’s just that simple.

We need to examine our lives and see if we are living in a way that honors the indwelling Spirit and the name of Jesus.

The truth is, you probably already know what you do that doesn’t honor the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus. You may have hardened your heart so you don’t feel conviction about it anymore — but if you are serious about your walk with God, you must turn from these things that grieve Him and renew your tenderness to the Holy Spirit and your honor for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If your heart has already been hardened in an area that causes you to do and say things that are displeasing to the Holy Spirit and dishonoring to the name of Jesus, it will require your solid commitment — not based on feelings or emotions — for you to return to your first love (see Revelation 2:4). You must decide with steadfast determination that you are returning to a life and a lifestyle that pleases the Holy Spirit and brings honor and glory to Jesus’ name.

It’s difficult to soften a hardened heart, but if you make the decision to do it, you can do it — and the flames that once burned in your heart will begin to blaze for Jesus again. When those fires are blazing, you’ll never want to do anything to offend the abiding Holy Spirit or to bring dishonor to the precious name of Jesus.

Today I urge you to take a good look at your words and actions and see if they bring honor or dishonor to the Holy Spirit and to the name of Jesus. If you have fallen in an area, ask the Holy Spirit to help renew you and bring you back to a place of tenderness, where you would never want to do anything to offend His presence or Jesus’ precious name. If you are willing, He is willing to start the process of renewing and refreshing you today. Why not get started now?

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I examine my life to see if I am living in a way that honors the indwelling Spirit and the name of Jesus. Help me recognize the attitudes and actions that don’t honor the Holy Spirit or exalt the name of Jesus in my life. I ask You to forgive me and to help me to become sensitive in spirit if I have hardened my heart through unbelief and disobedience. Lord, as honestly as I know how, I am serious about my walk with You, so I ask You to please help me to turn away from anything that grieves You.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I make it my aim that whatever I do in word or deed, I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. I take every thought captive to do His will, and I endeavor to think, speak, and act in a way that only gives honor to my Lord Jesus Christ.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you honestly say that you are living a life that causes the Holy Spirit to dwell comfortably inside you and that gives honor to the name of Jesus?
2. If the Holy Spirit brings an area of your life to your attention in which you’ve been grieving Him with your words or deeds, what will you do as a consequence? How will you respond?
3. Is the Holy Spirit comfortable with every place you go and everything you watch?

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
— 2 Timothy 4:5

Today I want to give you some end-time ministry advice — advice that is very pertinent for the present times. You might want to go back and review what we discussed in the September 26 Sparkling Gem, because it is foundational to what I will share with you today. As we saw, the Holy Spirit prophesied in Second Timothy 4:3,4 that doctrine would change in the last days.

The Holy Spirit inspired these writings in Second Timothy 4 to prepare us for what lies ahead, much of which is already happening right now. He told us that when it comes to our stance on the infallible, incorruptible Word of God, we should be dedicated to correct interpretation and to teaching and preaching that is done with the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is very important instruction for us in a day when people are abandoning the sound teaching of doctrine. Regardless of what others do, we must decide that we will remain clear channels for the truth, even if it means we must put up with accusations that we are too traditional and stuck in the past. This is God’s command to us.

Then Paul wrote in verse 5, “…Make full proof of thy ministry.” The Greek word for “full proof ” is plerophoreo, which simply means fulfill. Paul was urging Timothy to complete his ministry and bring it to its fullness. Although Paul was addressing Timothy directly, he was also talking very specifically to us — to those who would be alive at the end of the age. I believe this refers to our generation, and it certainly explains why we see so much nonsense going on in the world around us concerning the way people think and believe. This kind of deluded thinking and believing has even crept into the Church.

