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Weekly Reminder...
The Weekly Reminder is an informative tool to help people who read it consider what the man of God has said. This weekend’s articles are based on what was heard on August 15 & 16, 2009 in the Westbury assembly.written by Br. Samuel Philogene
Last weekend we had what Br. Antoine called “a wakeup call”, a reminder on how God wants us to serve Him. Saturday night Br. Joshua Damus from Connecticut visited us and was helping us on some points that are very important in our walk with the Lord. He was telling us how the man of God needs to have around him men and women able to help the church go on. We need to be burden bearers, willing to help the men of God do this hard task which is to minister unto the people and bring them to God. He quoted a very powerful scripture in Exodus 18:21 where Jethro, Moses’ father in law, counseled him to choose people able to help the work grow; “Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth hating covetousness”. Most of the time it is sad to see that the men of God are always isolated even by those who were supposed to help and love them. Many examples in the Bible can be considered in this case.
In Deuteronomy the first chapter Moses cried out for help, “How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife” (Deuteronomy 1:12-16). Ezekiel, one of the prophets in this case, came to a people giving them a message from God but they rejected both Ezekiel and his message (Ezekiel 33:31-33). Even Elias reached a point when everybody had left him and he saw only him against Jezebel; he thought that he was the only one left but thank the Lord that there will always be people standing for God (Romans 11:2-5). In truth at times the men of God can feel all the heaviness of this responsibility on their shoulders but the worst thing is when they feel like they are the only ones who see the vision; when they don’t feel the church behind them, this a very bad situation to be in. To pastor a church is a big mission; to be on the front line against the Devil is a cruel fight. We can’t afford to let the man of God work by himself but we are called as a people to help him in this work.
The apostle Paul came to a point where he was expressing his isolation in the ministry. Many who used to walk with him stopped doing so, most of the time he was alone. He expressed that clearly in 2 Timothy 4:16-17, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion”. Not only was God with Paul but there was Timothy his son in the faith who stood with him as well. Paul testified for this young man saying, “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state” (Philippians 2:17-22). The man of God has to carry this burden all day; his office can not be closed. This is why God commanded the priests to carry the Ark on their shoulders (1 Chronicles 15:2, 15). Carrying the Ark on their shoulders shows the huge responsibility that a man of God has to carry. So we need in our churches men and women working with a sincere heart and a spiritual zeal standing behind the men of God to help him carry the spiritual Ark which is the church.
In John 10:25 even Jesus, had to face the rebellion of the people who was supposed to embrace His work, to help Him carry the message of salvation. He stated, “I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me”. On Sunday, Br. Antoine stood up on the same line of thought showing us how important it is to have the same spirit with the men of God and help him do the job. He quoted a scripture in 1 Samuel 25:15-17 where the servant of Nabal testified of some of David’s men that were very good unto them and were not hurt by them and how they were with them all night and day. This is the spirit of the church, a group of people around the man of God , incorporating the vision and work with the same spirit, so our blessings will come through the man of God that rules over us. I pray God that He helps me to have that same spirit; willing to help and follow the direction and guide lines given by the man of God. I want to be “a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet to the master’s use” (2 Timothy 2:21). We need to be building blocks in the church, a people with their works and their prayers helping the work to go on.
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written by Br. Samuel Damus
Able men and women are needed in the church for it to survive; saints who are ready to do the will of the Lord no matter what the cost. We are misguided to believing that this commitment only pertains to the leaders of the church but this is not so. A commitment to work is needed and is necessary by everyone in the church for it to function properly. Imagine if the hands decided that it would not listen to the commands of the head, would the body function properly? No. The church functions just like a body. We as members of the body must function as a whole. As we learned last weekend being able to do the work is not the only deciding factor for the job.
When Moses was being overwhelmed with the problems of God’s people, his father-in-law, Jethro suggested that he pick men to help him out. Jethro said, “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens” (Exodus 18:13-21). The main factor here is: …such as fear God. This fear of God is a reverence for God. When you have a fear of God you will do your job according to His will. You will be someone that the man of God can count on to do it and do it right. It is important that you have the same spirit as the man of God that has appointed you. When Moses had called the seventy prophets together the Lord had given them Moses’ spirit (Numbers 11:25-29). Having the same spirit gave them the same desire and readiness to do the work together. Were not David’s men testified as being good men (1 Samuel 25:15-16)? Was this not a direct result of David’s spirit? The man of God also needs saints around him who are like-minded in spirit.
The apostle Paul was a person that sacrificed to see that the work of God go forward. In all of the people that he taught he found that Timothy was one that was able, feared God, was like-minded and could be counted on when called upon. Paul said, “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel” (Philippians 2:19-22). It is no wonder that Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9).
We never start out wanting to do things God’s way. Our mindset are not always the same as the man of God before us (Luke 9:51-56, 2 Samuel 16:5-13); that is why we should always pray for him and that we may share the same spirit for the work of the Lord that he has. We have been commanded when we come together that we do those things which are to edify the church. The Lord has given us sufficient grace that we can pray, sing, worship and testify when given the opportunity. We all are able to do so but we must also delight ourselves in the Lord and commit ourselves to His ways (Psalm 37: 4-5). Let there be able, God fearing men and women in the church that God’s will may be accomplished (Ephesians 4:12-13).
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