Prayer 11 30 12

As we enter this season of giving, parties, family gatherings, friends fellowshipping, and  church coziness let  us pray that we receive the following passages and respond accordingly.

Pray that no man , woman , or child among us think selfishly or even “keep score” on getting back evenly what they give to others during this season. Help each person to give time, money, and energy to others without regard to  what will be received back.

Acts 20:35            I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Help us to give according to our own ability – not according to what someone else with  greater resources is able to give. Help us to not get into a heap of debt during this season!

Acts 11: 29           Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:

That we note when there is a need within our local church and we all think how we can help to meet that need:

I Jn 3: 16               Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.17               But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?18            My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

That we remember the poor in the midst of our abundance (e.g., sending gifts to the local missions and/or volunteering some time there:

Esth 9: 22             As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Ps 41: Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble

James 2: 14         What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?15           If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,16      And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwith17              Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.18             Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Singing to God among one another ; singing in our hearts       New International Version (©1984) What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. New Living Translation (©2007) Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. English Standard Version (©2001) What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

 

^{Ephesians5:  19}Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singingand making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰Giving thanks always for all thingsunto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

V. 19:  Amplified: Speakout to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praisewith voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to theLord, (AmplifiedBible – Lockman)
NLT:Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,making music to the Lord in your hearts. (NLT – Tyndale House)
Phillips: Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymnsand spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of God! (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, (Eerdmans)
Young’s Literal: speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns andspiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Col 3:16

Let 1774 0 the word 3056 of Christ 5547 dwell 1774 in 1722 you 5213 richly 4146 in 1722 all 3956 wisdom 4678; teaching 1321 and 2532 admonishing 3560 one another 1438 in psalms 5568 and 2532 hymns 5215 and 2532 spiritual 4152 songs 5603, singing 103 with 1722 grace 5485 in 1722 your 5216 hearts 2588 to the Lord 2962.

Ps 105:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; callupon his name: make known his deedsamong the people.2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all hiswondrous works.3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoicethat seek the LORD.4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 5Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgmentsof his mouth;

Ps 107: 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for hiswonderful works to the children of men!32Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him inthe assembly of the elders.

Ps 147: 7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp untoour God:

Ps 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in thefirmament of his power.2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him accordingto his excellent greatness.3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praisehim with the psaltery and harp4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praisehim with stringed instruments and organs.5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals:praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Isa 12: 5 Sing unto the LORD; for he hathdone excellent things: this is known in all the earth.6 Cry out and shout, thouinhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Ps 149: 1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise inthe congregation of saints.2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let thechildren of Zion be joyful in their King.3 Let them praise his name in thedance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

Ps 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts withpraise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Here are some suggestionsconcerning ways to  sing to please theLord and to build up the Body of Christ (including ourselves). All these suggestionswill only come alive when they are put into practice IF we truly have theSpirit of the Lord in our hearts and are in communion with Him!  His Spirit lights a fire in our hearts whenwe sing songs in harmony  with His heart.:

1.   Memorize songs already known and sing them in our hearts as wellas out loud with one another (or to others ). Actively seek songs to learn that authentically share YOUR heart andYOUR relationship  with the Lord andunderstanding of His Word.  When thewords have come alive with meaning to your heart,  you can more effectively communicate themwith others. 

2.   Find a passage in the Bible that touches your heart with meaning . Create a tune to sing  that passage.. Or, you can use an old tunethat is now in public domain .

3.   In a group of people, everyone can  take  their turn in putting  the verses of a Psalm  to music they create . 

4.   Put a  passage in your ownwords and sing it.

5.   Sing a song in which you create both words and music that are inharmony with the Word and the Spirit, a spiritual song

6.   Do a new spiritual song (prophetic playing) on your instrument. Ifyou are with others, explain what the song is saying to your heart

7.   Sing a Psalm to the Lord and then add  another verse in your song  telling the Lord a personal experience you hadthat affirms this Psalm (or a verse from a Psalm)

8.   Read a passage aloud. Sing the tune you have made for it. Thenplay the tune on your instrument.

 

9.    Many “new songs” that cometo you are birthed from a challenging life experience. Think of an experience youhave gone through  and see what the Lordmay give you in a song to praise Him for His loving guidance and comfort inthat situation.

 

 

 

RELY ON THE LORDTO LEAD YOU IN THESE EXERCISES:

Ps 40:1   Iwaited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.2 Hebrought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set myfeet upon a rock, and established my goings.3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto ourGod: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Here are some examples of  passagesthat we could  use to create songs.
Ps 36: 7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore thechildren of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

Ps 42: 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted withinme? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance,and my God.

Ps 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though themountains be carried into the midst of the sea;3 Though the waters thereof roarand be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Ps 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit withinme.11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted untothee.

Ps 61: 1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.2 From the end of the earthwill I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that ishigher than I.3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower fromthe enemy.4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covertof thy wings.

Ps 62: 7 In God is my salvation and my glory:the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.8 Trust in him at all times; yepeople, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Ps 66: 1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:2 Sing forth the honour ofhis name: make his praise glorious.

