Exhortations For The Church: Volume 10

Preface
  
 Waiting is something that can be a challenge.  We often want, what we want, immediately!  So learning to wait patiently for Jesus Christ's return for the church and to wait patiently for the new heaven and new earth prepared by God for us is an endurance requiring effort.

Hebrews 10 ... 34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

To me, it is helpful to remember Paul's instruction to Timothy as he waited for the return of Paul.

Paul said:  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  I Tim. 4:13

As this world faithfully watches a TV series, we have a daily "habit", pattern, of reading chapters of the Bible and of reading godly exhortations.  As we do so, we cause our mind to be focused on things above not on things of this earth which will perish with using.  Our way of life is in God, in HIM.

And we warn one another as we see the pending evil ... (exhortation) We try to keep those we love from falling into a pit of this life.  We would spare them.  And our corrections and exhortations are truly the mercy of God toward them.  (Heb. 8:12 ... For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness)  

And we renew our minds to doctrine of Christ which has often been removed by church groups.  We reread the instructions of various doctrines set forth in Bible, such as doctrines concerning divorce and remarriage, getting our minds to go in the way of God on these subjects, rejecting the way of this world.

Concerning divorce remarriage, Jesus says:  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.  Mt. 5:32

Paul instructs the NT church10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.  I Cor. 7 


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Concerning homosexual/lesbians:   21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  Romans 1


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Concerning living in unrighteousness:   9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  I Cor. 6

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This book is filled with exhortations for the church which encourage us daily in the way of God as we live on this present earth. 

Joan Boney 


1

Jesus says: "I am glorified in them." (Jn. 17:10)

Is Jesus glorified in Paul?  Is Jesus glorified in Peter?  Is Jesus glorified in you?

Each time we do what God shows us to do, Jesus is glorified in us.

Each time we obey a scripture given us by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is glorified in us.

Each time we set about to do what we believe we have heard from God, Jesus is glorified in us.

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John 17:18 ... Jesus said to God ...  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Jesus spoke the words God gave to HIM.  This did the work of God. 

John 17:8 ... For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me;

God reveals things to us, wisdom from God, and we share that wisdom.  It is not wisdom of our own reasoning but rather what God has shown us by HIS Spirit.   

And we do those things shown us by God.

This glorifies God. 

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When we believe what we have heard is from God, we simply obey.  We often do not understand but we believe that is what God has shown us, so we do it.  That is faith in God.

And we end up giving glory to God by doing what HE has said.  This is how we give glory to God.

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When I was born again, 1975, I owned a business.  A woman filed a law suit against me and took me to court.  I heard:  "Don't testify." 

After hearing that instruction, I called my lawyer and told him he might not want to represent me in court because God had told me not to testify.  Lawyer replied that he would represent me, then he added, "But if you testify I know we will win this case.  Otherwise, I think we will win but if you testify I know we will win."

A woman who worked for me witnessed the incident and she was going to testify.  But when she found I was not going to testify, she became angry with me and said all the burden would fall on her.

I explained to her:  "God has told me 'Don't testify', so I can't testify." 

The man I was dating at that time said to me, "Joan... you aren't doing this girl any favor by not testifying."

I explained to him that I was not trying to do any favor to this girl.  I was just trying to do what I heard from God.  "Don't testify."

(Of course none of them understood but I just went forward trying to obey God.)

When we got before the judge, he was scribbling on a paper and my lawyer stated I would not be testifying.  The judge was shocked!  He stopped writing and looked directly at me and asked, "You're not testifying?"  I replied, "No."  

At some point in the trial, my lawyer said to me, "Flo's testimony wasn't as strong as I had hoped it would be but if you will testify, we will win." 

I said, "I'll see." 

I went into restroom at court house and began praying, asking God what HE wanted me to do.

I heard:  "Don't testify"

I went back into court room and shook my head "no" when lawyer looked at me.


The testimony continued.  The trial ended.  I was acquitted of all charges.

This was the beginning of my years as a Christian.  God started with me by teaching me both faith and obedience to HIM, to that which HE said to me.


And God showed me the following scripture as a pattern for life.

John 5:30 ... Jesus said ...  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear (from God), I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

We speak what we believe we have heard from God and we do what we believe God has told us to do.  This is the work for us as we live on this present earth.  And it is all a work of faith.  

Certainly there are other voices that bring thoughts to our minds.  Our flesh would lead us if possible.  And devils bring ideas to us.

But when we establish that we have heard from God, we speak that and do that.

Devils spoke to Jesus (Mt. 4) but Jesus rejected those instructions given by Satan.

In the flesh, Jesus didn't want to go to the cross.  No flesh wants to suffer.  But after Jesus prayed 3 times about this "cup", Jesus said:   the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?  Jn. 18:11

So Jesus rejected those ideas brought by the devil and the feelings he had in his own flesh and did the will of God, laying down his own life, his preferences, in order to obey the will of God.

We determine if that information is from God and we set about to do what we believe God said.

This glorifies God and Jesus.


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Exhortations For The Church:  Volume10
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