The Joy of Finding

Luke 15:1-10

The story about the lost sheep would touch the hearts of the men and boys in the crowd, and the women and girls would appreciate the story about the coin that was lost from the wedding necklace. Jesus sought to reach everybody's heart.

The lost sheep (vv. 3-7). The sheep was lost because of foolishness. Sheep have a tendency to go astray, and that is why they need a shepherd (Isa 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25). The scribes and Pharisees had no problem seeing the publicans and sinners as "lost sheep," but they would not apply that image to them selves! And yet the prophet made it clear that all of us have sinned and gone astray, and that includes religious people.

The shepherd was responsible for each sheep; if one was missing, the shepherd had to pay for it unless he could prove that it was killed by a predator (see Gen 31:38-39; Ex. .22:10-13; Amos 3:12). This explains why he would leave the flock with the other shepherds, go and search for the missing animal, and then rejoice when he found it. Not to find the lost sheep meant money out of his own pocket, plus the disgrace of being known as a careless shepherd.

By leaving the ninety-nine sheep, the shepherd was not saying they were unimportant to him. They were safe but the lost sheep was in danger. The fact that the shepherd would go after one sheep is proof that each animal was dear to him. Jesus was not suggesting that the scribes and Pharisees were not in need of salvation, for they certainly were. We must not make every part of the parable mean something, otherwise we will turn it into an allegory and distort the message.

There is a fourfold joy expressed when a lost sinner comes to the Saviour. Though nothing is said in the story about how the sheep felt, there is certainly joy in the heart of the person found Both Scripture (Acts 3:8; 8:39) and our own personal experience verify the joy of salvation.

But there is also the joy of the person who does the finding. Whenever you assist in leading a lost soul to faith in Christ you experience a wonderful joy within. Others join with us in rejoicing as we share the good news of a new child of God in the family, and there is also joy in heaven (Luke 15:7,10). The angels know better than we do what we are saved from and to, and they rejoice with us.

The lost coin (vv. 8-10). The sheep was lost because of its foolishness, but the coin was lost because of the carelessness of another. It is a sobering thought that our carelessness at home could result in a soul being lost.

When a Jewish girl married, she began to wear a headband of ten silver coins to signify that she was now a wife. It was the Jewish version of our modern wedding ring, and it would be considered a calamity for her to lose one of those coins. Palestinian houses were dark, so she had to light a lamp and search until she found the lost coin; and we can imagine her joy at finding it.

We must not press parabolic images too far, but it is worth noting that the coin would have on it the image of the ruler (Luke 20:19-25). The lost sinner bears the image of God, even though that image has been marred by sin. When a lost sinner is "found," God begins to restore that divine image through the power of the Spirit; and one day, the believer will be Like Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18; Col 3:10; 1 John 3:1-2).

These two parables help us understand something of what it means to be lost. To begin with, it means being out of place. Sheep belong with the flock, coins belong on the chain, and lost sinners belong in fellowship with God. But to be lost also means being out of service. A lost sheep is of no value to the shepherd, a lost coin has no value to the owner, and a lost sinner cannot experience the enriching fulfillment God has for him in Jesus Christ.

But to turn this around, to be "found" (saved) means that you are back in place (reconciled to God), back in service (life has a purpose), and out of danger. No wonder the shepherd and the woman rejoiced and invited their friends to rejoice with them!

It is easy for us today to read these two parables and take their message for granted, but the people who first heard them must have been shocked. Jew was saying that God actually searches for lost sinners I No wonder the scribes and Pharisees were offended, for there was no place in their legalistic theology for a God like that. They had forgotten that God had sought out Adam and Eve when they had sinned and hidden from God (Gen 3:8-9). In spite of their supposed knowledge of Scripture, the scribes and Pharisees forgot that God was Like a father who pitied his wayward children (Ps 103:8-14).

There are few joys that match the joy of finding the lost and bringing them to the Saviour. "The church has nothing to do but to save souls," said John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. "Therefore, spend and be spent in the work of salvation."

The Lost Sheep and Piece of Silver.

