Raised Up Anew in the Spirit

Acts 26:16
Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.

These are the words that Jesus spoke to Paul when He struck him down on the trail to Damascus. Being the respecter of no man, these are the same words that Jesus speaks to every man. By the loving kindness, mercy and grace of Our Savior, each one of us have been taken down in the flesh to be raised up anew in the spirit to serve Our Lord. He is just waiting on us to say, “Here I am, send me.”

Saul was an enemy of the early church. He was doing all he could to shut down the early Christians. If God would use such a man for His good purposes, can He not use each of us? Just as the Lord lifted Saul from his blindness to be Paul, a beacon of light to the world, He can also lift us from whatever darkness is holding us down. He can change us into new men and women in Christ, witnesses to the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus.

All we have to do is respond to the One that is calling us to stand up and serve. He will give us our commission. He will equip us for our mission. He will lift us up from whatever may be holding us down. He will make us true ministers and witnesses to His Gospel.

Let us respond to the One that calls us. Let us learn to live under the power of the Cross as we take up the crosses that we have been given to carry. Let us stand up and boldly proclaim the Good News.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking down the old man and raising up a new man in Christ. We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to escape the darkness in our lives and empowered us to be lights on a hill for the world to see. We rejoice in knowing that we will be bondservants to Our Savior for all eternity. Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit prepare us for our work. We pray that the Holy Spirit will show us how to make our lives living testimonies to Your glory. We pray these things in the name of the One who calls us, Jesus Christ.

Ministers and Witnesses to the Gospel

Acts 26:16
Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.

These are the words that Jesus spoke to Paul when He struck him down on the trail to Damascus. Being the respecter of no man, these are the same words that Jesus speaks to every man. By the loving kindness, mercy and grace of Our Savior, each one of us have been taken down in the flesh to be raised up anew in the spirit to serve Our Lord. He is just waiting on us to say, “Here I am, send me.”

Saul was an enemy of the early church. He was doing all he could to shut down the early Christians. If God would use such a man for His good purposes, can He not use each of us? Just as the Lord lifted Saul from his blindness to be Paul, a beacon of light to the world, He can also lift us from whatever darkness is holding us down. He can change us into new men and women in Christ, witnesses to the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus.

All we have to do is respond to the One that is calling us to stand up and serve. He will give us our commission. He will equip us for our mission. He will lift us up from whatever may be holding us down. He will make us true ministers and witnesses to His Gospel.

Let us respond to the One that calls us. Let us learn to live under the power of the Cross as we take up the crosses that we have been given to carry. Let us stand up and boldly proclaim the Good News.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking down the old man and raising up a new man in Christ. We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to escape the darkness in our lives and empowered us to be lights on a hill for the world to see. We rejoice in knowing that we will be bondservants to Our Savior for all eternity. Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit prepare us for our work. We pray that the Holy Spirit will show us how to make our lives living testimonies to Your glory. We pray these things in the name of the One who calls us, Jesus Christ.

Seeking and Receiving Ministerial Gifts

Ephesians 4:13
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Paul teaches that Jesus gave His church these gifts: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. He provided these gifts so that the Body of Christ could be prepared to be His perfect bride. We are all called to learn from the gifted ministers that are placed in our lives. At some level, we are also called to express the gifts given to us so that we may fulfill our responsibilities in the Body of Christ.

God in His sovereign rule placed each of us exactly where He wants us. He did not place us where we are to stand alone. He placed each of us in a place that is linked perfectly with the world around us for the good of the Body of Christ.

Each one of us is called to be both a receptor of light and a beacon of light. It is our individual responsibility to let God work in us by seeking out and receiving the ministerial gifts offered by the Body of Christ. It then becomes our responsibility to let God work through us as we become active vessels of His perfect gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

We must continually ask ourselves, “Am I building myself up in Christ? Am I also building up the Body of Christ? We will be meeting the complete and full standard of Our Savior when we are maturing in Christ as both a student and as a teacher.

Let us be alert to whom God has placed in our lives. Let us seek out those who can build us up for Christ. Let us stand ready to use our gifts to build up those around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing us among family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who, through Your handiwork, will help perfect us in Christ. We thank You for giving us the opportunity to help perfect them by following the urgings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We praise Your name for giving us this magnificent Body of Christ here on earth so that we can learn to measure up to the full and complete standard of Our Savior. May we live our lives for Your glory and for the good of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our King and Our Master, Jesus Christ.