The music we learn can teach us new ideas and fix them in us.  Think of what the  following passages onthe future kingdom can do to inspire HOPE and EXPECTATION within us!  Putting these to music would also teach  us what is to come and as we sing the wordsthe truths will become established within our minds and hearts:

Ps 67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine uponus; Selah.2 That thy way may be knownupon earth, thy saving health among all nations.3 Let the people praise thee, OGod; let all the people praise thee.4 O let the nations be glad and sing forjoy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations uponearth. Selah.5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praisethee.6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God,shall bless us.7 God shall bless us; andall the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Ps 96:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forthhis salvation from day to day.3 Declare his glory among the heathen, hiswonders among all people.4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: heis to be feared above all gods.5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: butthe LORD made the heavens.6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength andbeauty are in his sanctuary.7 Give untothe LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.8Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and comeinto his courts.9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear beforehim, all the earth.10 Say among theheathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that itshall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.11 Let theheavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulnessthereof.12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all thetrees of the wood rejoice13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh tojudge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoplewith his truth.

Rev 15: 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song ofthe Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; justand true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship beforethee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

 Rev 5:.8And when he {the Lamb of God} had taken the book, the four beasts and four andtwenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, andgolden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thouart worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wastslain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, andtongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings andpriests: and we shall reign on the earth.11 And I beheld, and I heard the voiceof many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and thenumber of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.13 Andevery creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, andsuch as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, andhonour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, andunto the Lamb for ever and ever.14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the fourand twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Rev 7: 9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man couldnumber, of all nations, and kindreds,and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothedwith white robes, and palms in their hands;10 And cried with a loud voice,saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.11And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and thefour beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour,and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,saying, The kingdoms of this world arebecome the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for everand ever.

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man camewith the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they broughthim near before him.14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and akingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: hisdominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdomthat which shall not be destroyed…………..27 And the kingdom and dominion, and thegreatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the peopleof the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, andall dominions shall serve and obey him.

Zech 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over allthe earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

^Isaiah16:5And in mercyshall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in thetabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Micah 4:1-3
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house ofthe LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall beexalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountainof the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of hisways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, andthe word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; andthey shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears intopruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shallthey learn war any more.

Luke 11: 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art inheaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven,so in earth.

Exod 15:.18 The LORD shall reign for everand ever.

Rev 5: 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, andtongue, and people, and nation;10 And hast made us unto our God kings andpriests: and we shall reign on the earth.11 And I beheld, and I heard thevoice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: andthe number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands ofthousands;12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain toreceive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, andblessing.13 And every creature which isin heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, andpower, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever andever.14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders felldown and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Rev 22:13 And there shall be no more curse:but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shallserve him:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in theirforeheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light ofthe sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Heb 12: 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdomwhich cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptablywith reverence and godly fear:

2 Pet 1: 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren,give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do thesethings, ye shall never fall:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto youabundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

Communion Sabbath 11 10 12

Cherishing maintaining UNITY, PEACE   and LOVE in our fellowship with each other

Ps 133:1                Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2              It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;3    As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

 

 Striving to maintain unity with people we love is not difficult – we just need to make sure we love the others in the body of Christ! It is common among us to care deeply when we are not in harmony with the people we love.  If we don’t love someone, it is human nature not to strive to maintain a harmonious relationship with that person..

John 13:34           A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.35          By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

In striving for unity, we should put our minds and mouths in check before blurting out something contrary  – as much as we can we need to try to see and affirm common ground.

Rom 15:5             Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:6     That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7                Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.(KJV)

Some people come into a place and say they don’t “feel accepted” or that they can’t “accept” someone else.  However, we are commanded to receive one another if we are all in Christ.

I have seen movies of high school “queen bees” who make it a  point to reject a certain competitor and all who want to be in the queen’s  “in crowd”  will then reject that person she is rejecting  for fear of being rejected by her if they don’t . In our case , our King tells us to accept one another as He has accepted us.

We will be rejected by Him if we don’t love  one another. 

As soon as someone becomes a child of God , we are to receive and accept them as part of the family of God.  God Himself chose that person to be adopted into His family – we have no authority to resist His choice!

We are to actively work at maintaining loving unity:

2 Cor 13: 11         Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.12        Greet one another with an holy kiss.13  All the saints salute you.14          The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Eph 4: 1                I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;3   Endeavouring {use speed, make an effort, be earnest} to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4                There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5       One Lord, one faith, one baptism,6            One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Eph 4: 25              Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.26          Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27           Neither give place to the devil………………………..31              Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

 

1 Pet 3:                 8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:9        Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.10            For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile {guile tricks, baits, has wiles – tricks” up  their sleeve”, sets traps--}:11   Let him eschew {decline from} evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it {pursue it}.12               For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

 

We are to avoid being with  those who cause splits among one another. We are to avoid anything that causes strife and divisions:

Rom 16: 17          Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

We are to strive to avoid divisions:

1 Cor 1:9               God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions (from a word meaning to split or to sever)  among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.11     For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

 

We are one body and we need each other:

1 Cor 12: 12         For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.13      For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.14          For the body is not one member, but many.15   If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?16               And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?17                If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?18                But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19           And if they were all one member, where were the body?20       But now are they many members, yet but one body.21                And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:23               And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.24               For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:25                That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.26               And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27           Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

We are not to have close fellowship with those who are not a part of the body of Christ  we are to come away from those and know that we are in a family with God as our Father – should that not be people enough to fellowship with?

2 Cor 6: 14           Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?15      And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?16     And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17              Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We can be in fellowship with one another as we fellowship with our Father.

I Jn 1: 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;2               (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)3           That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.4                And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.5                This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.6                If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7              But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We are not to simply be engrossed in that which is self-centered but we are to care about the things that  are important  to others :

Phil 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3         Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Phil 2: 19              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.20         For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.21               For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.

Let’s all CARE about one another!  Let’s actually “love our neighbor as ourselves”.

The love manifested to others with glorify our Father