Walking in a 5 Fold Ministry, Bible Study 06/17/16

Posted on June 17, 2016 by growintheword

 

 

5FoldMinistry

Part II

Synopsis of Bible Study 06/15/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJV) says 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you[a] all. – Gifts and talents are given in the body of Christ for the developing, maturing, and the equipping of the saints. God thinks of the body of Christ when he gives out offices and functions in the church.

Evangelist

  1. This is a person described as a bringer of good tidings. An Evangelist is a preacher of the gospel.
  2. Phillip was an Evangelist. Acts 21:8 (NKJV) says 8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions[a] departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the Evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. – The bible refers to Phillip as an Evangelist.
  3. Timothy 4:5 (NKJV) says 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – Here Paul tells Timothy to do the work of Evangelist.
  4. In both scriptures, mentioned above, we see both the office and the function of an Evangelist. As an Evangelist, you are supposed to go around telling people what God has done in your life.
  5. As Evangelist, God places us in certain places so that we can tell people about God.
  6. As an Evangelist, you are supposed to spread the word, but you have to be careful not to be too salty. This will make you ineffective. Ex – If you are at a ballgame or at the mall, you can’t be running around quoting scriptures to people that are trying to watch the game. Sometimes you are more effective by just telling your testimony as the opportunity arises or simply being that light that shines in a dark place.

The Office of Evangelist

  1. There are some people called Evangelist that on a full-time basis, go from city to city, church to church, conference to conference, and tent to tent evangelizing. They do this both locally and
  2. Pastors can be Evangelist, but not all Evangelists can’t be Pastors. For example, Bishop Walker is an Evangelist and a Pastor. He is an Evangelist in that he travels around the world spreading the word, however, he realizes that he is a Pastor first. We tell Pastor’s all the time that you can’t run around the country all the time and leave your church back home to die. Even though Bishop travels around the world spreading the word, he is back at his church on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s to work in his first priority which is his church.

Pastor

  1. Jeremiah 3:15 (NKJV) says 15 And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.- God factors in what you need when he assigns you a Pastor.
  2. A Pastor is assigned to your destiny. He is a Shepard. Like the sheep, we depend on the shepherd to guide us to where we need to go.
  3. Acts 20:28-30 (NKJV) says 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God[a] which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. – God wants you to understand your Pastor. Your Pastor protects you from wavering wolves by empowering you and teaching the word of God. He also protects you from other members that might try to pull you away.
  4. When you find a church you supposed to be in, you will recognize the Pastor’s voice as being one that should be significant in your life.
  5. What caused you to join your church? (Write it down in one word or perhaps a sentence). In examining your answer, did it have something in that sentence that had something to do with the word of God? What should be critical in your list concerning finding and joining a church should be something along the lines of getting fed or understanding the word of God. It’s nice that the music is good or the singing is good, but what is critical is receiving the word of God.
  6. Taking the previous sentence into consideration: People say they joined a church because of the word of God, yet they will leave because someone in the church upset them. Makes you wonder how important the word really was to them.
    1. Ex- If you eat at the Waffle House, you put up with a lot. You may even wipe off our own table, because we like the waffles so much. This same principle applies to the church. When you want this word, you’re not going to let anyone else run you away from it!
    2. 1 Peter 5:2-4 (NKJV) says 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,[a] not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. – God tells the Pastors not to lead by an iron fist. A Pastor should leac in love.

 