The pure preaching of doctrine is often replaced today with motivational speaking — nice, uplifting messages. In fact, the majority of people in modern congregations are ignorant of the most elementary aspects of New Testament doctrine. And very often, those who occupy the pulpits — although they may be masterful communicators and rate highly among motivational speakers — are equally uneducated in basic Bible principles. Many of those who do know the Bible don’t preach it as strongly as they once did because it’s not as popular as other types of messages. The result of this compromise is a drift from the Holy Scriptures. And this drift continues, seemingly unabated, while the doctrinal vacuum in the Church is being filled with motivational messages and “new-and-improved” church-growth programs. Yet when everything is said and done, only the Bible has the power to permanently transform a life.

Friend, the Bible has not changed. It’s still sharper than any two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12), and it’s still the answer for everyone, whether it’s in written form or on your computer or smart phone! The Bible is still the Word of God that has His very breath infused within it. And if you’ll take it into your heart and release it, it will put you on your feet again. It will heal your body, deliver your mind, and bring peace and order to your children and your household!

So much of what “creeps” into your home today is just a treadmill of information designed to keep you in a continual state of learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (see 2 Timothy 3:6,7). So if I could leave you with some valuable end-time advice today, it would be to continue in the truth you know — found in God’s holy, infallible, incorruptible Word.

You can rest assured that the Word of God is, has been, and always will be unchanging, and it will produce fruit in you if you will abide in it. God’s Word will perfectly equip you to stand strong, unfaltering, and unwavering in the days that lie ahead. Your part is simply to abide in His truth and continue in that which you have learned from Him.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for this reminder of the dire need to guard my heart and spirit against the whims of the times that have adversely affected the Church. I don’t feel fear because of this teaching; I feel prepared by it. I am thankful to You for loving me so much that You put such clear, sound warnings in Scripture to protect us in these last days. Help me be open to what You are doing and closed to what leads away from the pure teaching of doctrinal truth.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I exercise discernment when it comes to my consumption of spiritual teaching. I know that what I put into my eyes and ears affects what I believe and what I receive — so I put a filter upon my eyes and ears to make sure only truth finds access to my mind and heart. Lord, I am thankful that You have chosen me to live in these last days, and I count it an honor that You trusted me with this privilege. While so many people struggle to know what is right or wrong — doctrinally or morally — I declare that Your Word is burning and alive in my heart and will keep me walking in the light, enabling me to bring answers to people in a way that will offer them spiritual help and relief.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever expressed your thankfulness to your pastor for providing solid Bible teaching in your church every week? He works very hard to provide a full spiritual meal, and it would be such a blessing for you to personally thank He would appreciate it.
2. If you attend a church where the Bible is not taught much anymore, why are you attending that church? Don’t you agree that you need to be where you can hear the clear, sound teaching of the Word of God?
3. Can you explain the basic tenets of the Christian faith? Could you pass a doctrine test? If yes, amen. If no, what should you do to change that?

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers….
— 2 Corinthians 11:13

Today is the last Sparkling Gem on the subject of apostleship. I have sensed the need to cover this material because this topic is so rarely addressed. I pray that it has been a blessing to you and that it has caused you to deeply think about spiritual leadership — the need for it and the need to be careful about whom you choose to follow spiritually.

In Second Corinthians 11:13 and 14, Paul described the growing problem of false apostles. He said, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

The phrase “false apostles” comes from the Greek word pseudapostolos, a compound of pseudes and apostolos. The word pseudes carries the idea of any type of falsehood. It can picture a person who projects a false image of himself, someone who deliberately walks in a pretense that is untrue, or someone who intentionally misrepresents facts or truths. In every instance where this word is used in the New Testament, it portrays someone who misrepresents who he is by what he does, by what he says, or by the lie or misrepresentation that he purports to be true. The second part of the word is apostolos — which, of course, is the word for an apostle. Therefore, the word pseudapostolos actually describes a pretend apostle or someone who intentionally represents himself to be an apostle even though he knows he is not.

Paul called these false apostles “deceitful workers.” The word “deceitful” comes from the Greek word dolios, which is derived from a root word used to describe bait that is put on a hook to catch fish. It conveys the idea of craftiness, cheating, cunning, dishonesty, fraud, guile, and trickery intended to entrap someone in an act of deception. Like a fisherman who carefully camouflages a hook with bait, these counterfeit apostles lured sincere believers closer and closer until those believers finally “took the bait.” And once the hook was in their victims’ mouths, the false apostles “pulled the hook” and took congregations, even entire groups of churches, captive.

