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Pray, Worship and Surrender

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Jared Meredith

2 Chronicles 20:5-9,12-15

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

1) Jehoshaphat praises, confesses and declares that God is omnipotent over all and no one can stand against his power or in the way of his will.

2) He praises God for his faithfulness (his track record) to his people in the past and in the present.

3) He confessed that there was nothing they could do in and of themselves to change the situation. And by this they were totally surrendered to God for his help, mercy and deliverance.

The next thing that happened is when God spoke back.

If you go to God in prayer with a sincere heart he WILL respond
God has a word for you and your situation
Many times the Holy Spirit shows up after God’s people come before him to worship and confess their dependency on him.

Always remember when we confess our faults and ask for forgiveness then we get to a place where we can worship. When we can worship we produce humbleness in our heart and open up our spirit man/woman. And when we are humble in our heart we can then surrender to God and listen for his response in our lives!

The Purpose Of The Ministry

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Jared Meredith

God’s purpose is to build up the body of Christ. It is not your agenda, your ideals or your doctrines. It is to build up the body of Christ by saving the saving of souls and renewing of weary hearts.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 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.

V11 – God has a team assigned to the saints to Maturity

Apostles and prophets through their writings and words
Evangelists teach us the value of soul winning
Pastors and teachers keep believers strong in faith
They are called to “perfect” or “mature” the saints

V12 – Who is to do the work of the ministry? The saints!

Saints are to do the work of the ministry:

saints are those who have been born again
All believers are called to do the work of the ministry

We tend to reverse the divine plan by:

making pastors do the work of the ministry
people show up to listen and critique sermons
congregations seek to perfect the pastors to minister
we are becoming paid spectators

By doing this:

the church becomes as slow as s snail
Members miss the blessing of the ministry
When the body is not busy it creates busybodies

We must return to being the WHO behind the ministry

V12 – What is the work of the ministry? Anything that builds up the body of Christ!

The ministry is anything that builds up the body

to edify is to build up
What are you doing to edify? Fellowship? Support? Compassion? Praying?

The ministry is caring for the afflicted

Comforting the sick and sorrowful

1 Thessalonians 5:11-14

11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Visiting and care for the fatherless and widows

James 1:27

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Being a caregiver for the physical needs of believers

Romans 12:13

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Helping the poor

Romans 15:25-26

25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

Helping those overtaken by a fault

Galatians 6:1

6 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Encouraging one another

Hebrews 10:25

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

V13-16 – What happens when we do all the work of the ministry?

The church is unified
Believers become Christlike
Christians become solid in faith
The church is protected from false teaching
Love flows through all preaching and teaching
The church grows and is known for fellowship and love

– And out of this people can be saved, delivered and set free!

Attention: Now Accepting Applications For Spiritual Leaders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Jared Meredith

I first would like to clarify in a very silly way that this is in no way directed towards Heart of Grace Ministries actually taking applications. I am writing this today for what I feel God is leading me to give some direction on about spiritual leadership.

When it comes to the everyday hometown spiritual leaders, most of them have put in many wonderful years of service. The examples of people that I have had the privilege to meet and know has blessed me and helped me beyond words I could explain today. The part that alarms me is that how we are starting to not match up or miss with the word of God. All through the times you read in the scriptures the anointing and wisdom of the older generations was written and passed down, purposed for the up and coming seed that was growing to be the new leaders after them. There were multiple cases of this you can study to, and how the ministries and works only multiplied!

Today I am striving with all that is within me to be a spiritual leader and to use what had been passed down to me. I cannot say that when I received all of the wisdom that I saw myself as ‘ready’, but God sure did! Even at a younger age God has already given me a work and a purpose. If I were to waiver or give up on this purpose, I would not only be hindering the work God had intended for me but the works that were passed down to me!

So as God leads you each and every day, learn to take in each and every good work and wisdom from your elders. Give respect and honor and understand their purpose to better help you find yours! God is surely looking for those of us in the current generation to begin to rise as the new and next leaders of God! How do we apply? Prayer and continual seeking before Him! Finding your calling is the easy part (just like your dream job), but sticking with it with dedicated passion and purpose will prove you as a leader to others and a follower of Christ!