Luke 15:1-10

The diligent attendance of the publicans and sinners upon Christ's ministry. Great multitudes of Jews went with him (ch. 14:25), with such an assurance of admission into the kingdom of God that he found it requisite to say that to them which would shake their vain hopes. Here multitudes of publicans and sinners drew near to him, with a humble modest fear of being rejected by him, and to them he found it requisite to give encouragement, especially because there were some haughty supercilious people that frowned upon them. The publicans, who collected the tribute paid to the Romans, were perhaps some of them bad men, but they were all industriously put into an ill name, because of the prejudices of the Jewish nation against their office. They are sometimes ranked with harlots (Matt 21:32); here and elsewhere with sinners, such as were openly vicious, that traded with harlots, known rakes. Some think that the sinners here meant were heathen, and that Christ was now on the other side Jordan, or in Galilee of the Gentiles. These drew near, when perhaps the multitude of the Jews that had followed him had (upon his discourse in the close of the foregoing chapter) dropped off; thus afterwards the Gentiles took their turn in hearing the apostles, when the Jews had rejected them. They drew near to him, being afraid of drawing nearer than just to come within hearing. They drew near to him, not, as some did, to solicit for cures, but to hear his excellent doctrine. Note, in all our approaches to Christ we must have this in our eye, to hear him; to hear the instructions he gives us, and his answers to our prayers.
II. The offence which the scribes and Pharisees took at this. They murmured, and turned it to the reproach of our Lord Jesus: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them, v. 2. 1. They were angry that publicans and heathens had the means of grace allowed them, were called to repent, and encouraged to hope for pardon upon repentance; for they looked upon their case as desperate, and thought that none but Jews had the privilege of repenting and being pardoned, though the prophets preached repentance to the nations, and Daniel particularly to Nebuchadnezzar. 2. They thought it a disparagement to Christ, and inconsistent with the dignity of his character, to make himself familiar with such sort of people, to admit them into his company and to eat with them. They could not, for shame, condemn him for preaching to them, though that was the thing they were most enraged at; and therefore they reproached him for eating with them, which was more expressly contrary to the tradition of the elders. Censure will fall, not only upon the most innocent and the most excellent persons, but upon the most innocent and most excellent actions, and we must not think it strange.
III. Christ's justifying himself in it, by showing that the worse these people were, to whom he preached, the more glory would redound to God, and the more joy there would be in heaven, if by his preaching they were brought to repentance. It would be a more pleasing sight in heaven to see Gentiles brought to the worship of the true God than to see Jews go on in it, and to see publicans and sinners live an orderly sort of life than to see scribes and Pharisees go on in living such a life. This he here illustrates by two parables, the explication of both of which is the same.
1. The parable of the lost sheep. Something like it we had in Matt 18:12. There it was designed to show the care God takes for the preservation of saints, as a reason why we should not offend them; here it is designed to show the pleasure God takes in the conversion of sinners, as a reason why we should rejoice in it. We have here,

(1.) The case of a sinner that goes on in sinful ways. He is like a lost sheep, a sheep gone astray; he is lost to God, who has not the honour and service he should have from him; lost to the flock, which has not communion with him; lost to himself: he knows not where he is, wanders endlessly, is continually exposed to the beasts of prey, subject to frights and terrors, from under the shepherd's care, and wanting the green pastures; and he cannot of himself find the way back to the fold.
(2.) The care the God of heaven takes of poor wandering sinners. He continues his care of the sheep that did not go astray; they are safe in the wilderness. But there is a particular care to be taken of this lost sheep; and though he has a hundred sheep, a considerable flock, yet he will not lose that one, but he goes after it, and shows abundance of care, [1.] In finding it out. He follows it, enquiring after it, and looking about for it, until he finds it. God follows backsliding sinners with the calls of his word and the strivings of his Spirit, until at length they are wrought upon to think of returning. [2.] In bringing it home. Though he finds it weary, and perhaps worried and worn away with its wanderings, and not able to bear being driven home, yet he does not leave it to perish, and say, It is not wroth carrying home; but lays it on his shoulders, and, with a great deal of tenderness and labour, brings it to the fold. This is very applicable to the great work of our redemption. Mankind were gone astray, Isa 53:6. The value of the whole race to God was not so much as that of one sheep to him that had a hundred; what loss would it have been to God if they had all been left to perish? There is a world of holy angels that are as the ninety-nine sheep, a noble flock; yet God sends his Son to seek and save that which was lost, ch. 19:10. Christ is said to gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, denoting his pity and tenderness towards poor sinners; here he is said to bear them upon his shoulders, denoting the power wherewith he supports and bears them up; those can never perish whom he carries upon his shoulders.
(3.) The pleasure that God takes in repenting returning sinners. He lays it on his shoulders rejoicing that he has not lost his labour in seeking; and the joy is the greater because he began to be out of hope of finding it; and he calls his friends and neighbours, the shepherds that keep their flocks about him, saying, Rejoice with me. Perhaps among the pastoral songs which the shepherds used to sing there was one for such an occasion as this, of which these words might be the burden, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost; whereas they never sung, Rejoice with me, for I have lost none. Observe, he calls it his sheep, though a stray, a wandering sheep. He has a right to it (all souls are mine), and he will claim his own, and recover his right; therefore he looks after it himself: I have found it; he did not send a servant, but his own Son, the great and good Shepherd, who will find what he seeks, and will be found of those that seek him not.