Raised Up Anew to Serve the Lord

Acts 26:16
Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.

These are the words that Jesus spoke to Paul when He struck him down on the trail to Damascus. Being the respecter of no man, these are the same words that Jesus speaks to every man. By the loving kindness, mercy and grace of Our Savior, each one of us have been taken down in the flesh to be raised up anew in the spirit to serve Our Lord. He is just waiting on us to say, “Here I am, send me.”

Saul was an enemy of the early church. He was doing all he could to shut down the early Christians. If God would use such a man for His good purposes, can He not use each of us? Just as the Lord lifted Saul from his blindness to be Paul, a beacon of light to the world, He can also lift us from whatever darkness is holding us down. He can change us into new men and women in Christ, witnesses to the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus.

All we have to do is respond to the One that is calling us to stand up and serve. He will give us our commission. He will equip us for our mission. He will lift us up from whatever may be holding us down. He will make us true ministers and witnesses to His Gospel.

Let us respond to the One that calls us. Let us learn to live under the power of the Cross as we take up the crosses that we have been given to carry. Let us stand up and boldly proclaim the Good News.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking down the old man and raising up a new man in Christ. We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to escape the darkness in our lives and empowered us to be lights on a hill for the world to see. We rejoice in knowing that we will be bondservants to Our Savior for all eternity. Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit prepare us for our work. We pray that the Holy Spirit will show us how to make our lives living testimonies to Your glory. We pray these things in the name of the One who calls us, Jesus Christ.

We Never Stand Alone

Ephesians 4:13
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Paul teaches that Jesus gave His church these gifts: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. He provided these gifts so that the Body of Christ could be prepared to be His perfect bride. We are all called to learn from the gifted ministers that are placed in our lives. At some level, we are also called to express the gifts given to us so that we may fulfill our responsibilities in the Body of Christ.

God in His sovereign rule placed each of us exactly where He wants us. He did not place us where we are to stand alone. He placed each of us in a place that is linked perfectly with the world around us for the good of the Body of Christ.

Each one of us is called to be both a receptor of light and a beacon of light. It is our individual responsibility to let God work in us by seeking out and receiving the ministerial gifts offered by the Body of Christ. It then becomes our responsibility to let God work through us as we become active vessels of His perfect gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

We must continually ask ourselves, “Am I building myself up in Christ? Am I also building up the Body of Christ? We will be meeting the complete and full standard of Our Savior when we are maturing in Christ as both a student and as a teacher.

Let us be alert to whom God has placed in our lives. Let us seek out those who can build us up for Christ. Let us stand ready to use our gifts to build up those around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing us among family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who, through Your handiwork, will help perfect us in Christ. We thank You for giving us the opportunity to help perfect them by following the urgings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We praise Your name for giving us this magnificent Body of Christ here on earth so that we can learn to measure up to the full and complete standard of Our Savior. May we live our lives for Your glory and for the good of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our King and Our Master, Jesus Christ.

Never to Stand Alone

Ephesians 4:13
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Paul teaches that Jesus gave His church these gifts: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. He provided these gifts so that the Body of Christ could be prepared to be His perfect bride. We are all called to learn from the gifted ministers that are placed in our lives. At some level, we are also called to express the gifts given to us so that we may fulfill our responsibilities in the Body of Christ.

God in His sovereign rule placed each of us exactly where He wants us. He did not place us where we are to stand alone. He placed each of us in a place that is linked perfectly with the world around us for the good of the Body of Christ.

Each one of us is called to be both a receptor of light and a beacon of light. It is our individual responsibility to let God work in us by seeking out and receiving the ministerial gifts offered by the Body of Christ. It then becomes our responsibility to let God work through us as we become active vessels of His perfect gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

We must continually ask ourselves, “Am I building myself up in Christ? Am I also building up the Body of Christ? We will be meeting the complete and full standard of Our Savior when we are maturing in Christ as both a student and as a teacher.

Let us be alert to whom God has placed in our lives. Let us seek out those who can build us up for Christ. Let us stand ready to use our gifts to build up those around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing us among family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who, through Your handiwork, will help perfect us in Christ. We thank You for giving us the opportunity to help perfect them by following the urgings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We praise Your name for giving us this magnificent Body of Christ here on earth so that we can learn to measure up to the full and complete standard of Our Savior. May we live our lives for Your glory and for the good of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our King and Our Master, Jesus Christ.