Last week we examined Ephesians 1:18 where Paul wrote:

In verse 19 he continues:

The attack on religious liberty in America in the last nine months may be unprecedented, but it is doing much good for the church in America. Every attack seems to have resulted in a greater push for unity in the body of Christ, bringing together parts of the body that have never related to one another before in a significant way. This is definitely a good thing and will bear much fruit. There are also other ways that this assault is strengthening Christians in America, which we should understand.

I am often asked if Christians should attend conferences, revivals, or renewals when they break out to be a part of the present moves of God. The answer is “yes” and “no.” If you wanted to be a part of what God did on the Day of Pentecost, you had to be in Jerusalem at the right time. The Lord had told over 500 to go to Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Father, but only 120 were still there on the Day of Pentecost and were a part of the Holy Spirit coming on that first day. The movement soon spread abroad, but it was actually years before it even left Jerusalem.

In continuing our study of the coming kingdom of God and how we are called to build a highway for the kingdom, we will look at how we can expect the church to rise up to its purpose in these times. The church is the Lord's body, and what He does He will do through His church. If we want to be a part of what God is doing, it is fundamental that we find our part in His body and begin functioning in it.

We have briefly looked at some of the eschatological views developed from a historical perspective. However, we should keep in mind that not all of the Reformers held to the same views about the end-time fulfillment of biblical prophecies. Neither did the Catholic theologians all hold to the same views, and there is a diversity of views in almost every major camp of Christianity today. Why is this?

The next aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is “faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). As we have discussed, the characteristics of the Spirit are called “fruit” because it must be cultivated and grown. It takes faithfulness, which is demonstrated by endurance, for any of the fruit to be grown. But how is faithfulness grown? This is important for us to understand if we are going to bear any fruit.

Our goal is to see the apostolic faith restored to the church. However, as discussed, we must realize that we are not seeking to build another first century church, but the twenty-first century church. The church, as it is called to be, will be the most relevant entity on the earth to its times. It is only as the church has become out of step with the Lord that it has lagged behind in its relevance. Before continuing, we want to briefly look at one more prophecy that will help us to understand the times in which we live. Revelation 7:1-3 says:

This week we continue our study of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:17:

The teacher is the last of the five equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11, but it is foundational for all of the other ministries. To equip others will require teaching as well as training and impartation. However, the teaching ministry is one that focuses on imparting the knowledge of God’s ways, especially as revealed through the Scriptures, by the Spirit.

     I have not ceased to be amazed at how I can share something in a service and immediately afterward people will come to me and have heard something entirely different from what I said. Often it is the very opposite of what I said. Long ago, I became convinced that it is not possible to say anything without it being misunderstood by some. I have concluded that this cannot be helped, and if you worry too much about it, you would not say anything. Even so, it is right to develop ours skills of communication to eliminate as much of this as possible.