Paul said these individuals were deceitful “workers.” This word “workers” is taken from the Greek word ergates, a word that denotes someone who actively works at what he is doing. This indicates that nothing was accidental about this act of deception and that these false apostles put forth great effort to impersonate real apostolic ministry.

Paul said these deceitful workers were so skilled at the art of deception that they were able to “transform” themselves into the apostles of Christ. The word translated “transform” in this verse is the Greek word metaschimatidzo, which means to disguise oneself, to deliberately change one’s outward appearance, or to masquerade in clothing that depicts a person as different than he really is. Paul was referring to individuals who intentionally attempted to pass themselves off as apostles, knowing full well that they were not. He was describing a blatant act of deception.

At that time, such a large number of people were professing to be apostles that the Ephesian church developed certain criteria — a paradigm or model — to determine who was and who was not an authentic New Testament apostle. The problem was serious in the Ephesian church, and that church was serious about correcting it. This prompted Jesus to tell the Ephesian believers, “…thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars” (Revelation 2:2).

The word “tried” points to a thorough and serious investigation. It means to try, to examine, to inspect, to investigate, to scrutinize, or to put to the test. The leadership of the church wanted to guard the reputation of the true apostolic gift and protect the members of their congregation from pretenders who sought to lead them astray. This leadership was so serious about it that they developed a “test” to prove whether or not a person really had an apostolic calling. This should show how powerful the apostolic call is — for if the church at Ephesus was testing people to see if their call was real, it meant they felt a need to protect those who had a bona fide apostolic calling.

This last Sparkling Gem in this series is not intended to promote suspicion of leadership in the Church, but rather to encourage discernment. The apostolic call is so important to building up the local church that those who imitate this call for the sake of personal gain should not be tolerated in a congregation. And if a person has an authentic call, a test or a little scrutiny won’t hurt or diminish it. In fact, it will only prove that the call is genuine and authentic, which will then open the way for you to open your heart and receive the rich benefits of the apostolic anointing whenever it is present in your midst!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, help me trust those who are over me in the Lord to know how to test and try those who come to minister to our congregation. I trust my pastor and the leadership of our church. Nevertheless, I pray for You to guide them and to give them wisdom as they open the doors of our church to ministers who are new to us. I ask You, Lord, to heighten their spiritual discernment so that they can clearly distinguish when everything that glitters is not gold, and everything that looks spiritual is not necessarily of God. Help our overseers to have the wisdom of God in whom they invite to minister to our congregation.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that my pastor and the leadership team of our church are spiritually sensitive about those whom they invite to minister to our congregation. They are diligent to pray and seek the Lord; therefore, I can rest at peace that whomever may be invited to stand in our pulpit is anointed to impart something from Heaven that will strengthen and establish us to do the will of God from the heart. I am so thankful that this responsibility is not mine, but I pray for them. I declare that those who are called and equipped to exercise stewardship and give an account for my soul in the Lord walk in the wisdom and spiritual fortitude they need to make right choices for our congregation, so when they stand before You they can hear You say, “Well done!”

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Do you trust your pastor and spiritual leaders to make right choices concerning those whom they invite to minister in the pulpit of your church? If not, why don’t you trust them, and why are you attending that church if you don’t trust their spiritual oversight?
2. Do you take responsibility for what you spiritually receive into your own heart, or do you just naïvely receive whatever is dished out for you to consume spiritually?
3. Pastors do have a great responsibility to make sure a special speaker is spiritually right with God. Are your pastors careful about those whom they invite to minister in your church? If you are a pastor, are you doing what is necessary to be watchful over your flock in this way?

And He Himself gave some to be apostles….
— Ephesians 4:11 NKJV

The very nature of apostolic ministry lends itself to being relational, geographical, and territorial. Let me tell you what I mean — and then you can think about it !

