In Romans 16:17, Paul instructs believers to be vigilant and avoid individuals who cause division within the church. Unfortunately, prolonged involvement in a church community can expose believers to offences committed by fellow Christians. These offences may include betrayal, gossip, and acts of selfish ambition. While forgiving those who wrong us is essential, it is equally important to distance ourselves from those who persistently sow seeds of discord.
Today, if you are born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you. That said, you have also been given the power by the same Spirit in you to testify about Jesus to others through the preaching of the gospel.
The responsibilities of God’s priests are not written in one specific Bible verse. They are scattered across several books of the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament. One such verse is Ezekiel 44:23, where the Lord Himself gave a strong charge to His priests. Although you may say that it’s in the Old Testament, its unfolding is in the New Testament, meaning it is still applicable today.
Jesus told the men who followed Him that they would no longer catch fish on the sea but would fish people. In other words, their mission as fishermen changed from sea-fishing to men-fishing: the same mission but a different method. Could it be that the area God is calling you into ministry with may not necessarily take you out of your career?
Many differences among ourselves are to help complement one another, not to stir up conflicts. Navigate your relationships with others well.
Dare to proclaim the gospel of Christ without fear. Do not fear what other people say about you because of your doctrine. If what you are preaching is the truth, carry on, minister. God sees your labour. Don’t give up!
Unbelievers’ spirits are insensitive to God’s promptings. Such people are asleep and are in the power of darkness (see Colossians 1:13) because their lives are under the control of the evil one. Unto such people, the scripture tells them to wake up and rise from the dead (spiritual inactivity before God), and then Christ will shine on them.
Dear child of God, understand that your way of life, which is holy before God, will always be seen as of no value before the unbelievers in the world. You cannot keep close associates with unbelievers because they will never recognise your value, except when God touches their hearts to receive the gospel in power. Guard your life and mind from listening to foolish talk from people who don’t see the worth involved in serving the Lord with gladness.
Any believer who thinks preaching is just a mere logical presentation but not a powerful demonstration of God’s power gradually sends a message to his hearers that the cross is useless. Beware of such people, especially in the media-saturated world we live in.
Any person’s mind governed by sin and its desire to indulge in it lives in a corrupt state before God. Such a person won’t appreciate how valuable spiritual things in Christ are in life. That is why they are unbelievers. They need Jesus, and who is going to preach to them? You, the one Jesus has sent.
Be on guard every day, especially in what you hear online. It is not everyone who preaches the gospel preaches the truth. Do not give attention to anyone who does not acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, for that person is a liar. Guard your ears and eyes, lest you be deceived by false messiahs.
God, in His own wisdom, does not have any problem with us having more churches. Why? Because the Body of Christ consists of several components, and each part has its own duty. What ministry A is commissioned by God to do may be different from that of ministry B. However, the distinction in divine mandate should not bring diversity to spiritual understanding.