  1. Pastors lead by:
  2. Nourishing – They provide a balanced diet spiritually. That means you get the messages you don’t like as well as those you do like. It’s good to hear a prosperity message, but it is healthy to hear one that scolds you for not doing what you are supposed to do.
  3. Protects – They protect a flock from false doctrine and erroneous teaching
  4. Seeking – Wandering sheep must be sought and found. A Pastor will check on you when you are a no show for a period of time.
  5. Sacrificing – A Pastor will sacrifice themselves for their sheep.
  6. Knowing – A Pastor knows his sheep.
  7. Praying – A Pastor covers his sheep in prayer. God puts what you are going through on your Pastor. This then inspires sermons from the pulpit that are relevant to your situation.
  8. Managing – Managerial skills are necessary. A Pastor must be able to manage the church. It takes good management to bring all the ministries together in order for the church to function.
  9. Healing- Life’s wounds are inflicted in many ways. A Pastor knows when his members are hurting.
  10. Loving – A Pastor needs to try and maintain good relationships. You can’t be a Pastor and not love your people.
  11. Leads – A Pastor sets the pace. You don’t want a Pastor that don’t have a backbone. If you are Pastoring and no one is following you, then you might to reevaluate what you are doing.
  12. Uniting – A Pastor has the ability to bring people together.

The Role of a Bishop

Some people ask why you call your Pastor, Bishop? Well, why then one could also say, why do you call your Pastor reverend which was never in the bible as a title? We said this to say, there has been controversy over the title Bishop. Hopefully we can clear this controversy up within the next points.

  1. Bishop comes from the Greek word Episkopos ( ἐπίσκοπος ) meaning overseer. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NKJV) 3 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. – Things that we bring out of this is you have to have a good reputation, be sober, hospitable, able to teach and etc… You can’t be a rookie in ministry and then the next day call yourself a Bishop. It also says a Bishop rules his house. That means his house is in order and his kids are in order. How can you run a church, if you can’t run your house?
  2. A Bishop is really a Pastor’s, Pastor. He is the person your Pastor would sit under and go to as a shepherd.
  3. You must be consecrated by a group of people. In other words, you can’t just say that you are a Bishop. There should be a group of people that believe the same about you that will consecrate you.
  4. A Pastor ought to:
    1. Give you exposure – A Pastor ought to expose you to the word and to greatness that you’ve never seen before. This includes showing you vision.
    2. Empowers you – A Pastor ought to empower you, but not enable you. He empowers you to empower yourself. You take what you are taught at church and then you apply it to your situation. If your Pastor is unable to pray over your house, you are empowered to know that you can pray over your house yourself.
    3. Encourages you – Sunday is when we got our game face on, but the Monday through Saturday is the part of the week that kills us. You need a word to help you make sense of hopeless situations.
    4. Teaches – Teachers play a powerful role in your spiritual growth. They help us maintain sound doctrine.
                                                               i.      Titus 2:7-8 (NKJV) says 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,[a] 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.[b]  – When you are a good teacher, people might not like you, but they can’t deny that you are bringing forth the word. – Every Pastor has to be teacher, but every teacher doesn’t have to be a Pastor. e.
  1. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) says 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.- Rightly divide the word of truth is the key phrase here. Your Pastor wants you to know something that you didn’t know when you came to the service. After you hear the word, you must study it, because a test is coming! We all need to develop greater study habits.

In closing:

Ezekiel 37:6 (NKJV) says 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”- All of us have a role to play in a 5 fold ministry. Please know that if a part of the body does not operate at full capacity, then the body will become diseased. You should operate in such a way that it causes the church to grow, flourish, and perform at God’s desired level of excellence. .

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Walking in a 5 Fold Ministry, Bible Study 06/15/16

Posted on June 15, 2016 by growintheword

5FoldMinistry

Bible Study 06/08/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV) says 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, – There are various roles of ministry found in the body of Christ.

We must first know that Church must not be viewed as an organization; it must instead be viewed as an organism. Each part of the organism works together to make the organism work.

All the roles and gifts in the church are to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to edify the body of Christ.  

Paul writes to the church that is having problems with unity. He was trying to teach them to work together. Ephesians 4:4 (NKJV) says 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; – Regardless of your denominational upbringing, it is important to know that God doesn’t care about your denomination. He is one God in all. To achieve unity in the body, you got to work together. In order to reach your full potential, we have to know how spiritual gifts work and know how offices in the church work.

Apostles

The word apostle comes from the Hebrew word, apostolos (ἀπόστολος) meaning: one sent forth, a messenger, ambassador, a missionary, or sent by God on a special mission. Hebrews 3:1 (NKJV) says Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, – Christ demonstrated his apostleship by fulfilling his mission.