The apostolic call is based on relationships. For instance, although Paul was universally respected in the Early Church as an apostle, he was not an apostle to every First Century church. He was an apostle only to those with whom he had an apostolic relationship.

Churches in other cities and regions acknowledged Paul’s apostleship, but he was not their apostle. Other believers respected Paul as an excellent minister, a beloved brother in the Lord, and an able leader. But he only had apostolic responsibility for the churches he had helped start and those for whom he served as mentor, teacher, and father in the faith.

Thus, Paul’s apostleship was limited to those for whom he bore direct spiritual responsibility and with whom he had a unique relationship. This would have included the churches of Ephesus, Colossae, Corinth, Galatia, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Philippi, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira, and others. Paul’s relationship with these churches is the reason we have the books of First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Paul wrote these letters because he was directly responsible for the spiritual well-being of these believers and because he had a unique apostolic relationship either with them or with their local leadership.

One example of Paul’s apostolic relationship with local leadership was the church in Colossae. Although there is no evidence that Paul personally founded the Colossian church, we know that he sent Epaphras as his personal emissary to fulfill that assignment. Under Paul’s orders and spiritual covering, Epaphras traveled to Colossae and started the church. Once the Colossian church was established, the congregation received Paul as the apostle to that church based on his relationship to Epaphras.

Paul was very aware that he wasn’t an apostle to everyone. That’s why he wrote, “Not boasting of things without our measure [or out of our territory]…not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand [for example, not to take credit for another person’s apostolic work]” (2 Corinthians 10:15,16). Paul was careful not to cross over into another man’s territory if it might produce confusion about who was supposed to give direction to certain churches or to whom those churches were accountable (see 2 Corinthians 10:13,14). This tells us that Paul not only possessed authority, but he also respected the authority and territory of others.

This also explains why Paul told the Corinthians, “If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you…” (1 Corinthians 9:2). The word “doubtless” is actually the Greek word gar, and it means indeed. It is an affirmation of his apostolic relationship to them. A better translation would be “indeed I am to you!” Paul knew that his apostleship was limited, geographical, and relational, so he concentrated on those with whom he knew he had this special, “indeed” God-given relationship.

Paul frequently had to defend his apostleship because of these deceitful workers who swarmed in, trying to exert authority over entire regions of churches that he and other apostles had established and to which they had imparted their lives. Apostleship was power, so those with impure motives sought to invade Paul’s territory and claim his fruit, seeing it as an effective way to exploit someone else’s work for themselves.

Those who coveted the apostolic position used every imaginable method to attract, tempt, lure, entice, and seduce the churches under the realm of authority of genuine apostles. In Paul’s case, the imposters couldn’t find a legitimate reason to accuse the apostle, so they used slanderous and even stupid accusations as they tried to persuade the churches to reject Paul and submit to their authority instead. For example, these false apostles:

• Accused Paul of being unimpressive in appearance and a poor public speaker (see 2 Corinthians 10:10; 11:6).
• Accused him of financially taking advantage of the churches (see 1 Corinthians 9:14,15).
• Endeavored to lure the churches back into the noose of legalism by accusing Paul of being loose in his doctrine of grace (see Galatians 1:6,7).
• Asserted that Paul’s revelations weren’t as deep as theirs, prompting Paul to remind his readers that he was the one who actually had a direct revelation of Jesus Himself (see 1 Corinthians 9:1).

These usurpers of apostolic authority were after Paul’s territory — and in order to get what they were after, they set out to discredit Paul. This is why Paul frequently started his letters by saying, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1).

Wherever Paul’s apostleship was being threatened by false apostles, he rose up like a spiritual father to defend his position. His children in the Lord were in jeopardy, and his relationship with them was at stake. Paul’s deep sense of responsibility and his love for the flock wouldn’t allow him to remain silent. Rather, it drove him to speak up and wage war, if needed, against the imposters who were trying to invade his geographic realm of influence. Paul was determined not to allow those deceivers to destroy his credibility so they could steal and ravage the sheep under his care.

