January 29, 2012

Santosh Poonen

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• Summary: Practical instructions on the relationship between elders and other members in the church.
• Quote: The way God establishes authority in the church is the exact opposite of the “pyramid schemes” used by the world to establish authority in its organizations (Marks 9:35, 10:44)
• Quote: Jesus set us the ultimate example of how to “climb the spiritual ladder” — he became the ruler in God’s kingdom by humbling himself to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-9).
• Quote: The church needs plurality of elders for leadership because:
  • the elders must set an example of submission to the flock, by submitting to each other
  • there must be a balance of vision and administration through the elders
  • the elders must share the burden of responsibility, lest they burn out
  • the elders must have accountability
  • this is the example that the apostles set out in the first century
• 1. Elders must rule well (I Timothy 5:17).
• 2. Elders must live above reproach, because they incur the greater judgment from God (I Timothy 5:19). This is also why an accusation of an elder by an individual must never be received.
• 3. Elders must instill the fear of God in the church by rebuking sin (I Timothy 5:20).
• 4. Elders must be impartial (I Timothy 5:21).
• 5. Elders must keep free from every appearance of sin (I Timothy 5:22).
• 6. Elders must not be legalistic (I Timothy 5:23).
• 7. Elders must fight against every form of hypocrisy (I Timothy 5:24-25).
• Quote: Once someone chooses to submit to authority in the church, they must obey their leaders. The elders then have responsibility for those who submit to them (Hebrews 13:17).
• Quote: Elders must be considered worthy of double honor.
• Quote: God gives permission to those who preach the gospel to earn their living from it.
• Quote: Those who, like Paul, understand their obligation to the gospel, and are under compulsion, as having stewardship before God, will not use the right to earn a living from the gospel so that they cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ (I Corinthians 9:12-17).

by Zac Poonen

Despite man’s advancement in many areas, human relationships continue to present problems all over the world. Business concerns and agencies spend huge sums employing personnel to promote harmony among workers. Well, one might think it is understandable that self-centred, unconverted people find it difficult to get along with each other, but surely when people are born-again and have become new creatures in Christ, such problems can never arise. For, after all, when God is the center of one’s life and service, what possible room can there be for the petty problems that besiege others?

Yet, sadly, no proof is needed of the fact that Christians fight and quarrel with each other, all over the world. Many are not even on speaking terms with some of their fellow-Christians; some cannot even stand the sight of certain other Christians. The Name of God continues to be disgraced in the world by the behaviour of professing believers. Jesus said that the world would identify His disciples by their intense love for one another. This was – generally speaking – literally fulfilled in the first two centuries of the Christian era. The world looked at the Christians with amazement then, and exclaimed, “Behold how these Christians love one another!” Today, the story is different and the world often says, “Behold how these Christians hate one another!”

Relationships are indeed most important. Gifts, talents, methods, techniques, programmes and finances are all secondary to people and to inter-personal relationships. The church can fulfill her God-ordained function as the light of the world only when there is true Christian fellowship among her members. Likewise, an individual believer can become a minister of life to others only when he himself has learned to live according to the law of love with his fellow-Christians.

The Bible plainly and repeatedly teaches that no Christian can have fellowship with God without fellowshipping with other believers. You cannot walk with God if you do not walk in love with your fellow-believer. The cross on which Jesus died had two planks – a vertical one and a horizontal one: Jesus came to bring peace not only between man and God (vertically) but also between man and man (horizontally). The vertical and the horizontal relationships go hand in hand. You cannot have the former if you ignore the latter.

John, the apostle of love, has some very strong words to say on this matter. One of the evidences, he says, of genuine conversion is that a man begins to love his fellow-Christians. If a man does not have this love, it is a sure indication that his conversion is spurious and that he is heading for eternal death (1 John 3:14). Doctrinal correctness was not the only test that the apostles applied to ascertain where a man stood in relation to God. Later on in the same letter, John says that if a man claims that he loves God while hating his brother, he is a liar. Mark that! The proper name for such a man is not “believer”, but rather, “liar”! And John’s logic is irresistible. He says a brother is visible whereas God is invisible. If you cannot love the visible, it is impossible to love the invisible. (1 Jn. 4:20).