When Jesus chose the twelve to follow him, they became disciples. He would train them, expose them, and then commission them upon his preparing to depart from the earth. They would then be responsible for establishing the churches in the New Testament. They were disciples when following him, but then released to be Apostles.

There were twelve disciples:

  1. Simon Peter- Brother of Andrew. He was active in bringing people to Jesus.
  2. James the son of Zebedee – He was the older brother of John also called James the Greater.
  3. John – Was the son of Zebedee and brother of James
  4. Andrew – The brother of Simon Peter. He was active in bringing people to Jesus.
  5. Phillip of Bethsaida
  6. Thomas (Didymus) – He was the doubter.
  7. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) – He was the disciple that Jesus appeared to at the sea of Tiberius.
  8. Matthew (Levi of Capernaum.
  9. Another James (son of Alphaeus) also called James the lesser.
  10. Simon the Zealot the Canaanites.
  11. Thaddaeus (Labbaeus) – the brother of James the Lesser.
  12. Judas – The one that betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:22 (NKJV) says 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”- The replacement of Judas was Matthias. Whoever replaced Judas had to be someone who actually saw Christ in person (discussed later in this study).

The operation of the apostolic ministry

  1. The apostle has the burden of caring for the warfare of the whole church.
  2. An apostle does not have a covetous spirit and is not in it for financial gain.
  3. An apostle does not seek the glory of men
  4. An apostle possesses a supernatural ministry. In John 14, Jesus said, “Greater works than me, will you do”. As an example of this, signs and wonders were done by the Apostles. Remember Peter and John, when the encountered the lame man and healed him?
  5. An apostle Is a messenger sent on a mission.
  6. An Apostle teaches sound doctrine.

A question that comes us often is , “Are there modern day apostles?”

Main requirements of being an Apostle

  1. Had to be an eyewitness of risen Jesus. Acts 1:1-3 (NKJV) says 1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God..+
    1. Being an eyewitness of Christ was a requirement of being an Apostle that would replace Judas.
      1. Acts 1:21-22 (NKJV) 21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
      2. Acts 4:33 (NKJV) 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. – They gave witness to the resurrection. They actually saw it.
    2. Paul was not a witness or one original chosen to be an Apostle, so many have the question, “How then can he be an apostle?
      1. Acts 9:1-6 (NKJV) says 9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.[a] It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
      2. 1 Corinthians 9:1 (NKJV) says 9 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ,
  • 1 Corinthians 15:7-9 (NKJV) says 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. – Paul describes that he saw Christ and Christ turned him around and gave him a mission. Don’t confuse the ministry of an apostolic anointing with the office of an Apostle. Apostolic anointing is one that establishes churches, but they have not seen Christ.
  1. Had to be commissioned directly from Jesus. Galatians 1:1 (NKJV) says 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),- No man can make you an apostle. Only Jesus can.

 

Prophet

  1. First given to us as Samuel the prophet. Samuel was the first prophet.
  2. He prophesied at an early age. 1 Samuel 3:1 (NKJV) says 3 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. – When you got a prophecy back then, it was rare.
  3. Isaiah gave us prophecy as a form of foretelling. Messianic prophesy is what it has become known as. He was the one who said, “unto us is given a child…” He spoke what God said and what he was going to do and it came to past.
  4. The truest test of prophecy is it has to come to past at a reasonable amount of time.
    1. 1 Corinthians 14:37 (NKJV) says 37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. – One who is operating under gift of prophecy will be subject to the church and following of the commands of God.
    2. 1 Corinthians 14:32 (NKJV) says 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. – When your Pastor speaks, he forth tells not foretells. For example, Ezekiel spoke to the dry bones. Know that a prophet would never tell you something inconsistent with the word you are sitting under. In other words, if a prophet was to come and tell you something that contradicts what your Pastor is teaching you, then something isn’t right.
    3. 2 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV) says 13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”[a] – The word of God must be established by two of 3 witnesses. Know that the spirit is subject to the prophet.
    4. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (NKJV) 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. – Be careful what you put on social media. When you put your emotion-ability out there, you are releasing it into the atmosphere for spirits to exploit. For example, a false prophet might use information that you put out there to falsely validate a prophesy towards you.
      1. Also remember, Prophesy shouldn’t cost you anything. There is no need to pay for holy water and prayer clothes.
    5. In Acts 16 and Paul and Silas ran across a girl who was being exploited by master for her gift to predict the future. She had been using her gift for evil, instead of good. All gifts can be turned evil if you let them.