It is sad to say, but there are people who misuse the ministry for their own personal gain of some type. Whether it’s for prestige or monetary reasons, it is innately wrong. When this kind of deceit occurred in Paul’s day, this Early Church apostle rose up to defend the churches, as well as his apostleship. Paul’s one desire was to protect the flock that God had placed under his charge against wolves that only sought to devour the sheep to gratify their self-absorbed lust for control.

In this, Paul revealed the power of the apostolic relationship that provides the foundational mortar for the “house” God has called an apostle to build. Whatever the assignment that particular apostle has been sent to fulfill, it will be defined by some form of divine boundaries, whether they are regional, geographical, or spiritual in nature. And within that marked-out territory assigned by the Lord, the true apostle will stand guard over the relationships he is called to steward within those boundaries. His heart’s fervent desire will be to protect, teach, and strengthen the people — ensuring that they become firmly established in God’s Word, not swayed by external forces or opposition — so they in turn can take their place and do their part in fulfilling the apostolic assignment.

Perhaps now you can see more clearly what was in God’s heart in giving the apostolic ministry gift to the Body of Christ. Certainly it is not more important than the other four ministry gifts, but it is crucial in its unique purpose and function. As we recognize and esteem this gift operating throughout the earth in this hour, we actually help the Body of Christ — and ourselves personally — receive the full benefits of the apostolic ministry, thus becoming more and more equipped to do all the Church is called to do before the return of our soon-coming King!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to help me use my head and not just react according to my emotions, when it comes to who is leading me spiritually. You have given me a mind that You expect me to use, and I pray for the wisdom to think carefully and clearly about those to whom I give the right to lead me spiritually. I thank You for my pastor and for my church. Nonetheless, I know that I must keep my eyes open and my heart in tune with Your Spirit about anyone to whom I yield oversight in my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I have a good head on my shoulders! My heart is open to the Spirit of God, and my mind thinks soundly and clearly. I rely on God’s wisdom and counsel, and He causes my thoughts to be in agreement with His will. I have a strong foundation of God’s Word in my heart and mind; therefore, I am not easily misled because that Word illuminates my understanding. When something is wrong, an alert goes off inside me that warns me to be careful. I am not suspicious or quick to accuse, but I am sensitive to what is happening spiritually. I thank God that the Holy Spirit produces in me the mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ helps me to think soundly and accurately.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. I have been misled before because I was innocent and naïve, but those experiences have made me wiser and smarter. I am thankful for every experience I’ve had in my spiritual journey. What are some of the experiences you’ve had that have made you a little wiser?
2. What advice would you give someone who was just starting his walk with the Lord and is very pure in his thinking about everything and everyone? Without poisoning him with bad stories, what helpful advice would you give him about whom to follow as a spiritual leader and how to guard himself against deception?
3. As you’ve recalled the difficult experiences that became your occasion to gain wisdom, sift through your heart to determine if you detect a root of bitterness toward anyone who was a part of that experience. Release all who hurt you and let them go from the offense you’ve attached to them. You will be amazed by the way that act of obedience and love will propel you forward in the plan of God for your life.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles….
— Ephesians 4:11 NKJV

Why would anyone claim to be an apostle who was not? In the Early Church, it seems there were many individuals who deliberately claimed to be apostles because they understood the weight and influence that accompanied this title. If a person was an apostle — the Greek word apostolos — they knew that this position held enormous authority and that those who carried this title could obtain leverage in the Church. Therefore, they coveted this title and intentionally claimed it as a way to gain control and exert power over God’s people.

What an apostle said carried great weight within a church or even within an entire group of churches. Whoever could lay claim to the apostolic title would be able to influence what happened in the lives of many people. For a genuine apostle, this was a serious responsibility that he exercised with holiness, fear, and prudence. But for a person with impure motives, this position of authority represented an opportunity to obtain power for the sake of selfish gain.

Many imposters therefore moved in on the scene like predators in Paul’s day — waiting for the opportunity to seize a fledgling church through deception and then claim it for themselves.