2. The parable of the lost piece of silver. (1.) The loser is here supposed to be a woman, who will more passionately grieve for her loss, and rejoice in finding what she had lost, than perhaps a man would do, and therefore it the better serves the purpose of the parable. She has ten pieces of silver, and out of them loses only one. Let this keep up in us high thoughts of the divine goodness, notwithstanding the sinfulness and misery of the world of mankind, that there are nine to one, nay, in the foregoing parable there are ninety-nine to one, of God's creation, that retain their integrity, in whom God is praised, and never was dishonoured. O the numberless beings, for aught we know numberless worlds of beings, that never were lost, nor stepped aside from the laws and ends of their creation! (2.) That which is lost is a piece of silver,  drachmen
—the fourth part of a shekel. The soul is silver, of intrinsic worth and value; not base metal, as iron or lead, but silver, the mines of which are royal mines. The Hebrew word for silver is taken from the desirableness of it. It is silver coin, for so the drachma was; it is stamped with God's image and superscription, and therefore must be rendered to him. Yet it is comparatively but of small value; it was but seven pence half-penny; intimating that if sinful men be left to perish God would be no loser. This silver was lost in the dirt; a soul plunged in the world, and overwhelmed with the love of it and care about it, is like a piece of money in the dirt; any one would say, It is a thousand pities that it should lie there. (3.) Here is a great deal of care and pains taken in quest of it. The woman lights a candle, to look behind the door, under the table, and in every corner of the house, sweeps the house, and seeks diligently till she finds it. This represents the various means and methods God makes use of to bring lost souls home to himself: he has lighted the candle of the gospel, not to show himself the way to us, but to show us the way to him, to discover us to ourselves; he has swept the house by the convictions of the word; he seeks diligently, his heart is upon it, to bring lost souls to himself. (4.) Here is a great deal of joy for the finding of it: Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost, v. 9. Those that rejoice desire that others should rejoice with them; those that are merry would have others merry with them. She was glad that she had found the piece of money, though she should spend it in entertaining those whom she called to make merry with her. The pleasing surprise of finding it put her, for the present, into a kind of transport,  heureka, heureka
—I have found, I have found, is the language of joy.
3. The explication of these two parables is to the same purport (v. 7,10): There is joy in heaven, joy in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth, as those publicans and sinners did, some of them at least (and, if but one of them did repent, Christ would reckon it worth his while), more than over a great number of just persons, who need no repentance. Observe,
(1.) The repentance and conversion of sinners on earth are matter of joy and rejoicing in heaven. It is possible that the greatest sinners may be brought to repentance. While there is life there is hope, and the worst are not to be despaired of; and the worst of sinners, if they repent and turn, shall find mercy. Yet this is not all, [1.] God will delight to show them mercy, will reckon their conversion a return for all the expense he has been at upon them. There is always joy in heaven. God rejoiceth in all his works, but particularly in the works of his grace. He rejoiceth to do good to penitent sinners, with his whole heart and his whole soul. He rejoiceth not only in the conversion of churches and nations, but even over one sinner that repenteth, though but one. [2.] The good angels will be glad that mercy is shown them, so far are they from repining at it, though those of their nature that sinned be left to perish, and no mercy shown to them; though those sinners that repent, that are so mean, and have been so vile, are, upon their repentance, to be taken into communion with them, and shortly to be made like them, and equal to them. The conversion of sinners is the joy of angels, and they gladly become ministering spirits to them for their good, upon their conversion. The redemption of mankind was matter of joy in the presence of the angels; for they sung, Glory to God in the highest, ch. 2:14.
(2.) There is more joy over one sinner that repenteth, and turneth to be religious from a course of life that had been notoriously vile and vicious, than there is over ninety-nine just persons, who need no repentance. [1.] More joy for the redemption and salvation of fallen man than for the preservation and confirmation of the angels that stand, and did indeed need no repentance. [2.] More joy for the conversion of the sinners of the Gentiles, and of those publicans that now heard Christ preach, than for all the praises and devotions, and all the God I thank thee, of the Pharisees, and the other self-justifying Jews, who though that they needed no repentance, and that therefore God should abundantly rejoice in them, and make his boast of them, as those that were most his honour; but Christ tells them that it was quite otherwise, that God was more praised in, and pleased with, the penitent broken heart of one of those despised, envied sinners, than all the long prayers which the scribes and Pharisees made, who could not see anything amiss in themselves. Nay, [3.] More joy for the conversion of one such great sinner, such a Pharisee as Paul had been in his time, than for the regular conversion of one that had always conducted himself decently and well, and comparatively needs no repentance, needs not such a universal change of the life as those great sinners need. Not but that it is best not to go astray; but the grace of God, both in the power and the pity of that grace, is more manifested in the reducing of great sinners than in the conducting of those that never went astray. And many times those that have been great sinners before their conversion prove more eminently and zealously good after, of which Paul is an instance, and therefore in him God was greatly glorified, Gal 1:24. They to whom much is forgiven will love much. It is spoken after the manner of men. We are moved with a more sensible joy for the recovery of what we had lost than for the continuance of what we had always enjoyed, for health out of sickness than for health without sickness. It is as life from the dead. A constant course of religion may in itself be more valuable, and yet a sudden return from an evil course and way of sin may yield a more surprising pleasure. Now if there is such joy in heaven, for the conversion of sinners, then the Pharisees were very much strangers to a heavenly spirit, who did all they could to hinder it and were grieved at it, and who were exasperated at Christ when he was doing a piece of work that was of all others most grateful to Heaven.