 

When you see people walk up to you and say the Lord told them to tell you something, remember there is a thin line between voice of God and schizophrenia!

 

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The Season of Favor II, Bible Stud

Posted on May 21, 2016 by growintheword

favorpic

“How Favor impacts your relationships”

 

Synopsis of Bible Study 05/18/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Favor of the Lord

We throw this word “Favor” around loosely. The truth is, Favor costs something. First of all, there is a responsibility of stewardship that comes with Favor.

  1. When Favor is on your life, you got to be able to trust God enough to know that if he gave it, you are supposed to use it to bless His name.
  2. Psalm 106:4 (NKJV) says 4 Remember me, O Lord, with the Favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, – The author here is saying, “Lord don’t let Favor skip my house. Let it fall right here”. We need God’s Favor on everything connected to us.
  3. Having Favor on our life brings many rewards. It allows us to experience the benefits. Psalm 103:2 (NKJV) says 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: – Favor brings about benefits.
    1. One benefit of walking in Favor is you have the power of attraction in your life. When you have power of attraction on your life, you can attract people as well as things. When you have Favor, you no longer chase stuff, stuff chases you. In other words, things are drawn to you.
  4. There is a responsibility to be careful of what comes and tries to attach itself to you. It can be drawn to you, but everything drawn to you, might not have been attended to be attached to you. You have to ask God for discernment, so that you will be able to know the difference between what God sends (that was drawn to you) and what Satan sends (that was drawn to you). When Favor is in your life, stuff has a way of finding you whether it be good or bad.
  5. The Favor of God is so precious, it must be handled with care. Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) says 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. – It is important to know that the Favor of God is to demonstrate the glory of God in the earth. You can’t use the glory of God in such a way that it draws all the attention to you. You ought to want your light to shine that God might be glorified. Ex- People that live in the south know that if you turn on the lights in the dark, bugs, flies, and everything thing else is attracted to it. When you turn on the light, you will begin to see everything that flies around in the dark. In like manner, when you let your light shine, God will reveal the stuff around you. He will reveal the bugs that are trying to get close to you.

 

 

How do I maintain a season of Favor?

  1. You got to believe Favor is for you – Favor is on your life, placed there by God. Just like Jacob who placed a coat of many colors on Joseph, God has placed Favor on you. Don’t be afraid of the coat that was placed on you. Don’t be ashamed to wear your coat. Wear your Favor with pride. If God blesses you or opens a door for you, wear your coat. Stop hiding your blessings. After all, God gave it to. Psalm 90:17 (NKJV) says 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. – When God blesses you, it is to establish his work here on the earth. How can you sing the song “he’s blessing me … ” or “… He’s leaning in my direction…”, and never allow us to see the blessing? At some point, people need to see God blessing you.
    1. The Favor is not in what your drive or where you live, it is in who you are. The brothers stripped Joseph of his coat, thinking they were taking the Favor off of him. You have to understand that when you have favor, the favor is on you no matter where you are.
    2. Joseph’s brothers stripped Joseph, lied on him, put him in the pit, but Potiphar found him. When he was accused of coming on to his wife, he was thrown into prison, but Favor still found him. As a result, Joseph ended up in the midst of Egypt working right next to Pharaoh. Joseph ended up being the one who passed out the bread to those suffering from the famine. Joseph was so humble, he even passed out bread to the same brothers that tried to strip his Favor and sold him into captivity. Genesis 50:20 (NKJV) says 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. – Sometimes you got to thank your enemies, because if they hadn’t done what they did, you wouldn’t be where you are today.
  2. When you are responsible or left with Favor, know that the people that did you wrong might later need what you have. Like Joseph, when you walk in Favor, you don’t get to choose who you pass bread out to. Sometimes you have to bless (or pass bread to) the very people that did you wrong. Remember Psalms 23, God will make your enemy your foot stool.
  3. When Favor is on your life, you must remain humble and committed. – When you are recipients of Favor, it triggers humility. Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV) says 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. – You can’t walk around like you are entitled to this “Favor”. When Favor is on your life, you have put your life into context. When you put your life into context, you realize that you don’t deserve nothing that you have.
    1. Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV) says 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.,
    2. 1 Peter 5:6 (NKJV) says 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, – You got to learn to stay humble!