In fact, false apostles frequently followed Paul from city to city, lying in wait until he left town. Then they would begin implementing their heinous plan of ruining Paul’s reputation and claiming the territory for themselves. This is what Paul referred to when he wrote that there was assigned to him “…a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me…” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

The word “thorn” is the Greek word skolops. It could refer to either a thorn or a splinter that gets under the skin and causes a constant irritant. Paul specifically identified these “thorns” or “splinters” as “the messenger of Satan.” These were individuals who were such a constant hassle to Paul that he called them Satan’s messengers.

Paul endured many afflictions during his ministry, and many of them were a result of these false ministers who fiercely opposed him and constantly tried to displace his position of authority over the flock of God in the local churches. They wanted Paul out of the picture so they could usurp his place of prominence. Therefore, they attempted to discredit the apostle, hoping to shift the spotlight to themselves by boasting that their revelations were superior. Paul alluded to these sheep-stealers in Second Corinthians 11:5 (NIV) when he sarcastically referred to them as “super-apostles” and scoffed at their claims of hyper-spirituality.

This is precisely the same reason people with false motives claim apostleship today. It is all about control. These self-inspired claims are evil and are usually monetarily motivated. The apostle Paul had no tolerance for those who claimed to be apostles but were not. They were constantly battling Paul for his relationship with a church or group of churches.

Pretentious self-promotion is a key disqualifier for the kind of leadership God blesses. In fact, the Lord Himself will resist the proud and self-seeking while giving grace, favor, and peace to those who humble themselves beneath His hand. Let’s do all we can to make sure our motives are in line with the characteristics that qualify the authentic and not disqualify the counterfeit ministers who never passed their tests in God’s classroom of integrity.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for the common sense shared in these Sparkling Gems to keep me safe from influence of imposters and spiritual predators. Thank You for helping me to be wise and to keep my eyes wide open about who I receive as a spiritual authority in my life. I realize that I must be accountable to someone in my life, but I ask You to give me discernment about who that person should be!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that my natural and spiritual eyes are wide open, along with my natural and spiritual ears. I am sensitive to the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit and I do not fall victim to unscrupulous people who flatter others for personal gain. I pay close attention to what I hear and see. If anyone has ulterior motives for wanting spiritual authority in my life, the Spirit of Truth illuminates my understanding so I can see and recognize it. The Spirit of God within my spirit will bear witness to alert me so I will know when I have come across the real deal!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever seen a so-called spiritual leader take advantage of others? Were you hurt by that leader’s actions? Have you forgiven him or her? Have you truly moved on and let it go?
2. I want to tell you that there are more real ministers of the Gospel than counterfeits. It would be a good exercise for you to name all the real ministers of the Gospel that have been a blessing to you over the course of your life. You’ll discover that they far outweigh those who have a negative influence.
3. If someone in the ministry financially took advantage of you, did your spirit alert you to it in advance, but you ignored it? In most cases, our inner man knows when something is amiss, but we have to listen in order to be protected. If you consider your own situation, did you feel an inner alert telling you to be careful?

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you….
— 2 Corinthians 12:12

Today we’ll look further at the indicators the apostle Paul listed that point to a true apostolic call on a person’s life. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to inform the Church of these clues to a true apostolic ministry so that we as believers would know how to discern and receive from this crucial ministry gift. Paul wrote, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12).

The next criterion after “patience” that Paul mentioned is “signs.” He wrote this verse to the Corinthians, yet there is no clear record in the book of Acts of his working signs and wonders in Corinth (see Acts 18). However, because of this statement, we may assume that miraculous signs were wrought through Paul in Corinth similar to the signs God performed through him in other cities — such as:

• Restoring strength to the limbs of the lame (see Acts 14:8-10).
• Casting out demons (see Acts 16:16-18).
• Transferring God’s healing power through aprons or napkins taken from Paul’s body to the bedridden who couldn’t attend his meetings because of their physical conditions (see Acts 19:11,12).
• Raising the dead (see Acts 20:9-12).
• Healing the sick (see Acts 28:8,9).