Now compare this with the experience of most “believers.” Love for God is usually assessed in terms of busy activity in Christian work or in terms of rapturous feelings of delight experienced in a meeting. These can be most deceptive. I have come across believers who are out of fellowship with other Christians, who testify nevertheless to “wonderful times of prayer” and to “amazing results in service.” How could they possibly be walking with God when they have not even made an effort to settle matters with other members of God’s family against whom they have a grudge? Surely Satan has blinded their minds to the truth of Scripture!

Often, we do not realise what we deprive ourselves of, when fellowship is broken with other believers. The Bible tells us that we can discover the breadth, length, depth and height of Christ’s love and be filled with all the fullness of God only along “with all the saints” (Eph. 3:17-19). It is only as we know the reality of fellowship with the believers God places us with, that we shall be able to enter into an experiential understanding of the love of Christ and of the fullness of God.

The one who cuts himself off from any fellow-Christian, thereby deprives himself of the experience of Christ’s love and grace which could have been his through that person. When we fail to live by the law of love, we rob ourselves of some of Christ’s riches and some of God’s fulness.

© Copyright – This article has been copyrighted to prevent misuse. It should not be reprinted or translated without written permission from the author. Permission is however given for this article to be downloaded and printed, provided it is for FREE distribution, provided NO ALTERATIONS are made, provided the AUTHOR’S NAME AND THE CFC WEBSITE ADDRESS are mentioned, and provided this COPYRIGHT notice ["Copyright by Zac Poonen"] is included in each printout.

For more information or to subscribe to the weekly email, please write to : wftw@cfcindia.com

To read or download previous issues of “ZAC POONEN’S WORD FOR THE WEEK” please go to the : CFC website

by Phil Lapp

“But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives…” I Timothy 5:6
In this context of instruction, the Holy Spirit is speaking about widows who were being supported by the Church in their calling to the ministry of serving the Saints.

God has called all of His Children into a life of obedient service. Many Christians begin this journey whole-heartedly and sincerely, but somewhere down the road they begin to mix in some “fleshly” pleasure. The pleasure of getting their own way.

Selfish ambitions which appear spiritual and loving, but are fake, because they are motivated by Pride, jealousy, competition, envy, the fear of man, or for some other reason, than a meek and quiet submission to the Holy Spirit.

This will always bring about a death in our inner man, even though we keep living. Disobedient rebellion to God always brings a death to our Spirit. It may go unnoticed by many who live around us, but it is no joke!

“For if you live according to the flesh will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13

Are you dead while you live?

The opposite truth is to die while you live. This is the “living sacrifice” of my own will, crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

To die while you live means you are constantly putting to death the desire of pleasing yourself. This is not the self–immolation many other religions teach, rather it is the death to Sin, we are instructed into in the 6th Chapter of Romans.

If you have begun this walk of careful obedience to the Holy Spirit, do not try to perfect it in the flesh; ie…in the self-confidence of your own will and reason. This will surely bewitch you into a good feeling or soulish Christian experience.

“In the volume of the book it is written of me – I come to do thy will, O God.”

© Copyright – This article has been copyrighted to prevent misuse. It should not be reprinted or translated without written permission from the author. Permission is however given for this article to be downloaded and printed , provided it is for FREE distribution, provided NO ALTERATIONS are made, provided the AUTHOR’S NAME AND ADDRESS are mentioned and provided this COPYRIGHT notice ["Copyright by Phil Lapp"] is included in each printout.

For further details, please contact: RLCF

January 22, 2012

Santosh Poonen

Please first read this important notice regarding these videos.

