| Word of Faith Newsletter A Share The Word Ministry Production Evangelist Joseph Stieff Sr. |
| DECEMBER 2011 Vol. 8 No. 12 Word of Faith Bible Institute at First Church of God and Saints of Christ, Inc. 626 Lawson Street, Pittsburgh. Pa. 15219. For correspondence studies, e-mail jstieff@gmail.com ( Pastor Joseph Stieff Sr. D.D.) We are fully accredited by the WORLD-WIDE ACCREDITATION COMMISSION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (WWAC) Anyone wishing to contact them for verification may write to: The WWAC, Dr. Paul Richardson Executive President, 2800 Blendwell Rd. Richmond, Va. 23224. _______________________________________________________________________________ Our God is a God of increase, excess, abundance, and overflow. He is more than enough. He is able. Able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think. Whatever my mind can conceive, my heart can believe, our God is able. God, exceed our expectation of you. Show us how real you are. Confirm your word with signs following. Let your Holy Spirit reveal you in us. Give answers to prayer. Hope to the hopeless. Help someone find you, and put their trust in your saving grace. Save that person reaching out to you today, even now. In Jesus name. WORSHIP: EDIFICATION: I Cor. 3:10-13. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus spoke the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. He was teaching that if we choose a good foundation to build our lives upon we would indeed be wise. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:10-11 that as a wise master builder he had already laid the foundation for the church and that foundation is Jesus Christ. There is no better foundation on which to build our lives than on the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ. The benefits of being a Christian are beyond counting. However, the Apostle Paul admonished the church to take special care as to how we build our lives on this foundation because there will come a time when the fire of trouble will test what kind of life you have built upon Christ. Having a good foundation is essential to a successful Christian life, however, it does not guarantee that our lives will be pleasing to the Lord. It takes hard and deliberate work to build a life that will stand the test. Paul compared the way we live our lives in two ways. First as gold, silver and precious stones and second as wood, hay and stubble. Each of these are associated with the decisions and actions of our lives. The gold, silver and precious stones represent the godly things that we include in our lives. Like these items, godliness is not common and easily obtained but takes much work and digging to acquire these things. They are rare and costly, but when fire is applied to these they only become more pure. Wood, hay and stubble, on the other hand, is common, cheap and easily acquired. These are the worldly ways that creep into our lives that we are building. When fire is applied to these they quickly burn to ash and the only thing left of their life is the foundation. Those who have built their lives with godliness will stand when the fire comes and will become stronger and more precious to the Kingdom. What sort of materials are you building your life from? What will be left of your Christian life when the fires of trouble and temptation come your way? Buy The Truth Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. There is something precious about truth! TRUTH is one of the foundational principles of God’s kingdom, because God is truth! • Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. • Psalm 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. Notice that there is “TRUTH” (facts) and then there is “THE TRUTH” (revelation). The word in English and in Greek is normally the same, but the context of the statement shows us that many times in Scripture when we refer to “THE truth” the meaning is not merely ethical truth, but truth in all its fullness and scope, as embodied in Jesus Christ. HE WAS THE PERFECT EXPRESSION OF THE TRUTH! • John 18:37 To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Other religions point the way to truth, but Jesus said “I AM THE TRUTH!” • John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. • John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Throughout Scripture and until our present day, many people have a problem with TRUTH. In fact, it is not politically correct today to say that there is even such a thing as absolute truth! BREAKING THROUGH QUITTING POINTS Matt. 24:10, 12 Quitting point- When we reach a certain level of physical, emotional or mental pain, we reach a quitting point and our systems begin to shut down. Causes- This can be caused by several things here are just a few. Low tolerance for problems, for pain or it can be the result of past habits. It may simply be our predetermined expectations of how things should be. A- The enemy is shrewd. He knows our weak areas. He may be defeated, but he isn’t stupid. He always attacks us at our quitting points. He doesn’t mind if we continue to go to church as long as we have quit trying to be effective. ONE MEASURE OF A MAN OR A WOMAN IS WHAT IT TAKES TO GET HIM OR HER TO BAIL OUT OF A COMMITMENT. Prov. 4:23 “Watch over your heart with ALL diligence, for from it