Sunday VT – 03/08/2015

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Speakers:

• Steve Atherton
• Karen Hocker

Scriptures used:

• 1 Corinthians 6:19
• 1 Corinthians 7:22-23
• Matthew 10:16-42
• Ephesians 4:11-13
• Ephesians 6:10-12

Subject:

• You are not your own – you are bought with a price.
• Shew me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths, lead me in thy paths and teach me.  Waiting on the Lord is serving.  When you are bought with a price you are now the property of another, the servant of another.  In America we are a nation with a hostile reaction to being a servant of another.  Everyone wants to be their own man.  That is the broad and wide path.  When you are bought with a price you become the servant of God and walk in His ways rather than your ways.
• When you find that pearl of great price – Jesus, you give it ALL up for Him.  It looks different on different people.  It’s when we find a new life divine, that manifests to people the love, power and righteousness of God.  When we choose to walk this walk, those that are not in Christ Jesus will look at you as being disturbing, because you’re not like them anymore.  The churches will hate you.  Why?  Because they’re not of God.
• It is not a prideful thing, but a humble thing, to flee into another city when you are persecuted.  Go somewhere else where they may hear.  They will tell you you are of the devil.  The truth is they that are calling you of the devil, are of the devil.  The churches think that everyone is going to heaven.   Talking about Jesus in today’s world is not a popular thing.  We fear that people will think ill of us.  Those that fear man more than God are not going to be with Him.
• A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  You cannot prefer your father or mother, son or daughter more than Jesus.  He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  He that is manifesting that new life divine, then when people receive you it is because they receive Him.  If they reject you, then they are rejecting Him.  This seems arrogant to say, but that is what the scripture says!
• The line of authority in the body of Christ is like in the military:  Jesus, the Lord of Hosts; apostles- generals; prophets – colonels; evangelists – majors; pastors – captains; teachers – lieutenants; for three purposes.  Today in the church is there an acknowledgement of the existence of apostles?  Generally, no. The apostles and prophets are qualified to perfect the people in the faith.  The evangelists bring people to the pastor, and his job is to ‘hog tie’ and keep them there.  The teacher is there to build up the body in the proper knowledge of God as taught by the apostles and prophets.  If you are going to learn His ways, and walk in His ways,  the line of authority is critical to you learning how to do that.  Put on the whole armor of God.  That is the lion of Judah.
• We wrestle not against flesh and blood.  The enemy is wrestling against the flesh, not us.  We battle against the spirits that are behind them.  The demonic spirits and fallen angels.  There is nothing that they can do to us.  Satan has no power over those that are in the Lord.  We take on this battle each day.  That battle that we face as Christians is very different than the battle we see go on in the natural realm.  If you are going to become a member of His army, discipleship is how to learn to do likewise yourself, from those who have been through it.