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• Summary: Principles for the church in providing assistance to those in need.
• Quote: If you are serious about building the Body of Christ, God will give you family that is closer than your own immediate family.
• Quote: The gate into the church must never be anything other than this : have you forsaken all to follow Jesus Christ?
• Quote: When the church begins to help people without truly ascertaining whether there is a genuine need, the result is that people become: idle, house wanderers, gossips and busybodies, given to wanton pleasure; this brings reproach to the name of Christ (I Timothy 5:3,6-7,11-13). This is the danger of the “social gospel”.
• Quote: All human compassion is as far away from the compassion of God as heaven is above the earth (Isaiah 55:9).
• Quote: The secret to seeing the practical needs of people around us met, is to get them gripped with the message of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
• Quote: The reason Jesus was able to accomplish everything that He was supposed to do even in the short 33 years, is because He only did what the Father commanded — no less, no more.
• Quote: Jesus is the perfect example that if we walk in step with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish within our lifetime, everything that the Father has intended for us to do on earth.
• Quote: As a church it is vital for us to be sure that the work we are doing is that of gold, silver, and precious stones (I Corinthians 2:12-13) — that it is from God, through God, and to God (Romans 11:36).
• Quote: Before someone receives assistance from the church he/she must: have a good testimony in marriage and home, have a reputation in good works, have shown hospitality, have been a servant to the church, have assisted those in distress, have devoted themselves to every good work; this gives the enemy no occasion for reproach (I Timothy 5:9-10,14)
• Quote: Before a church provides assistance to someone we must remember the Scriptural principle that immediate family has the first responsibility: children must provide for needy parents, and parents provide for needy children (I Timothy 5:4,16).
• Quote: When we provide for our immediate family, it pleases God and is an indication of our fear of God (I Timothy 5:4).
• Quote: The “Corban” mentality (Mark 7:6-13) will cause you to neglect the responsibility that you have to your immediate family. Such a person has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (I Timothy 5:8).
• Quote: When will the Devil try to get you to do something good (like reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, helping someone in need, etc.)? When doing so prevents you from doing that other thing that God wants you to do! This is how he comes as an angel of light.
• Quote: If you are a person requiring assistance from the church: fix your hope on God, and continue in entreaties & prayers night & day (I Timothy 5:5).
• Quote: if you truly believe the church is your family, you will: treat church resources as if they are your own; be frugal with church money so that genuine needs can be met; be a steward who is both faithful (not cheating) and wise (not wasting).

January 15, 2011

Phil Lapp

Please first read this important notice regarding these videos.

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• Summary: I Timothy 5:1-2

January 8, 2012

Santosh Poonen

Please first read this important notice regarding these videos.

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• Summary: Do you have a ‘Plan B’ with God? Or are you an “all-in” Christian, living with complete abandon to Him?
• Quote: There are ‘Santa Claus’ Christians, ‘Plan B’ Christians, and ‘Abandon’ Christians. Which one are you?
• Quote: You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all. Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. (I Timothy 4:9-10, 15-16 MSG)
• Quote: When you start to act out of fear – because of your expectations (that others will fail you) or your reputation (that you’ll look like a fool) – you will then start to make excuses to fulfill your physical needs (money, health, etc.); your emotional needs (past hurts, loss, sorrow, etc.); and your relational needs (family, friends, etc.) – Luke 9:57-62. This is the path to becoming a ‘Plan B’ Christian.
• Quote: Paul become an ‘Abandon’ Christian after receiving this commission from Jesus: “Wake up! I have spoken to you for this purpose: to appoint you as an ambassador – of the things which you have already seen, and the things which I will yet show you. While delivering you from the world, I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among all the others who have been made pure by faith in Me.”
• Quote: Paul served the church in Ephesus with complete abandon (Acts 20:13-38).
• Quote: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear… we love because He first loves us” (I John 4:18-19).
• Quote: We abandon ourselves to Him because He first abandoned Himself to us.

