The Communion Service is designed differently from our general Sunday services. There are different kinds of meetings, and each meeting has a specific purpose. Understanding the purpose of a gathering has always been important in Scripture.
From the Old Testament, whenever God called His people together, He was specific about why they were to gather. The purpose of the gathering determined what was to be done, what was to be taught, and what God expected His people to accomplish.
One of the things the Body of Christ is yet to fully understand is why we come to church and why we should go to church. There are different kinds of meetings, but there is a particular kind of gathering that occupies a very important place in Scripture.
Hopefully, I will be sharing more about this soon in one of the YLWS programmes, so that more of the Body of Christ can come to the knowledge of the truth and begin to make the necessary adjustments, especially as we approach the coming of the Lord.
There are certain things that must come into perfection before the Lord comes. We should therefore look forward to understanding these things and correcting whatever needs to be corrected.
THE UNVEILING OF THE NEW ECONOMY — RECAP
Laws were made for men, not men for laws. In the same way, governments and the various structures and systems of governance were established to serve humanity.
This is why priorities matter. Systems and institutions must ultimately serve their intended purpose.
The banking system, as it exists today, has serious shortcomings and requires significant changes. There are systems that need to be examined and corrected, and there is a need for a better understanding of how economies and financial structures should function for the benefit of people.
HEALING STREAMS — HIGHLIGHTS
The Healing Streams programme continues to demonstrate the power of God’s Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in bringing healing, restoration, and hope to people around the world.
WORD OF THE MONTH: GROWTH
Isaiah 54:2–3
Notice carefully in verse 3 who God is talking to and who He is talking about.
This connects with what we see in:
Galatians 3:16, 29 (NIV)
Who is the Seed that is to inherit the nations? Christ. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and an heir according to the promise.
Therefore, the enlargement spoken of in Isaiah 54 has implications for us because we belong to Christ.
THE POWER OF GROWTH
Consider these scriptures:
Acts 6:7
Acts 12:24
Acts 19:20
Colossians 1:9–10
1 Peter 2:2
Ephesians 4:14–15
2 Peter 3:18
The word translated “grow” in several New Testament passages comes from the Greek word auxanō. It carries the idea of growing, increasing, enlarging, expanding, and becoming greater.
Therefore, this month is a month of growth.
You will grow.
You will increase.
You will enlarge.
You will expand.
You will become greater.
And this growth will take place by the power of the Holy Ghost. This is your blessing.
GROWING IN SPIRIT
Luke 1:80 shows us that John grew physically and became strong in spirit.
This is important because growth is not only physical or material. A person can grow in age, knowledge, possessions, or position and yet fail to grow spiritually.
God wants us to grow in every area of our lives.
Luke 2:40 tells us about Jesus:
“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”
Jesus did not merely grow physically. He grew strong in spirit, increased in wisdom, and functioned under the grace of God.
Then Luke 2:52 tells us that:
“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
As a boy, Jesus developed the wisdom appropriate to His age. He increased in capacity as He grew. His growth involved wisdom, stature, and favour.
This teaches us that healthy growth should be balanced. We should not desire growth in one area while neglecting another.
FAVOUR WITH GOD AND MAN
Being in favour with God and man does not mean that every human being will like you.
Jesus was loved by God, yet there were people who hated Him without a cause. You can be good to your neighbour and your neighbour may still not like you.
Even when you genuinely strive to live peacefully with everyone, it does not mean that everyone will respond to you peacefully.
Jesus said:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” — John 15:18
And in John 15:19, He explained that His followers are not of the world.
Therefore, have a balanced perspective about your relationship with God and with people. Do what is right. Walk in love. Be at peace with others as much as it depends on you. But remember that the person you ultimately need to please is Jesus Christ.
You cannot control everyone’s opinion of you. What you can control is your obedience to God’s Word and the quality of your life before Him.
So, just do what is right.
MY DECLARATION OF GROWTH
Growth is my life. Everything about me grows. I cannot but grow. I grow spiritually, mentally, physically, in wisdom, in grace, in knowledge, in capacity, in influence, and in every area of God’s purpose for my life. I increase, I enlarge, I expand, and I become greater by the power of the Holy Ghost.
