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In Whom I Believe

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Jared Meredith

Many world issues are all around us and among us. Nationwide issues are prevalent, and local issues (where we are at least) are in vast abundance. When we hear of all the problems that are going on, the first instinct is to immediately “tune it out”.

That scares me.

My question is, whatever happened to the day when God’s people prayed in whom they believed? I know at one point it use to dominate everywhere that I would go; you could not go somewhere without the presence of God being reflected in some way. Now? It’s starting to fade from the falling away of the conditioning of the children of God today. I wish I could say something better than that, but I like to speak things that will get us thinking. We are all included in that list, because we have to learn to go forward and not stop! Sometimes I know it seems silly to sit down and to pray for situations that are way bigger than you are, but we have to be reminded of two things: 1) We aren’t able, but 2) God is!

If we can remember that, and hold true to the promises of God, we could have enough to fill our prayers every single day. We wouldn’t dread to hear things that would “pull us down”; I would say we would take a different approach. People that came to Jesus were met with faith and power. When people come to us, what do they see? What do they hear? I hope that when people come to the church of today, they know about “in whom we believe”. I hope we do not forget who is alive and on the throne today, and hears our every prayer! Knock the dust off of your prayer voice and get going! The next time someone comes to you with something, just remind them that you are praying about it (and that you actually are for real)!

Understanding God’s Will

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Jared Meredith

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Behind any action, there is always a decision behind it. Every decision has a driven will. A person’s will is their own and free for them to decide.

So how does all of that connect with God?

Matthew 26:36-39

[36] Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
[37] And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
[38] Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
[39] And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

When Jesus at the garden, there was a great trial before him; in fact, this would become one of the greatest tests of will that we know as Christians today.

Even though Christ was justified for more reasons than one for giving up and turning away from this, he still chose the Father’s will over His own.

If Christ was strong enough to choose the will of God in the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, that speaks to me in so many ways! I am so thankful for the choice that was made. I now know that I have to begin to choose God’s will over mine own, even when I think I have the right or reason to.

If we are not too careful though, we might become as the disciples were:

Matthew 26:40-41

[40] And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
[41] Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Where were those disciples, really? Yes, in the moment they were asleep in the garden. In our readings and interpretations though, they are metaphorically in the church of today (not literally).

We become comfortable with the way things are, and will (in theory) fall asleep on our walk with God. Then in that moment when Christ comes to speak to us, is what we hear “Could ye not watch with me one hour?”

Are we not able to come in and worship anymore? Are we not able to back the ministers of God and show support? Are we not able to get in and do what God has called us to do? We often blame it on reason, but we do not actually do anything because of our lack of will to do so.

Mark 3:24-25

[24] And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
[25] And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

We have to begin submitting to God’s will and not ours. My will could never carry anyone or anything. My leadership in the church should never be directed by mine own will, but God’s through me. You see, God’s will can lead us through things know and also things unseen.

When leaders take the will into their own hands, critical mistakes occur. This results in self-directed sermons, songs that do not magnify God, and not being attentive to the spirit; in other words we do what we think the church needs. That’s a scary thought, but it’s true. Following God’s will leads to the only path for certain victory.

Mark 3:32-35

[32] And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
[33] And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
[34] And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
[35] For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

There are many areas where our willpower must drive our want to obey:

Supporting Singing
Taking Interest In Preaching
Being More Involved In Church Functions
Being Active In Altar Service

If I could say anything, we as a church must begin to cast out every hindrance and distraction. It is vitally essential to see the fruitfulness and the increase of the desire of the people grow!

Always remember, it does not matter who it is that is carrying forth what God has led them to do; as long as it bears witness by the spirit you need not fear!

So how do we know the will of God? Do we want to know the will of God?

Are we truly ready to submit our lives and everything involved to them to his will?

Philippians 2:12-13

[12] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

I know that we often love to depend on others to “move” us during service, but God has given us more than enough to move ourselves. He wants to do a great work in you, and it is in God’s pleasure to do it! He wants us to begin to have a stronger will to get up and be more obedient, to get up and go get those in need that God leads you towards, and to get up and keep yourself from falling short simply by doing nothing at all!

Our Duties To Self And Others

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Jared Meredith

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Duties demand us to realize that we are all one body, TOGETHER.

Malachi 2:10

[10] Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Proverbs 22:2

[2] The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

Do we not see whether we want to accept it or not that we are all one body? There are many occasions where people choose not to accept everyone in a church simply because “we don’t like them”. We have a given duty to be better than that, and love should be the driver of that duty!

We have to accept that we also have a duty to ourselves to stay continually “up”. We as individuals must begin to be in a good Godly place so that we can be of help to others also. We that are knowledgeable in this (or rich in spirit) have to learn to server those that simply are not of the understanding (or poor in spirit) yet.

Romans 15:1-2

[1] We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
[2] Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

Romans 13:10

[10] Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We have to begin to realize that we as the church of today have a duty to our neighbors (those that are close to us). It is my given duty to edify you, lift you up and encourage you!

When I read the phrase “worketh no ill”, it tells me to not go out of my way to make someone mad or work against them. I have found that reading through the word of God makes us grow up and do things that mature Godly adults should be doing!

We cannot always assume that people know that we love or care about them. We have to actively begin to show through our obedience to God as well as our willingness to obey even when we feel weak or do not feel like it.

Proverbs 25:21-22

[21] If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
[22] For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.

Proverbs 24:17-18

[17] Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

[18] Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

With being willing to serve our enemies (those working against us) comes a love that we thought that we never had, thus entering the true love of God.

You will begin to demonstrate qualities to others that you never thought that you ever could: forgiveness, compassion, mercy, patience, etc. These qualities and more will begin to stand out in you all the more if you will allow them to.

One of the most wore out excuses about disobedience in church is that “someone offended me and I just can’t do it now”. Are we not grown up enough to move on past these things and go forward with our lives? Imagine the weight that would be lifted off of you if you moved on from things that have been hindering you for so long!

Leviticus 19:34

[34] But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Matthew 25:35-36

[35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
[36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

We are going to have those in our midst that need to be just as important as those we know and love. One of the integral parts of the ministry is our duties to strangers (those we do not know). We have to remember that we are only effective to people that do not know Jesus Christ when we are being virtuous in and out of service. I cannot emphasize this enough, but we must do this when we feel like it or when we do not! We have to always remember that everybody is somebody, and that Jesus is Lord! I hope that I spend the same amount of time for a stranger to find Christ as I would some of my closest loved ones!

Find Your Balance In What You Do For Others

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Jared Meredith

Being in a ministry that requires so much of your time allows you to learn many lessons along the way, and I thought that I would share one today that would help all of us grow together as individuals, ministries, and churches all the same.

There are people that I know as well as people that I do not, but nonetheless my ministry has been called to reach out to all of them with the same love and compassion that was showed to me with no regard to my past or persona. I hope that the church of today turns no one away or treats them differently or would chose one over another. Favoritism is just another one of those things that has to stay outside of the doors and should go and live with the “popular opinion”.

Jesus went to heal the sick and afflicted, reached out to the lost and rejected, and loved whosoever would come to believe. We are supposed to attain the mind of Christ, or in other words, take on that same frame of mind. So whatever need comes across your path, no matter how big or small it may be, we have to meet it with a balance of equal love. Just to put it simply in an example: if you spend 20 minutes praying for someone and two for someone else, those things are noticed; especially if you are a leader or someone that is a person depended on in your local community.

Please be considerate, and never forget the compassion once shown towards you! Do this, and people will take on what they see by the example set in you.

Very big words today, but very important.