References.
(extract from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All Rights reserved.)
Holy Bible

The Lies of Satan vs. The Truth of God: God Healed My Mind.

by Christine Caine, from Unashamed
Meet Christine Caine

The Truth Will Set Us Free

Set Your Course

The devil is ever so crafty in communicating negative messages. He will do everything in his power to keep us from getting on the right train of thought. He’ll bombard our thoughts because he knows that most people don’t even think about what they are thinking about. He knows they will believe any lie he tells, that they will think any thought that comes to their minds.

So we have to be committed to know, to learn, and to retrain our thinking. We have to work at believing God’s voice spoken through His Word, more than all the other voices that have spoken into our lives — including our own.

Begin every day by first checking the destination board and picking the right train of thoughts. Ask yourself Where do I want to end up today? and then set your course going in the right direction. Take God’s thoughts and replace yours with His. This is the process of renewing your mind — of becoming someone who thinks, and consequently, lives differently than you do now.

I start every morning filling my mind with the Word of God. I need to remind myself of what God says about me and every circumstance in life. When I am armed with the truth of His Word, I am able to contend with the onslaught of fear, doubt, insecurity, negativity, and lies that the enemy hurls at me daily.

If this sounds like a lot of work, consider it this way: If you needed kidney dialysis every day to stay alive, you would do it, right? If you needed a pill every day to keep you alive, you would take it. I urge you to consider it that important to study the Word. The Word will keep you on track and help you to flourish in life.

Knowing who we are in Christ, and what we have in Christ, is the key to setting our course and staying on track every day. We have to think God’s truth and say it daily — because it is only the truth we know that sets us free. And the only way to know God’s Word is to read it, meditate on it, study and apply it to our everyday lives.

Renewing your mind is applying the Word in a very practical way. It’s changing your thoughts — the seat of power that directs your entire life, and the way it goes.

And if you’re not sure what to say — if you don’t know which train will take you there — you don’t have to just stand around waiting and hoping for that train of thought to pull up. You can go looking for it — in the Word of God. Use all the tools available to us today. There are scores of different translations and versions, accessible in a variety of print editions, on the Internet, via your smartphone, or on TV or DVD, or in countless books that provide a variety of helps — and that’s just the beginning. God is serious about getting His Word to us. We just need to be willing to apply it and reprogram our minds.

When I first started renewing my mind, I had to put Post-it notes of handwritten Scriptures on my mirror that I needed to keep foremost in my mind. I kept a list of verses — passages that reminded me who I am in Christ and what I have in Christ. Post-it notes are still my best friend to this very day — because it took years to develop all the wrong thoughts. Despite our best efforts, we can’t undo overnight what took so much time to create — all those occurrences of listening to family, friends, teachers, the media, ourselves — so many voices feeding us shame-inducing thoughts.

But as I committed to the process of replacing my thoughts with God’s thoughts, it has changed the course of my life.
Talk Back

When the lies come, the ones you’ve believed about yourself — fat, ugly, stupid, worthless, fundamentally flawed, failure, dumb, incapable, inadequate — take those thoughts captive. When someone is taken captive, he or she is still alive but held in confinement, contained and under control.

Sometimes our thoughts will not die, but we can control them and take them captive. We have the power to intentionally quit thinking them and think new thoughts based on God’s truth. To talk back.

So, talk to yourself. Encourage yourself. Build yourself up. Tell yourself the opposite of all the lies you’re hearing...

“I’m smart. I can do this. I’m strong.”

When the past screams...

You are hopeless.

You are useless.

You’re not good enough.

You’ll never measure up.

Tell yourself the truth...