People mistakenly get the impression that Paul’s ministry was continually visited with miracles of this nature. But if one carefully and honestly examines the book of Acts to determine the regularity in which these types of supernatural signs occurred, you will find that these events did not occur nonstop in Paul’s ministry, but rather at pivotal and crucial moments when miracles were needed to open the door for the Gospel even wider. These were supernatural signs intended to grab the attention of listeners and to serve as proof that the Gospel message they were hearing was true.

In addition to these miraculous signs, Paul also listed “wonders” and “mighty deeds” as indicators that a person has an apostolic call on his or her life. The word “wonders” is the Greek word teras. The word teras was used in classical Greek times to depict the fright, terror, shock, surprise, or astonishment felt by bystanders who observed events that were contrary to the normal course of nature. Such occurrences were viewed as miracles, and people believed they could only take place through the intervention of divine power. These miraculous events were so shocking that they left people speechless, shocked, astonished, bewildered, baffled, taken aback, stunned, and awestruck — and therefore in a state of wonder.

This is the reason the word teras is most often translated as the word “wonders” in the New Testament. It describes occurrences so out of the ordinary that people are left in a state of perplexity, amazement, and wonder as a result.

But Paul didn’t stop with the word “wonders.” He went on to say, “And mighty deeds.” The word “and” is the Greek word kai, which could — and probably should — be translated even, causing the phrase “mighty deeds” to actually amplify the word “wonders.” Thus, the phrase could be translated “wonders, even mighty deeds.” In other words, Paul was saying that these “wonders” were so amazing, they were truly “mighty deeds.”

The phrase “mighty deeds” is a translation of the word dunamis, the Greek word for power. It is from this word that we derive the English word “dynamite,” which is a very appropriate usage of this Greek word. Indeed, dunamis power carries the idea of explosive, superhuman power that comes with enormous energy and produces phenomenal, extraordinary, and unparalleled results. The word dunamis depicts “mighty deeds” that are impressive, incomparable, and beyond human ability to perform. In fact, this very word is used in First Corinthians 12:10 when the apostle Paul lists “the working of miracles” as one of the gifts of the Spirit. Thus, the word dunamis, as Paul now uses it in Second Corinthians 12:12, denotes miraculous power or miraculous manifestations.

Keep in mind that the word “wonders” refers to people being shocked or stunned by events that don’t occur in nature or by experiences that are out of the flow of normal life. Because Paul connected it to the phrase “mighty deeds” — the Greek word dunamis, referring to superhuman or miraculous powers — we know that he was referring to instances when the laws of nature are overruled or suspended by the supernatural power of God. In some way, God Himself intervenes in the laws of nature and does something that could never occur in the natural realm.

There were many instances of “mighty deeds” in Paul’s ministry pertaining to miraculous healings that could never have occurred naturally or with the assistance of medicine. Whenever God’s power intervenes to reverse a physical condition that medical science defines as incurable, this can technically be defined as a miracle.

But in addition to the supernatural power that flowed from Paul to others to work healing miracles, there were also some truly amazing instances when God’s power intervened on Paul’s behalf. We find an example of this in Acts 16, when Paul was miraculously released from his jail cell in Philippi after a remarkable earthquake shook the prison and set him free.

Acts 16:24 tells us of a time when Paul and Silas were in an “inner prison” and their feet were “fast in stocks.” As the two apostles began to pray and sing songs of praise to God in the middle of the night, “…suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (v. 26).

Consider how strange this occurrence was that night. This earthquake shook the prison, opened all the doors, and caused the chains to fall off the prisoners. Yet it seems that not one brick fell, for there is no record of any damage to the actual building. In fact, this appears to have been such a regional earthquake that it affected only one building in the entire city. Only the prison where Paul and Silas were confined apparently felt the impact of this particular earthquake!

When people heard about this landmark event, the news left them in a state of wonder. In other words, they were left speechless, shocked, astonished, bewildered, baffled, taken aback, stunned, and awestruck. Certainly this earthquake would qualify as a “mighty deed” — a miraculous event — that occurred in the life of the apostle Paul.

