The Sword of the LORD

“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. ” (1 Corinthians 14:12).   “ Let all things be done unto edifying .” (1 Corinthians 14:26).   In assembling together, the main goal of the Body of Christ is that all members may receive strength, encouragement, hope, healing, forgiveness, knowledge, and all other things that will build them up spiritually and equip them to fight the good fight of faith.  Whether it is 2 or 3 people meeting together, or several thousand, it is a time for the Holy Spirit, Who is the Life-force of the Body, to flow in and through the various members, anointing first this one, and then that one with something life-giving, so that all may be edified.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.” (Romans 15:2).   Can you imagine what would be possible, and what God could accomplish, in a group where every s...

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder : and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).    The Body of Christ is not a physical organization any more than the Kingdom of God is a physical kingdom.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ” (Luke 17:20, 21).  You cannot point to anything in this world and say, “This is the Kingdom of God.”  It is invisible to the eyes of man, but very real in the hearts of believers.  The Jews of Jesus’ day thought that their earthly nation was the Kingdom of God and that when Messiah was come He would overthrow the oppression and occupation of the Romans forever.  They also thought that the temple in Jerusalem was the ultimate house of God.  They were wrong...

“The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of those that published it.” (Psalm 68:11).   All true spiritual gifts and ministries come from God and God alone.  Though man may develop his natural talents and abilities to the point that they may move the emotions and excite the fleshly senses, they will not be truly anointed if they don’t have as their source the Fountain of Living Waters.  God’s thoughts and His ways are not our thoughts and ways.  There is a vast separation between what we know, understand, and discern; and what God does.  Just as the rain falls from heaven and waters the ground causing every growing thing to sprout, blossom, and ultimately produce fruit, so does God’s Word nourish His people and causes them to grow in Him (Isaiah 55:8-11).  God’s Word is sure: it will never return to Him without accomplishing the thing that it was sent to do.  Our words and thoughts are not so accurate.  That’s why it is essential for eac...

Imagine that you are sitting in a vast auditorium along with many other people.   At the front of the auditorium there is a large stage where a symphony orchestra is going through its warm-up routine.   Each individual is making sure that his/her instrument is ready to sound its very best.   The musicians on stringed instruments are making sure that each string is tuned to pitch, those on reed instruments are moistening their reeds so that each note will sound clean and pure, the musicians on brass are warming up the valves and the slides on their horns – along with their lips – to make sure that everything is working smoothly, and the percussionists are tightening their drum heads and checking the pitch of the kettles.     When the orchestra has finished going through their ritual, the conductor makes his appearance.   Every eye is fixed on him as he steps up to his stand and faces the musicians.   He smiles at them as he looks into each face, and...