I am alive with Christ. (Ephesians 2:5)
I am a new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)
I am greatly loved by God. (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12)
I can do all things through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:13)
I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. (Romans 8:37)

Just last week, I wrote out eighty-five of God’s promises to carry with me in my notebook. Why, after all these years, is that still so important to me? Because when the devil is screaming his accusations every second, it’s important to counteract them with God’s voice.

When God moves in, we move on.

It really is possible to learn to think a new way. But you’re going to have to start thinking about what you are thinking about. Ensure that you board the right train of thought at the start of every day. Make conscious choices and put forth effort to reprogram your mind. Talk to yourself.

“Just because this train filled with doubt, fear, insecurity, bitterness, offense, discouragement, negativity, and anger pulled into the platform of my mind doesn’t mean I’m getting on it. In fact, I’m not getting on it. The enemy has taken me on that train many times in years past, so I know where it ends up — and today I’m just not getting on that train.”

Instead, think:

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. — Philippians 4:8

I get up every day and pick the train I really want to take. I talk to myself the truth that I know, the truth that sets me free — and I jump tracks as many times a day as necessary to stay on course. Make up your mind today to set your course every morning, because there’s nothing more powerful than a made-up mind.

Your Turn

Do you stop yourself in your tracks when you’re thinking the wrong things and fight back with the Word of God? Do you talk back to the devil? Today, let’s change our thinking! Come share with us on our blog. We want to hear from you about letting God, through Holy Scripture, heal our minds!

Excerpted with permission from Unashamed by Christine Caine, copyright Christine Caine. Published by Zondervan.

END TIME ALERT

VERY CRITICAL ALERT!!!
Hello beloved saints, I'm sure you know that New international version(NIV) was published by Zondervan but is now OWNED by Harper Collins, who also publishes the Satanic Bible and The Joy of Gay Sex.
The NIV and English Standard Version (ESV) has now removed 64,575 words from the Bible including Jehovah, Calvary, Holy Ghost and omnipotent to name but a few...
The NIV and ESV has also now removed 45 complete verses. Most of us have the Bible on our devices and phones especially OLIVE TREE BIBLE STUDY APP.
Try and find these scriptures in NIV and ESV on your computer, phone or device right now if you are in doubt:
Matthew 17:21, 18:11, 23:14; Mark 7:16, 9:44, 9:46; Luke 17:36, 23:17; John 5:4; Acts 8:37 ...you will not believe your eyes.
Refuse to be blinded by Satan, and do not act like you just don't care. Let's not forget what the Lord Jesus said in John 10:10 (King James Version)
THE SOLUTION
If you must use the NIV and ESV, BUY and KEEP AN EARLIER VERSION OF the BIBLE. A Hard Copy cannot be updated. All these changes occur when they ask you to update the app. On your phone or laptop etc. Buy and KEEP EARLIER VERSIONS AND STORE THEM.
There is a crusade geared towards altering the Bible as we know it; NIV, ESV and many more versions are affected.
Rapture will take place any time from now. Everything hindering the rapture has been removed. Gospel has been preached almost everywhere, all the prophecies has been fulfilled. The devil is working very hard to occupy Christians with the things of this world so that the day will catch them unaware. Please be prepared,there is no more time, Use the advantage of sms,WhatsApp, BBM, Facebook, twitter etc to send this message to people. Do not ignore. This is also a source of evangelism, souls are dying. God bless you!
Let’s Pray Hard: 6 6 6 The Mark Of The Beast Prophesy Finally Fulfilled… Written By: Jonathan Annobil. The US supreme Court has rule that states must allow same-sex marriage (SODOMY) which was the same reason God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. the US Senate has also passed the Obama Health Bill into law. The implementation has already commence. The bill would require all Americans to be implanted with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip in order to access medical care. The device will be implemented on the forehead or on the arm.
This is to fulfill the prophesy in the Book of Revelation 13:15-18 concerning the MARK Of THE BEAST. Are you still doubting the END TIME? Do u know that the special car which was made for Obama is known as the BEAST? Get READY. The rapture is near! Revelations 13 is being played out right before us. Many are still unaware. Why is the chip being implanted exactly where the Bible says it would be. Why on the hand and forehead. Why not anywhere else?2. Why is it being connected to your bank account? Remember the Bible says you wont be able to buy or sell without the mark 6 6 6. And guess what! The chip is connected to your financial details. What breaks my heart the most is that many people in the Church will not make it if Jesus comes now? Many are unaware that the end is near. Don’t tell me that its advancement in technology or development. If any area of your life is not in sync with God’s word repent and be converted. If you miss heaven you can never miss hell…think about it. Hell is not a pretty place, the worst part is that it is for eternity… He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. Please rather than post and forward senseless messages.
Send to everyone you know. Do the work of an evangelist. PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH ALL YOUR CONTACTS. Have you ever wondered what should have happened if we treat the Holy Bible the way we treat our mobile phone? And we really can’t live without  it. Satan said. “I wonder how humans claim to LOVE God and disobey Him, and claim they hate me yet they obey me. SHALLOM.