 

How do we manage shifts with family and friendships?

    1. Learn your family’s role in your season – Don’t leave family behind as you navigate where God is taking you. Having said that, don’t drag those that are not supposed to come along with you. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In Genesis 12, God told Abraham he would make him a great nation. One of the first things Abraham did was take his wife Sarah. Why would God give you vision that would not include your spouse? Some people don’t birth the vision, because the left the person behind that they were supposed to birth vision with.
    2. After Abraham took Sarah his wife, he took his nephew Lot with him. He discovered that everyone can’t go with you from level to level in Favor.
      1. Genesis 13:5-9 (NKJV) 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
      2. – Who did Abraham take?
        1. Sarah – Abraham took Sarah his wife, because she was necessary.
        2. Abraham also took Lot with him. He took Lot who had flocks, herds, and tents. If everyone you take with you depends on you, because they don’t have anything, then it won’t be long before you don’t have anything either.
        3. Some people in your family have herds, flocks, and tents. These are value added relationships. You need relationships that are value added when working vision.
    3. What does Favor do? Gen 13:9 says 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”- The promise is on Abram. Abram gets wind that there is strife between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. If you will notice, he goes to Lot who is over them and not the herdsmen. Because of Favor, Abraham know he and Lot are on another level, therefore he bring his concern straight to Lot.
    4. Favor initiates communication, to avoid drama. Favor don’t let stuff linger. Favor doesn’t look for the best side. Abraham could have easily said let me pick out the best land for myself and give Lot what was left, but he didn’t do it that way. When he got Favor, it doesn’t matter, which land you end up with. Wherever we are, Favor follows us. Therefore, Abraham tells lot if you go left, I will go right.
  • When Gods hand is on your life, don’t allow relatives to delay your blessing. Genesis 31:49 (NKJV) says 49 also Mizpah,[a] because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. – You might have to quote this one when it comes to relatives. Taking relatives that were not intended to be part of where you are going, can hinder your blessing.

 

  1. Real friends stick with you no matter what. Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) says 24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,[a] But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – You must be friendly to have friends. Real friends will stick with you during your season of lack, as well as seasons of plenty. You got to learn to be nice to people, before things drop off.
    1. A friend loves at all times. No man is your friend that denies your gift to grow. Know the significance of every opportunity. God blesses you for more than just your generation. When God blesses you, he blesses you for generations to come.
    2. Nehemiah has sons that died. As a result, she was going back to where she came from. The daughter-n-laws wanted to follow her. Nehemiah tried to get them to return back to Moab. Oprah went back, but Ruth refused to leave Nehemiah’s side.
        1. Oprah remarried and one of her sons ended up being Goliath who David slain.

       

    3. Ruth worked in fields and the man that owned the field became attracted to her. Because the owner of the field was attracted to her, she gained Favor. Later she married Boaz. This is how favor works. She didn’t have to do anything and she attracted the guy that would later be a blessing to her. She went on to become the great-grandparents of King David.
      1. David had so much Favor, he was called one after God’s own heart. Favor came to Solomon, because of the Favor of David. Esther 5:2-3 (NKJV)2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found Favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” – The king was drawn to Esther so he chased her. The king asked what he could do for her. She got offered half the kingdom, because of the Favor on her life.
      2. Mary had Favor. She gave birth to Jesus. Luke 2:52 (NKJV) 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in Favor with God and men.

