Whenever we have a service at The Spoken Word Church, our Pastor, Bill Novak, will ask some of us to give him three points from the teaching that stood out to us. Here are my three points from today's service!
My first point comes from the review of last week's service. Last week we looked at the difference between work and toil. We looked at Genesis 5:29:
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. KJV
"Work here is the Hebrew word "ma`aseh", which means: an action, a thing done, a business pursuit, an undertaking, an enterprise, an achievement. "Toil" is the Hebrew word "`itstsabown". which means: pain, labor, hardship, sorrow, toil, weariness. It doesn't take much meditation to understand which one is God's will and plan and purpose for us! I choose to be where God wants me to be, doing what God wants me to do which is my "work"! When I am in that position, then I won't find myself toiling, AND, God uses my work as a channel to bless me! Here is a list of 7 things that we can do to make sure that we are working and not toiling!
- Begin every day with study, prayer and praise.
- Meditate DAILY on the Word (Joshua 1:8).
- Cast your cares on the Lord CONTINUALLY!
- Be thankful for my job (career, vocation).
- Pray for (but do not covet) raises, benefits, promotions.
- Tithe and give JOYFULLY.
- Stay on your present job, trusting God for any change for the better.
My second point was that we must recognize the difference between sins and weights. Hebrews 12:1:
12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
KJV
We know that sins are transgression or failings. They are selfish decisions we make to think, speak and act in a way that is contrary to God's Word. Weights are GOOD things, blessings, that distract us from running our race with passion and energy! So, let's turn away from sin, let loose of the weights and run our race to WIN IT! AMEN!
My third point was from the teaching in Mark 5 about the account of Jesus casting the demons from the Gadarene man. Mark 5:6-7:
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. KJV
The real man inside desired to be set free because he ran to worship Jesus! The demons did NOT want to leave! They KNEW they had to obey Jesus, so they requested to be sent into the pigs. There must have been a lot of them because the whole herd ran over the cliff! I would have thought that every person witnessing the deliverance of this severely oppressed man would have been delighted for him, but many were more concerned with their economic status. After the teaching in Mark 4 about the Word of God as seed that MUST have good soil to grow, we see that these people were NOT good soil for the Word! What did Jesus, the Sower here, do then? He went on over to the other side of the Lake where the people were hungry and open to receive the Word! We must use this example to continue in our own personal ministry! Don't stress when people do not receive you and your message. Instead, move on to those who will receive! AMEN!
I LOVE my church! I hope that every one of you have a good local church to attend where they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, hear the Word of God taught boldly, confidently, uncompromisingly, precisely and accurately, and where they are a blessing to each other! If you need assistance finding one, let us help you! Here is Hillsong with an encouraging older song called "Church On Fire":
Shalom in Him!