SIX REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR DAILY.
BY BOLA ADEWARA
In recent time, God has been impressing it upon my heart the importance of praying regularly for my pastors and pastors of other churches once they are called of God. In this sense, I am talking of people occupying the five-fold ministries of our Lord: Apostles, Teachers, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastors.
PASTORS FACE A HIGHER JUDGMENT.
Being called into any of the five fold Ministries is a rewarding but dangerous one. James cautioned that not many should become teachers because they will face a stricter judgment. Once you are a preacher of the Word, you are responsible for the souls of your congregation or the people you are sent to. Men of God stand before God to speak to Him on behalf of their congregation and they stand before the congregation to speak the mind of God to them. The more the congregation, the more you will account for. Lord mercy. For me there is nothing exciting about this job. If I were you, I would look for a few members I can take to heaven. Not this 21st century churches that are filled with Pentecostal rascals and spiritual vagabonds going where
PASTORS ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF GOD ON EARTHPastors steward God’s glory in the church and before the community. Their character is to be sterling, and their reputation unblemished. The personality of a pastor reflects on the church members. The more the pastor knows, the more the church grows. A stunted pastor, a stunted church. A vibrant and intellectually sound pastor would attract and build same members. If a ministry is crawling or without impact, check out who the pastor is. Pastors can't do it alone, they need people to work with them. In their quests for reliable workforce, so many pastors have got their fingers burnt. They have been betrayed and hurt. Some pastors weep in their closets over what friends and church members have done to them. We can help them. Please pray for your pastor.
PASTORS FACE GREATER TEMPTATIONS THAN CHURCH MEMBERS .There is no sin like the sin of a clergyman, and there is no one Satan desires to bring down more than them. If you know the secret pains of most men of God, you will see the urgency in praying for them. Some of them, their biggest challenges or enemies are their spouses. Some their children. Some face more challenges in their churches as devil comes in the form of church members to derail their ministries. The philosophy of the Devil is strike the Shepherd, the sheep will scatter. The Devil wants to ridicule God before you and I. Some pastors are preaching on the altar some agents of the Devils in the front row are opening their laps. Some women come to pastors to anoint their breasts so they could have children to suck it. Some steal company or government money and bring it to churches, or buy cars for the Pastors asking them to pray the loot would not be traced. Diverse temptations. Please pray for your pastor.
THE PASTOR IS A HUMAN BEING LIKE YOU AND I.So many of us see them as superhuman. No Preachers are humans, exposed to same foibles and peccadilloes like you and I. The difference is that many of them give themselves to prayers and God has been keeping them. Their strength lies in your prayers and cooperation, the promises of God and covenant they have with Him. Pray for them always that they may not fall and misbehave, that the words in their mouths would be fire, that their eyes would see farther and deeper in the name of Jesus.
PASTORS CARRY BIGGER WEIGHTS.
These men of God are exposed to diverse facts and information, and for reasons of confidentiality, all they can do is bottle it up. Whether it is a piercing word of criticism, a church members scandalous sin, a draining counseling session, an enervating Sunday School session, choir filled with principalities, a rigorous day of sermon preparation, ushers bickering amongst themselves all of these burdens can mount up to make the strains of ministry seem at times nearly unbearable. A lazy man can't pastor a church. Believe me. In a single church there are engineers, doctors, students, journalists, singles, the unemployed, married, widows, widowers, the sick, the poor, diverse people with diverse pains and needs. The pastor is expected to minister to them all. Is he superhuman? That is why every pastor is expected to be fully equipped educationally and spiritually. In the 21st century, being anointed is not enough any longer. There is the place for anointing, there is the place for education and there is the place for intelligence and leadership acumen or trait. The anointing can take a pastor up but he requires the character to remain there. Even God left the uneducated Peter, James and John for a more equipped and educated Paul. Our preachers can only function by our prayers. Pray for them please.
IF YOU BLESS YOUR PASTOR, YOU ARE BLESSED.If you raise your pastor, you are raised. It is natural. It is spiritual. I am talking of the true pastor. Over the years I have noticed the more I pray for my pastor, and especially his preaching ministry and his family, the more I get fed from the pulpit. If church members would suspend judgements and see pastors as men sent to feed them, the better for us to see the Glory of God. Let us pray for our pastors not to be surrounded by spiritual thugs who come to give them bad names. As a journalist of the gospel for many years, I have come to know that most of these pastors seen as doing wrongly are just victims of bad advisers. Go to so many churches, there are loafers around them pretending to be raising the hands of Moses. Lazy people swarming around pastors seeking what to eat from them. These are the criminals who create false images for the pastors by which many of them are judged. Pray for your pastor that in this world of fake prophets and stupid prophecies, fake pastors and name droppers, that God will single out His own and make their feet strong.