Another example of a mighty deed occurring in Paul’s life can be found in Acts 28:3, when Paul was shipwrecked and marooned on the island of Melita. On that rainy day as Paul was gathering sticks to build a fire, “…there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.” When the barbarians saw the deadly, venomous viper hanging from the apostle’s hand, they expected Paul to swell up and suddenly fall down dead (see v. 6). But instead, verse 5 tells us that Paul “…shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.”

The deadly poison of that snake should have killed Paul. But as the powerful venom surged through the apostle’s circulatory system, God’s power intervened, overruling and nullifying the venom so that it had no adverse effect on Paul whatsoever! On the other hand, this “wonder” had a huge impact on those who were standing nearby, watching in amazement. Instead of seeing Paul fall dead, these people saw “…no harm come to him…” (v. 6). They were so shocked by this miraculous event that a major revival erupted, through which many people from every quarter of the island came to Christ. This would therefore definitely qualify as a “mighty deed” occurring in the life of the apostle Paul.

Writing about his many experiences in ministry in Second Corinthians 11, Paul tells of being shipwrecked three times, severely beaten on five different occasions, traveling on dangerous roads and across treacherous rivers, and so forth. If it hadn’t been for God’s power sustaining Paul and intervening on his behalf, many of these experiences would have ended in the apostle’s death.

We must note the time Paul was stoned in Lystra and left for dead. Religious Jews were professionals at stoning people to death. Therefore, it’s very significant that Acts 14:19 tells us that certain Jews, “…having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.”

After pummeling Paul’s body with stones, these Jews dragged him out of the city and left him to be eaten by animals. But Acts 14:20 goes on to tell us, “…As the disciples stood round about him, he rose up….” This was a mighty deed — a special working of God’s miraculous power that seems to have actually raised Paul from death itself.

Those who have an apostolic call on their lives serve God on the front lines of His Kingdom, facing challenges and difficulties beyond what others might encounter. These individuals must forge their way and make significant inroads into the enemy’s territory. Therefore, miracles — those undeniable moments when God’s power intervenes in the natural course of events — are required and will always be evident in the lives of those whom God has called to be apostles.

God imparts supernatural strength for the apostolic pioneer to endure the fight of faith required to fulfill his assignment. And throughout the assignment, whenever needed, God shows up to perform signs, wonders, and mighty deeds — not only following the anointed preaching of His Word, but also on behalf of His obedient “sent one” in order to ensure that the divine assignment is completed. As a result, people’s lives are transformed to the glory of Jesus Christ and the building of His Church!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, I praise and magnify You, for You alone are the God of miracles. Your mighty wonders cannot be contained or explained by any natural power or force of nature. Lord Jesus, You said supernatural signs would follow the preaching of Your Word. I pray that ministers and believers everywhere who proclaim Your Word will also walk in mighty demonstrations of Your awesome power to authorize them as they enforce Your will. Lord Jesus, as we approach the day of Your returning, I expect an increase in signs, wonders, and miracles — not only through Your people, but also on behalf of Your people to protect them and to prevent their assignments from being cut short as they live in consecrated service to Your divine will.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; therefore, I know that He continues to confirm His Word with signs following just as He said He would. The supernatural power of my Almighty God is still on display today through miracles, signs and wonders that manifest outside the realm of ordinary events — and they do so both through me and on my behalf to the glory of God the Father!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What other signs and mighty deeds can you think of that marked the apostle Paul’s life and apostolic ministry? Why not take a few minutes and make a list of what comes to your mind?
2. We find examples of God protecting and delivering His people through miracles, signs, and wonders in both the Old and New T Can you recall a time when God intervened in your own life through a demonstration of His power and love that could not be explained as merely a natural event?
3. You may not be an apostle, pioneering for the sake of the Gospel. But in Mark 16:17 and 18, Jesus described specific signs that would follow those who believe. Take a moment to read these words of Jesus and then ask yourself if these signs have ever followed you.