Copyright © 2012 by William Valmyr
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14)
In the Gospels, Christ is presented in His earthly ministry, but in the Book of Acts He is present in His heavenly ministry, building His Church, as He promised (Mt. 16:18), through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts we find the greatest teaching of Jesus on the gaze of the soul toward the living God. The emphasis is on practical ministry that is empowered by a vibrant relationship with Christ and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I will take the liberty to use the words of A. W. Tozer (1993), author of The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine to illustrate this model of ministry:
“We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. “No man can come to me,” said our Lord, “except the Father which hath sent me draw him,” and it is by this very prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for the act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholdeth me.” (Psalms 63:8) (Tozer, p. 11-12).”
The Bible summons us to emulate the most viable models of ministry namely the ministries of Christ and that of the early Apostles. It is my opinion that their ministries were authentic, genuine and Spirit-led because they based their ministries on Scripture (theology) and its practical application through service to God and man. It is my prayer that the local church will experience revival in 2012 and that such a spiritual renewal will touch every facet of society.
Copyright © 2012 by William Valmyr
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
Ready, Set, Go
Are you ready to take the next step in God’s plan for your life in 2012? Don’t miss another moment that could be spent in the blessings of God’s promises? This year God is ready and willing to turn your ordinary into the extraordinary, if you will walk in obedience! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Eph. 3:20). Don't doubt God's power this year; just put your faith in His Word!
Competing Affections
There are many things competing for our hearts and affections. The challenge for the follower of Christ is to be totally committed to honoring the Lord with his or her whole heart. Jesus commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" Mark 12:30.
I encourage you to pray the prayer of Jabez over your life daily. Set your affections on God, set your heart on things that are above and go for your God-given dream and purpose. Let us lift each other in prayer so that we do not compromise in our love for Christ! Grace and peace! I am praying for you!
Copyright © 2012 by William Valmyr
Friends, God has a purpose for your life. I am convinced that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV). You have been given the charge to walk in the will and purpose of God for your lives.
Is your Christianity a private matter only—personally comforting but culturally irrelevant? Are you touching lives through your spheres of influence? As Christians, we are expected to be witnesses for Christ. And as followers and disciples of Jesus the Christ, we are challenged to be relevant, authentic and consistent in that witness. No matter what you are going through remember that you are Christ’s epistles, known and read by all men; as the Apostle Paul says “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3, NIV).
I encourage you to be ambassadors of Christ wherever you are. There are 7 billion people on this planet; someone is waiting to see Christ through your life. I am praying for you and I hope that you are praying for me as well. Grace and peace be multiplied to you!r Christianity a private matter only—personally comforting but culturally irrelevant? Are you touching lives through your spheres of influence? As Christians, we are expected to be witnesses for Christ. As followers and disciples of Jesus the Christ, we are challenged to be relevant, authentic and consistent in that witness. No matter what you going through remember that you are Christ’s epistles, known and read by all men; as the Apostle Paul says “clearly you are an epistle of Christ , ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tables of flesh, that is, of the heart.”