flows the SPRINGS of life.” Whether it is a marriage, a friendship or a faith. WHAT IS THE THRESHOLD OF YOUR QUITTING POINT? B- Build Character- Make a decision now to change. Increase your capacity to deal with problems and disappointments. The deeper our character, the easier it will be for us to develop an attitude of excellence. Heb.10:36 “For you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Character doesn’t come cheap. There is a price to pay. Yet without character you will never be able to handle the blessings and the success that God want to bring into your life. C- How do you see the world? We receive much of our information about the world through our eyes. How we view the world around us affects our thoughts, and our thoughts affect our souls. Matt.6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” D- What is in your heart? What makes a heart healthy is what we feed it. The bible calls this treasure-building A Chosen Vessel 2 Corinthians 4:7 -- “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” -Chosen vessels have that quality about them. The treasure that is on the inside of the earthen vessel has the capacity to lift you beyond the destruction that exists around you. ll. DAVID, A CHOSEN VESSEL -The life of David remains one of the clearest illustrations to the power of the selection of God. A. The Lord Hath Sought a Man (l Samuel 13:14) -The words of Samuel to Saul are frightening in the full grasp of what is being offered. 1 Samuel 13:14 -- “But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.” -The Lord hath sought a man. . . . . . . . what a powerful statement to know that God is seeking for men. No one can really know the day or hour when God passes by, seeking for precious vessels and beautiful pearls. -When one least expects it, God is watching. He scrutinizes those whom He calls. He watches them carefully in the day-in and day-out moments of life. He watches carefully how we act in the hours of boredom. He looks carefully too, in our hours of busy-ness. 1. God’s Testing Places -God’s testing places are often not those that we expect. Some have dreams and visions of being a martyr for the cause of Christ. The thought enters the mind of how they will stand in front of the firing squad with a hood over their head awaiting the bullet to strike the heart. Others envision dying in some obscure jungle at the hands of the natives after attempting to spread the Gospel. God’s testing places are often not those that we expect. -Dare not to allow yourself to believe such. God’s testing places generally are not in that form or shape. Never allow your heart to destroy the magnitude of the small things (Zechariah 4:10). God concerns Himself with sparrows and lilies. It is the small things that God often tests men in. -Great doors swing on small hinges in comparison to the door. Great character reaches it’s height by progressive development. Character cannot be painted on life. It has to be worked into the soul by the testing ground of life. -Men often despise little things and think them beneath us. Our thoughts and measurements are so different from God’s thoughts and measurements. And this results from pride, which makes us think so many things beneath us, not worthy of care, of our best, nor of finishing. -Such thinking arises from a certain ignorance of the value of little things. -Large and small are not the words that drive the conscience. The words that bring focus to the conscience are “right” and “wrong.” Every small act of obedience smooths the road for all that comes after it. -God works on chosen vessels by degrees. The fool says, “Oh, this is just a small matter. . . . .I can get by with it.” • It was David waiting in the pasture. • It was Joshua who was a servant during the exodus. • It was Elisha who was a servant to Elijah. • It was the small and feeble remnant left in Babylon that returned and rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls and temple. • It was Josiah quietly being readied for the throne amidst the great sin of his father and grandfather. • It was Barnabas, of whom little is known, that ushered the greatest missionary into the early Church. -It is the small things that God looks for in His chosen vessels: • He finds those who can turn away from the theft of company tools or money when no one would know. • He finds His men among those who are able to resist the peer pressure of worldly friends who really aren’t friends. • He finds His men among those who give forgiveness when they rightfully deserve apologies of others. • He finds His men among those who refuse to lower themselves to tale-bearing. • He finds His men among those who do not deal with others deceitfully. • He finds His men among those who follow the stern paths of righteousness. • He finds His men among those who do not expect blessings for their sacrifice. • He finds His men among those who resist the urges of the flesh that would lead to moral failure. • He finds His men among those who pray when no one else prays. • He finds His men among those who love the unlovable. • He finds His men among those who fast when on one else is fasting. • He finds His men among those who sacrifice when there is no recognition for their sacrifice. • He finds His men among those who shoulder the load without complaint. |