PASTOR IN THE END TIME

Aims and objectives of the theme-: To sensitize every trained Pastor of the need of getting ready for the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

           

Among the basic doctrinal topics that every trained Pastor needed to have digested while in training are:-

Bibliology:- the doctrine of the Word of God;

Theology:- the doctrine of God,

Christology:- The doctrine of Christ

Pneumatology:- the doctrine of the Holy spirit;

Anthropology:- The doctrine of man;

Hamartiology:- The doctrine of sin

Soteriology-: The doctrine of salvation

Ecclesiology:- The doctrine of Church

Eschatology:- The doctrine of second coming           and

Angelology:- The doctrine of the Angels.

From all indications around us, the emphasis on End time which is part of second coming needed to be paramount domination of our messages today. We can not single handedly do it without reflections of Christ, Man, Sin, Salvation and the Church.

I. Challenges facing Pastors in discharging their responsibilities in the ministry.

1. Time Factor: - You will bear me witness today that members of the Church are so over consciousness about timing in our services. They will be the last person to arrive to the service and they will be the first person to go out. This is telling us that we are moving to the end time.
2. Technology: - The rate of devices in technology is very alarming. Any Pastor that does not have knowledge about the recent devices in technology may be termed to be old school. The message of this is that we need to be up and doing with the word of God burning in our mind tailored with some scientific terms.
3. Word of Youths: - Messages that can not attract the Youths of today will be like “water over faced down calabash” their language are enormous here for this type of presentation. Pastor need to carry them along while preparing his/her messages if he/she will not loose the youths of his/her congregation. 
4. Finance (Money) (Ecclesiastes 10:19) “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything”. Nowadays members of our Churches get trapped into thinking money is the answer to every problem. We throw money at our problems instead of our faiths or believe. Scripture recognizes that money is necessary for human survival, but it warns against the love of money (Matthew 6:24; I Timothy 6:10; Hebrew 13:5). Pulse, and check how many of your Church members are running away from the Church on Sundays or on any big pronounced programme, just because of money? Yeh, and without money a dynamic Church can not progress smoothly.   
5. World that is dancing into the Church. World methodology has been creeping into the system of the Church now. Whereas Church is to be the light of the world. It became major problem and it challenges the authority of the Pastor when members will be advising him/her of what to do that are of the world. Adamant of Pastor, if care is not taking may lead to seeming crises in the Church.

II. Pastors’ Response to the End Time.

No problem without one solution or another. Yes, men and women who serve the people of God through the ministry of the Church need to be supported and upheld due to the challenges of ministry they face.

1. We must go back to God in prayer. Efficacy of prayer can not be over emphasized. No other weapon to seek the timely face of God at the end time than prayer.
2. The word of God – Bible. In (Joshua 1:6 – 8).

a.       Joshua must be strong and courageous because of the task ahead would not be

easy.

b.      Joshua must obey God’s law

c.       Joshua must constantly read and study the Book of the law – God’s Word ……

In our lives today, in end time, we must follow God’s words. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, and of course the world is not your employer, but you will be a success in God’s eyes and His opinion last forever.

3. Fellowship with other Believers- (Psalm 84:5 – 8; Hebrews 10:25; Proverb 27:7) “. Pastoral work can not be handled single handedly or done in unilaterally. In the book of (Acts 12: 1 – 11), when other Apostle were no where to be found, because all of them had run away for their dear life, the Church stood up to intervene and our Brother Peter was able to stay for some more years. That ought to be our weapon today. Pastor needs a Pastor.
4. Prepare Your Members. (John 14:1 – 4) these few verses are rich with the promises of Jesus Christ.

a.       We can look forward to eternal life because Jesus Christ has promised it to all who

            believes in Him.

b.      The details of eternity are unknown, we need not fear because Jesus is preparing for us and He will spend eternity along with us. He will never prepare a bad place for Himself and we, His followers.

We need to let our members know of this and emphasizing it from time to time.

5. We need to prepare ourselves also.

(I Corinthians 9: 24 – 27). Paul whom the Spirit of the Lord uses to write these major doctrinal teachings did not forget himself from being rapture. In order words, we must be very careful to practice what we are preaching. We must prepare ourselves also for the end time. Why? It is easy to tell others how to live and then not to take our own advice. This will not be our portion in Jesus’ name.

