Sunday, April 21, 2013

#21 Knowing Your Calling


By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

He will not desert His people, for He will not revoke that call.

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).


This calling is high, or upward, in Christ. It is made in heaven by God on account of Christ for the Groom’s benefit and calling man to heaven.

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 3:14).


Similarly, it is a heavenly calling, also a holy calling--holy in aim, means, and end.

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Heb. 3:1).


“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim. 1:9). 


Covenant Prayer

Dear Abba Father, I lift Your holy name up in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. I praise You that Satan is a defeated enemy. I take great joy in the fact that Jesus accomplished Satan’s defeat by giving up His life on the Cross. I appropriate Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in my daily living. I look forward to the day that Satan is bound to the bottomless pit for eternity. I rejoice that You, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, give me perfect unity and calling over the enemy today. 


I choose to enter into my calling and claim my place as being more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me. I refuse to admit to ongoing defeat by Satan in any area of my life. He cannot and will not rule over me, or my family, or any of my loved ones. I affirm that Your grace and mercy rule all areas of my life through my union and calling in Christ. Please give me the strength and grace to affirm Your Truths in times of temptation. I bless and thank You for these daily battles and that You seek to accomplish Your divine will in my life. I accept the battlefield you have placed me in today and rejoice in Your divine purpose of it. I reject all of the satanic purposes the enemy has hidden behind his attacks. Through the calling of my Warrior and Savior, I stand resolute and strong upon the certainty of my calling. In confidence, I commit to come before Your throne boldly each day. All this I do in the name and authority of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Calling: The term “calling” is a naming, or inviting; a reading over or a reciting in order; or a call of names with a view to obtain an answer, as in legislative bodies. It can be a vocation; profession; trade; usual occupation, or employment. It certainly is a class of persons engaged in any profession or spiritual mission. It is a divine summons, vocation, or invitation to live out one’s reason for existence. A calling gives all diligence to make one’s election sure.


The original word for “calling” kôl´ing (κλῆσις, klésis, from kaléō, “I call”) is a New Testament expression. The word is used chiefly by Paul, though the idea and term are also found elsewhere. It has a definite, technical sense; the invitation given to men by God to accept Salvation in His kingdom through Jesus Christ. This invitation is given outwardly by the preaching of the Gospel and inwardly by the work of the Holy Spirit.


ISRAEL’S CALLING


With reference to Israel, having in His eternal counsel called this people, He entrusted them with great gifts, and because He did, He empowered them. He also, in the course of time, summoned them to fulfill the task of directing the world into the way of Salvation, and of preparing Salvation for the world. 


Christianity is a calling, a holy calling; it is the calling wherewith we are called by the Faithful Father. We are to labor in this calling to which we have been called. Wherever the call of the Gospel is, be assured it is an effectual call. It is found to be a holy call, making those holy who are effectually called by the Father. 

Condition in Your Calling:

There is a somewhat peculiar use of the word in 1 Corinthians 1:26 and 7:20. Namely, that condition in which men were when God called them: not many of them wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, some circumcised, some uncircumcised, some bond (slaves), some free, some male, some female, some married, some unmarried. 


”For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God” (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

Consider what God has done for you, and to what state and condition He has called you.


I earnestly request that you would approve yourselves faithful Bridal Members and live up to your profession and calling; that you walk worthy, agreeably, suitably, and courageous in the circumstances into which the grace of God has brought you, whom the Faithful Father has set before you. You ought to be a shelter for the Gospel by which you are called, and to the glory to which you are called; both are your vocation. You are called the Bride of Christ; you must answer by that identity, and live like children of the Father. You are called to God's kingdom and glory; that kingdom and glory therefore, you must live, and walk as heirs of the King of kings and Lord of lords. 


IN SUMMARY 

We are called with a high and holy calling. We are called to God's kingdom and glory. No less than the inheritance as Bridal members is the hope of our calling, nothing less than the enjoyment of that glory and contentment which shall be revealed when our Groom, Christ Jesus, shall be revealed from heaven. 

Now, if this is our calling, our great concern should be to be worthy of it, or be trained and prepared for this glory. Because we have no worthiness of our own, but through the grace of the Faithful Father, He has made us worthy by the Worthiness of His Son, and now we can count ourselves worthy of our calling!

Knowing Your Calling. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact. 


All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

#20 Four Keys to Unlocking Our Victory

By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

The Lord gives us four keys to unlocking the victory that belongs to us in Christ Jesus:
  1. the believer’s union with Christ
  2. the person of the Holy Spirit living within our mortal bodies
  3. the whole armor of God 
  4. the power of prayer that accomplishes the work to be done
Key #1: We are designed and called to be strong in the Lord (Eph. 6:10a). Our strength and the assurance of our victory are based upon the believer being in the Lord. Attempting to be strong in our own resources will cause us to end up temporarily defeated. Because of our union with Christ, we have pre-established victory through the power of Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross so many years ago. God made a commitment and promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). He also said that the battle which must be fought needs to be fought through the might of the Lord (Eph. 6:10). 