January 1, 2012

Santosh Poonen: The Christmas We Need

Phil Lapp: Lordship and Servanthood

Please first read this important notice regarding these videos.

Due to technical difficulties during the broadcast of this sermon, there is some static sound disturbance in the video playback beginning around 6 minutes into the message, and only the first 11 minutes of the message were recorded. If you prefer, please use the Sermon Audio link below, to listen to this sermon.

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• Summary: Our mission at RLCF: Building a local church as an expression of the Body of Christ.
• #1: The Holy Spirit is looking for spiritual virgins — ones who are absolutely chaste — through whom He can form the Body of Christ (Luke 1:26).
• #2: The Body of Christ is conceived only by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35-37).
• #3: The Body of Christ is formed through those who have the attitude of a bondslave (Luke 1:38-55).
• Quote: The local church must be propagating “Christ-mas” (Christ’s mission) every day through the lives of its members.
• Quote: It is as impossible for you to build the Body of Christ, as it was for Mary to conceive Jesus on her own. The Holy Spirit must do it!
• Quote: To be a bondslave is to bear the “reproach of Christ” – that means: not identifying with the world; choosing to endure ill-treatment with the people of God; valuing the reproache of Christ more than money (Hebrews 11:24-26).
• Quote: You know the Body of Christ is truly being formed through you, when you can rejoice in the benefit others will get from your sacrifice (Luke 1:46-55, Phil. 2:3-8) and suffer inconvenience without complaining (Luke 2:35).

by Zac Poonen

The Bible says that “the godly man’s life is exciting” (Prov.14:14 – Living).

Let me give you my testimony. I am 72 years old now (November 2011), and I have been a born-again child of God for more than 52 years. I can testify honestly that my Christian life has been exciting. I have been through many trials, but in all of them, I have experienced God in exciting ways. And I believe the best part of my life is still ahead of me. I am excited to be able to live for God and serve Him. To serve Him is the best thing that anyone can do in this world.

I don’t have a complaint against a single person in the world. Nobody has ever succeeded in doing harm to me so far. Many have tried to harm me, and some of my co-workers have betrayed me and turned against me. Many “Christians” have spread falsehoods about me in “Christian” magazines and on the Internet, and some of them have even taken me to court. But all of these have only been a part of “the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings” for me; and everything that everyone did has only worked for my good – as it says in Romans 8:28. So I actually thank God for all of them, because God has used their evil actions to make me a better man – more Christlike in my reactions. That was the main good that came out of their evil actions.

We need to be BROKEN first of all, before we can be useful to God. God uses many people and events to break our pride and our confidence in our own abilities and to make us small in our own eyes.

God broke me much in my younger days, and He is still breaking me today. This is the way of fruitfulness. The more we are broken, the more God can use us to be a blessing to others. We read in Exodus 17 that it was only when the rock was smitten that the waters begin to flow. When a woman brought an alabaster vial of perfume to anoint Jesus, it was only when the vial was broken that the sweet aroma filled the house (Mark 14:3). To feed the five thousand, Jesus took the bread and blessed it. But no-one was fed until the bread was broken. What is the message in all of these examples? Just this that brokenness is the way of blessing. When an atom is split, it generates enough power to give electricity to a whole city! An atom is so small that you can’t even see it under a microscope. But when it is broken, what tremendous power is released. The message in nature as well as in the Bible is just this: God’s power is released through brokenness. May that message grip us all in the coming new year.

God gripped me with this message in 1963 when I first sought Him for power in my life and ministry. Right then, before I resigned from the Navy, God showed me that the way of brokenness was the way of power. And I never want to forget this all my life. I want to encourage young people especially to learn this lesson while they are still young.

A second requirement is a living FAITH in the promises of God.