When you understand the Favor on your life, you raise your expectations

  1. Raise your level of expectation. Proverbs 8:35 (NKJV) says 35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains Favor from the Lord; – When you chase after God, when you find him, you find life.
      1. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) says 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. – Once you have chosen to seek God first, you start receiving things.

     

  2. Psalm 75:6-7 (NKJV) says 6 For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. – If we are where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do, and giving God the glory, then no matter how circumstance look, God will create a spot for you.
    1. There is Favor on your life!
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The Power of Favor, Bible Study 05/13

Posted on May 18, 2016 by growintheword

The power of Favor

Synopsis of Bible Study 05/11-/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Psalm 106:4 (NKJV) says 4 Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation, – This scripture demonstrates that Jabez understood that in order to have his territory enlarged, he needed God’s hand on his life.

1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV) says  10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. – Jabez was saying, “Lord bless me before you enlarge me”. He is asking for the Lord to bless him, enlarge him, and insure him, so no matter what happens, he is covered. In other words, he is saying “Lord don’t let me mishandle the blessing, so that I don’t abuse it or cause harm to other people.

  1. Jabez wanted to experience a greater life with God on the earth.
  2. Jabez asked his territory to be enlarged, because he knew he needed the blessings of God on him in order to sustain. You want blessings to come to you with God’s hands tied to it.
    1. The blessings of the Lord upon your life are not necessarily associated with tangible things. It has nothing to do with your W2. When you understand favor as things, you might covet other people’s things. The problem with coveting things other people have is some things that you covet are not part of God.
  3. We want to prosper, but we also want to do it God’s way. Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV) says 22 The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. – When favor is on your life, you will be blessed, but it won’t frustrate you. Some people are provision driven and not purposed driven. This is why they leave their purpose and chase money!
  4. If the favor on God is on it, then it is not hard, then things fall into place. In other words, you don’t have to try to fit a square into a circle. There are some things that we have turned down just to make sure that it did not interfere with our purpose.
    1. If you have to put off things that you are supposed to be doing, just to make it happen, then this is not favor, even though it may look like a blessing. For example, is it God’s will for you never to see your children? Is it God’s will for you to uproot everything just to make something else happen? God’s yoke is easy and his burdens are light.
  5. Know that your blessings will always attract haters. Haters don’t make us sorrowful. It is the stuff that surrounds your haters. It is the issues that they bring with them that make you sorrowful.

 

What is favor?

  1. Favor is characterized as the hand of God resting on your life. It is the idea of God going before you causing doors to open and keeping doors open for you continuously in your life.
  2. When you are in God’s will, favor is attracted to you. If we stay under God’s hand, he will make you a magnet to some stuff. Remember when God told Abraham that everywhere the sole of his feet touched, he would give to him?

 

The foundation of favor

Favor is the supernatural strength that gives us the ability to excel in areas, you shouldn’t have otherwise been able to excel in. God has given us the privilege to rule and to reign, as God does in heaven.

Psalm 8:4-9 (NKJV) says 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[a]   And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord How excellent is Your name in all the earth! – What the psalmist is attempting to get us understand is how God supernaturally puts his abilities in our situation so that we can operate in the natural.

Hebrews 2:6-9 (NKJV) says 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor,[a]    And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”[b]For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.- To understand the rightful place of favor, you got to understand the hierarchy of government.

The hierarchy is as follows:

  1. It is God the Father
  2. God the Son
  3. God the Holy Ghost.
    1. The God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one.
    2. Next is the angels
    3. Next is us

How does God demonstrate his power in heaven and on earth?