Many men lack courage; just because they are manly doesn’t mean they are courageous. A warrior’s strength must rest upon what truly makes him invincible – his perfect unity with the Warrior Himself. Because Christian men are in Christ, they are new warrior creatures; the old warrior / old nature has passed away and behold, a new Warrior (Christ Jesus) has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Our warfare is not with flesh and blood, but powers of darkness and principalities of the air (Eph. 6:12). As one might guess, only those who live in that realm can fight this war. Our part is walking in our union with Christ; His part is doing the warfare for us. 

Key #2: The Person of the Holy Spirit living within our mortal bodies is essential to understanding how Christ does the warfare through us. Once we receive Christ, Acts 1:8 tells us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” We have power and life because He gave us this power and life through Christ. All of our actions for daily living are to be lived out through the empowerment of the Life of Christ, who is represented in us through the Holy Spirit. 

Key #3: He has given us the whole armor of God, which becomes our protection and weapons of warfare. The commandment of God is to “put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). This is a call to action on our part. That is why much of this study has been focused on the practical elements of putting on our armor. 

Key #4: The power of prayer that accomplishes the work is what ties the “package” together. We need to be praying with petitions in the Spirit. With this in mind, we also need to be on guard and alert with all perseverance and petition for all the fellow Christian brothers (Eph. 6:18). 

We also should be asking God to give us words to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel. We are ambassadors proclaiming doctrines of God that are extremely offensive to the world (Eph. 6:18-20). God not only has given us the privilege to pray, but the power to pray. When we boldly (with all confidence) draw near the throne of grace, we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Satan hates prayer because he knows it is through prayer that our armor is fully appropriated. 

As you move forward in this study, keep in mind the four keys to success. Use them with the wisdom and insight of the Lord and He will open the doors to freedom in ways you never thought were possible. 
  • The Father’s Word is Sufficient to Lead You: Psalm 19:7
  • The Father Will Enable You to Do Everything He Commands of You: 1 Thess. 5:24
  • You are Responsible for Your Actions: Ezekiel 18:19-22 
  • You Will Reap What You Sow: Galatians 6:7-8
  • Pathway to Peace and Joy is to Let Go of Control: 1 Peter 5:6-7
  • Submit to Other Bridal Members: Ephesians 5:21

The Groom’s Bride is Protected by Authority

When Bridal Members resist authority, they become vulnerable to the ways of the enemy (Satan) and to sin itself. When we are willing to take our place under the Father’s ordained authority, we are granted the Father’s protective covering. In doing this, it releases Him to work in the lives of those in authority over us. In addition, it shows the world the Father’s order here on earth. By submitting to man, we show the Father’s right to rule over the universe. Then, Satan is actively defeated in his attempts to dethrone the Father, which seems to be a nasty habit of his. 


The Father’s Fulfillment:
  • True fulfillment and joy, as Bridal Members, are found through discovering why God made you and then fully embracing the part of your wifely duties.
  • Just as God designed an earthly woman to be a helpmate to her husband, you are designed and called to be a helpmate to Jesus Christ, your Husband.
  • Marriage and motherhood is the “norm” the Father expects out of you!
  • Just as the woman is expected to be “a worker at home,” so the Bridal members of Christ are expected to be workers within Christ’s home (the temple/church).
  • Just as women are expected to train other women to be lovers of their husbands and children; so are Bridal members to train other, or new, Bridal members to love Christ and new believers (children of the Father). 
 The Father’s True Interests:

The Father is more interested in changing you for the purpose of His Son, than He is in solving your temporal problems to make you happy. God the Father does not exist to solve your difficult circumstances, He exists because He is! You exist because He wants a Bride for His Son. He purifies you for His own interest. It is critical that we match His glory (redemption) in order for His Son to have a glorious Bride in the end! The Father cares for you because of His Love for His Son.

IN SUMMARY


“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

The Father’s eternal purpose is far more important than Him fulfilling our vision of life. Once you and I agree and accept why we are here, as selected Bridal Members, we then can fulfill our wifely duties. Until then – we will call out “help me, help me!”

You may have been an adulterer, a murderer, an alcoholic, a drug addict, abandoned as a child, sexually abused, or been an abuser yourself. However, if you are a Christian, you are no longer what you once were. You are a new Bridal member of the Groom. You are not the same person. You have been cleansed by the blood of the Groom, set apart for His Holiness, and declared righteous in the eyes of the Father!

Four Keys to Unlocking Our Victory Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission