Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The Lord has not raised
up a ruling class by putting elders and overseers in His churches. Rather, He sends men among His
flock to be servants who lead by example and exhibit patience
and prudence with the knowledge that none of them know anything
as they ought to know. Knowledge puffeth up, but love
edifieth. Those who are called to be teachers
are to do so in a fashion which encourages the body to minister
one to another, rather than the notion that ministry is singularly
carried out by teaching and preaching. But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The body is
a living organism which has but one head, from whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love. Paul, in writing to the Corinthian
church, points out that all of the saints are established, anointed,
and sealed by the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from
the dead. He clearly states that his desire
is to be their servant and not their lord or taskmaster. Not
for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of
your joy, for by faith ye stand. All of God's children share in
that one faith which is revealed by His Spirit and applied to
their hearts according to the measure which pleases Him. Paul
ascribes the activity of establishing, anointing, and sealing completely
to the Lord. There is no cooperative effort
spoken of. Rather, this is an operation
which is carried out solely by the Lord, according to His will
and purpose. Those upon whom He is pleased
to perform this operation are but objects of His mercy and
tender care. They are not described as having
any particular worth or quality, that is, except that which He
has bestowed upon them. Next, he points out that the
establishing is mutually applied to all of the saints together.
Now, he which established us with you is Christ. Paul is speaking
about being firmly planted upon a solid foundation. For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. The sons of God are built together
upon that rock, which the Lord said he would build his church,
against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. Now therefore,
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in
whom ye also are built together for the inhabitation of God through
the Spirit. Then he says that God hath anointed
us. Anointing must be applied by
someone other than the one being anointed. This Greek word, which
is translated as anointed, literally means to smear or rub with oil,
which by implication refers to the consecrating or setting apart
unto some office or service. The sons of God are anointed
by him who has called them from darkness to light. They are each
given gifts according to his purpose, for the profit of the
whole body. But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. But unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Let none say that they
have no gifts, for the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance. It is unfortunate that the gifts of many are relegated
to a place of non-importance by those who would exalt their
own teaching gifts to the exclusion of them in the assembly. Finally,
he speaks of being sealed and given the earnest of his spirit.
While being sealed is akin to being anointed, they are not
identical concepts. This seal is a stamp of approval
which cannot be overturned. Christ himself is one sealed
by the Father, for him hath God the Father sealed. As he is that
one who is sealed in the courts of heaven, then it follows that
all who are found in him abide under that same seal. To prove
that this is so, he has given us an earnest, that is, a pledge
or binder, until he comes to claim that which is his. in whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the
earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory. Thus the Lord prepares
his people, whom he has purchased with his own blood, to minister
to their brethren by giving them his Spirit, and equipping them
for the task he has called them to. Are you sealed in Christ? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.