CONCLUSION

                  End time is near, how soon is soon depend upon God’s plan. However as from next month, we will be taking and examining other topics as relate to the Pastor, such as Church growth in the perilous time; Cross; inevitable instrument in the end time; Prayer time in the end time; e.t.c. Let us conclude it that, we shall not be carried away by end time activities and if our Lord Jesus appears, He will count us worthy in His presence. It shall be so in Jesus’ name.

Continually be remembering yourself with –

(Hebrews 12:1 – 3)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. Who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart.”

UNBEATABLE BENEFITS IN CHRIST JESUS

     Benefits is an advantage that something gives you. It could also be a help and useful effect that something offers. Usually, unbeatable is a word in opposite to beaten. To beat or beating is a word commonly used in games or sports, where physical efforts and skillful are needed. The fastest (quick in running; movement and firm) will claim to be beaten others. Because such person was strive to beats all other participants, he or she will be accepted as the winner of that particular race.

Understanding these analogies, unbeatable therefore means impossible to be defeat or defeated. No amount of other extra efforts or skills that can beat the unbeatable.

(Colossians 1: 12 - 14)

ADMONITIONS.

In Paul’s admonitions to the Colossians in chapter One of his written proves that:-

1. Paul heard good news / information’s about the Colossians and he admonished them to stay in their good

faith in Christ Jesus and in their relationship with other servant of the Gospel (Vs. 3 – 9)

2. Based on the information’s he had received, Paul owns it as a duty to be praying for them all the time (V. 3)

3. Paul wants them to stay firm in their Christian Pilgrimage so as to please the Lord, to increase the knowledge of God and to become more fruitful in every good works. (Vs. 10 – 11)

4. He also enumerated reason for his admonitions which are benefits that one can enjoy in Christ Jesu.  

(Vs.12–14).

Our unbeatable benefits we needs to enjoy in Christ Jesus.

V. 12 – Sharing in the inheritance of God’ kingdom.

- With Christ Jesus in our mind, controlling our minds and thought.

- With Christ Jesus whom we have confessed as our Lord and Personal Saviour whom we are representing here on earth.

1. We have a free access to the throne of God.
2. We have undiluted prophesy (like “according to Your word ---“).
3. We are finally entitled to other daily needs which other are looking for and made them fall into pit

because of their devilish ways of fetching for it.

V. 13a. – Snatching us from the power of darkness.

 Generally speaking, darkness is not good. Darkness contains fear and limitation. It connotes all sort of evil ideas, it was from this state of terrified situation that Christ Jesus came into the world to snatch us from it. What an exciting efforts over us. Talking about the power of darkness becomes more fearful and terrified because power of darkness is looking for the foundation of children of light to be destroyed. (Psalm 11: 2 – 3) Christ Jesus snatch us away from its devouric power to enable us enjoy the pleasantry and enduring good of God. If any foundation is crack or faulty, nothing good could be built on it any more. Thank You LORD Jesus for Your frantic efforts of snatching us from the power of darkness.

Vs. 13b. Translating us to become God’s dear son.

There are THREE types of Son in the Bible. They are:-

1. The Created Son (Adam) – Luke 3:38
2. The only Begotten Son (Jesus Christ) – John 3:16.
3. The Adopted Children (Christian all over the World; the Universal Church) – John 1: 11 – 12.

The secular law that are biding the Adopted children are very very strict than the law that governs the biological children. The adopted children (their life) are more precious in the faces of law. In Christ Jesus, we were translated to become dear, precious, so dear to God in every thing.

V. 14. Our Sins are being forgiving in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24 -25; 5:7 - 11)

            Talking about sin, what we are saying is that the sin in thoughts, deeds and in words. Who among the living men that can boast that he / she is not a sinner in this’ general human attitudes and behaviour. No one. Apart from these, Adamic and Generic (Hereditary) sins were also there. Who is then that can die for a righteous man, not to talk of a sinful person. No one.

In Christ Jesus, we were made to be reconciled to God, to safe our dear life, and to proved our being forgiven.

IMPLICATIONS.

1. Christ Jesus needs our commitments than before.
2. Christ Jesus needs our companionship in every side of our life. He wants to accompany His redemption

work with our own lives.

3. Christ Jesus wants us to preach Him in an exciting manner for people believe in Him.
4. Christ Jesus wants us to forgive others and to forget; also to pray for those who have offended us.
5. He wants us to extend these unbeatable benefits to others. This will empower our own relationship with

Him.

My fervent prayer is that as from today upward,

a). May we not be carried away by the perils of  end time in Jesus Christ.

b). May He renew our faith, strength and other aspect of our lives in Him today in Christ Jesus. Amen.