  1. When did God first come to the earth, it wasn’t the garden as many may think. Scripture says it was God’s voice. The earth is carnal and full of corruption. Heaven is representative of incorruption. Earth is finite, but heaven is infinite. When God first came to earth, he came through his son who had to have access through a woman, through flesh. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, God in Christ. God first came to earth as Jesus Christ. He came, He died, and He rose again and is seated on the right side of the throne with all power in his hands.
  2. Angels also make trips from heaven to earth. God gives angels charge concerning you. Angels do leave heaven and come to earth. The scripture says be careful of entertaining strangers, because many have entertained angels unaware.
    1. There are times that God sends angels to block stuff on your behalf. The critical question is, if God has power in heaven and in earth, where then is our power?
  3. God said he would not leave us comfortless.
    1. The Holy Spirit came and dwelt among them. Since God the Father won’t come to earth himself, he sent his Son, the angels, and the Holy Spirit for us.
  4. Where is God? He is in us. The bible says greater is God within you than he who is in the world. Since God is in you, then wherever God is, you can go. This means you can go between heaven and earth.
    1. Jesus asked whom do they say I am? Peter said to Jesus, “Thou art the son of the living God” Jesus went on to say that on this rock he would build his church and that whatever Peter loosed in heaven, would be loosed on earth. What this really means is the word. The word you lose on earth goes to heaven and loses things that will cause things to be loosed on earth. When you release stuff to heaven, heaven responds. We have dominion over things in heaven and don’t even realize it.
    2. Psalm 21:5 (NKJV) says 5 His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. – You got glory on you. People say you different when you walk into a place. They look like you belong here. It is because there is glory on you.

God gave us dominion over the work of his hands

  1. God gave man dominion over the earth. Genesis 1:28 (NKJV) says 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
  2. God put all things under your feet. 1 Corinthians 15:27 (NKJV) says 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.”[a] But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. – There was an angel in heaven called Lucifer. He got prideful and start wanting the praise to go to him. As result, he got cast out of heaven, because isn’t going to share his glory with anyone. At this point, Lucifer was place beneath you.
    1. Lucifer became Satan. He has been placed beneath you, so we have to stop empowering stuff that is supposed to be beneath us.

 

The faith for favor

  1. Faith activates favor – If you don’t have faith, God can’t trust you with favor. Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV) says 12 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – When you step out on faith, you attract favor in your life. You’ll be able to say, “I’m a magnet for favor”.
  2. Favor supersedes adversity. Genesis 12:10-20 (NKJV) says 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I[a] may live because of you.”14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.17 But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.– Abram went to Egypt to avoid famine. After the Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife, he had to leave, but he didn’t leave empty handed. With favor, you never leave empty handed. Favor has nothing to do with a zip code. It has to do with obedience and faith to move when God says move.
    1. Genesis 13:1NKJV) says 13 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.[a] – When you have favor first, you attract the blessing. Stop apologizing for being blessed, when you have favor over your life.
    2. Genesis 14:20 (NKJV) says 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. – Abraham had adversaries when you are blessed. When you get more cheese, you attract more rats.
      1. Abraham gave God a 10th of it all he aha. Favor was before the law.

 God will bring new things, but other things will be restored.  
  1. Psalm 80:19 (NKJV) says 19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!, Joel 2:25-27 (NKJV) says  25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust,[a] My great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.- When you have favor, you will stop whining over what you lost.
  2. Favor brings protection- Psalm 41:11 (NKJV) 11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me.– my enemies try hard, but they never win.
    1. Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) says 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.,
    2. Psalm 84:12New King James Version (NKJV) 12 O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! God’s desire for you life, is to have so much favor, you don’t worry about anything that comes at you, because you know you are covered.

 

Conclusion:

There is a prayer we pray when we bless the food. We call this he blessing. It is where we thank God for the food, the hands that prepared it, and those we pray for those who may be without. When you step your prayer up to favor then it sound a little different and it goes a little deeper. When you have favor, you not only thank him for the food, you thank him that you have an appetite. When you have favor, you thank God that you don’t have to eat through a feeding tube. When you have favor you not only thank him for the job, but you thank him that you are able to do your job, even when you don’t feel like it. When you have favor, you not only thank him for the house, you thank him that your house is a home.

May God’s favor be on you…

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