God made two promises to the elders of Israel in Egypt: “I will bring you (1) out of the land of Egypt and (2) into the land of the Canaanites.” (Ex.3:17). As you can see, there were two promises there. But only the first one was fulfilled. The second was not fulfilled. None of those elders entered Canaan – because they did not respond in faith when the time came to enter Canaan (Numbers 13). God’s promises are not fulfilled, until we respond in faith. God’s promise and our faith are like two electric wires. It is only when they touch each other (as in an electric switch) that the power begins to flow through the wires. You may hear about God’s promise and understand it. But it is only when your faith reaches out and says, “Yes, I believe that will be fulfilled in my life,” that the promise will be fulfilled. At the borders of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb believed God’s promise, and so only they entered the promised land. May we have the same faith and live continuously in the promised land of victory in the new year.

We wish you all a very blessed New Year – one of greater brokenness and greater faith in God.

© Copyright – This article has been copyrighted to prevent misuse. It should not be reprinted or translated without written permission from the author. Permission is however given for this article to be downloaded and printed, provided it is for FREE distribution, provided NO ALTERATIONS are made, provided the AUTHOR’S NAME AND THE CFC WEBSITE ADDRESS are mentioned, and provided this COPYRIGHT notice ["Copyright by Zac Poonen"] is included in each printout.

For more information or to subscribe to the weekly email, please write to : wftw@cfcindia.com

To read or download previous issues of “ZAC POONEN’S WORD FOR THE WEEK” please go to the : CFC website

by Phil Lapp

“And Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed, they were afraid.” Mark 10:32

There are many days in a disciple’s life that are amazing! These are the days when you are walking hand in hand with Jesus, and all of a sudden He turns towards the Cross and commands you to follow Him.

To the baby Christian and even many grown up / mature disciples this is the most amazing experience of walking with Jesus, and for some time we are afraid.

In this context Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, and they knew it wasn’t safe to go there. He had quit walking openly among the Pharisees and scribes, because they were seeking to kill him.

Then He begins to tell them of the Cross and that He must suffer and die, but on the third day Rise again.

As the disciple walks with His Lord, He speaks quite clearly of the Cross and the things which he (the disciple) must suffer for His name’s sake. The Cross of Jesus is not some abstract and obscure instrument of death.

It is always very specific, and very menacing to the flesh! The flesh knows it must die in this area, and there is no other way forward in our walk with Jesus. If we should choose to follow Jesus, He is walking directly towards this Cross of death to our self-will.

The Cross of discipleship is not chosen by the disciple, but by His Lord. The disciple only has one choice…To follow and obey or turn around and discontinue following the Lord in this matter.

Jesus didn’t choose his Cross, rather it was chosen for Him by His Father. He simply obeyed His Father.

So every disciple of Jesus is given a Cross daily. This Cross takes on many different forms of circumstances, but is always clearly marked in that it is for His sake alone that you must bear it.

There is no personal glory or gain in the Cross of Christ, except the hope of the resurrection into a new life with Him. A life of fellowship of suffering, he hasn’t known up to now. And when the disciple follows in quiet obedience; Behold, all things become New!

2Cor 5:15 “and he died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

(17) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

This is the “knowing Him” that Paul speaks of in Philippians 3:10. Obedience to the Cross of death to my self-life; that He chooses for me every day.

It is truly amazing to walk with Jesus!

© Copyright – This article has been copyrighted to prevent misuse. It should not be reprinted or translated without written permission from the author. Permission is however given for this article to be downloaded and printed , provided it is for FREE distribution, provided NO ALTERATIONS are made, provided the AUTHOR’S NAME AND ADDRESS are mentioned and provided this COPYRIGHT notice ["Copyright by Phil Lapp"] is included in each printout.

For further details, please contact: RLCF

December 25, 2011

Phil Lapp

Please first read this important notice regarding these videos.

Due to technical difficulties during the broadcast of this sermon, there is some static sound disturbance in the video playback. If you prefer, please use the Sermon Audio link below, to listen to this sermon.

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• Summary: I Timothy 4:6-8