Day Two was seeming blessed as well as Day One. We are so grateful the the Father of Mercies for taking pity on His servants and helping them to pray.
We did not get to all of the previously posted session, so we will be pulling from some of them for today’s prayer segments.
The Link to the evening message is at the bottom of this page.
Missions: One of the session today will be taken with praying for mission work around the world. If you are praying with us, please mention the faithful laborers in the Kingdom of God whose ministries you know.
Convocation 2016
Stern Warnings and Perils
There are pitfalls and serious warnings for all those who would preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We
cannot arrogantly assume that we are immune and invulnerable to them. We must watch and pray for
ourselves as well as for one another that we not fall into any of them. It may be that the ultimate fault for
the apostasy of our time will be laid at the feet of preachers who were believers but who failed to
understand on a profound level the call of God to the ministry.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. KJV
There is the danger on the one hand of letting slip our ‘first love’ for Christ.
And, there is a danger of never discovering this profound love of which Jesus was speaking.
It is not a total loss or total absence of love, but a lesser quality of it than He insists upon from His servants.
Rev 2:14-15
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam,
who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto
idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. KJV
It may very well be that this modern movement of letting the people decide what the church is going to be
is a duplication of that Nicolaitan (Power to the People) movement. There is continual pressure from all
directions to minister the word differently, with different emphasis, and with careful accommodations to our
audience. On the one hand we must not be nasty and hateful in our preaching and on the other, we must
not allow our audience to dictate the tone. We must be ‘all things to all men’ while knowing in our
conscience that we have not compromised in any way the message.
Rev 2:20
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat
things sacrificed unto idols. KJV
I doubt that any of us will find ourselves literally in this place. But there is the possibility of spiritual
fornication and the desire to be like the world in every church from which we must be diligent to both warn
our people and, if necessary, wage war against it.
Rev 3:2-3
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy
works perfect before God.
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee. KJV
Even our best qualities, traits, and gifts tend to wear away with time and that in such a gradual way that we
may not be clearly aware of them. There is also always the pressure to be acceptable in our ‘group’
whatever that may be and ‘shave off the edges’ of things that God has shown us. Here again, Jesus warned
a preacher to revisit his calling and what he had ‘received and heard’ and hold those things fast.
Rev 3:15
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. KJV
Passion is an important part of our work. Here, too, are ditches of ‘too much’ and ‘too little’ but it is
obvious both from scripture and history that God’s men have been men of passion, sometimes expressed
too intensely (maybe) but always passion.
This, of course, is different than emotionalism, it is that intense and burning fire in the soul for the Glory of
God that cannot be satisfied with anything less than the fullest possible Return to Him of Faith and Worship
on the part of our people.
Phil 1:14-18
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to
speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and
I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. KJV
This has always been a most difficult passages in the Word. How can Christ be preached in ‘pretense’ and
that be OK?
I do know this, such preaching ‘of envy and strife,’ ‘contention,’ and ‘in pretense’ cannot be ultimately
good for the church or for the Glory of God. May He deliver us from any such preaching.
Convocation 2016
Our Enemy
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom
he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren
that are in the world. KJV
Eph 6:11-12
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV
James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. KJV
Three things seem obvious in light of our current situation:
1. Satan is far more subtle that he is given credit for being,
2. God’s people are far more ignorant of his devices than they need to be,
3. Many have grossly inadequate understanding of the nature of spiritual warfare.
We know that his purpose is to confound all the work of God in the world, especially the conversion of sinners
and their spiritual advancement, the two issues of the Great Commission.
There can be no doubt but that the present state of Christianity is attributable to him in many ways.
He does not want us to persevere and see our prayers answered.
The lost would be saved in huge numbers,
God’s people would be greatly blessed and would advance in spiritual growth,
Our churches would prospers spiritual, and
Maybe, just maybe, our communities and our culture would be changed.
The greatest enemy of Satan in the world is Jesus’ church enlightened and awakened and on the march.
Therefore, he does all that he can to head off any such improvement in her state.
What we are doing today, as small as it may seem to us and many others, is a threat to the kingdom of
darkness. Satan is not omniscient and he never knows that God is up to. So, we should expect resistance,
frustrations, confusion, opposition and discouragement.
If we are not attentive and wise, he will frustrate even what encouragement and help we received from this
little meeting.
2 Cor 2:10-11
10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your
sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. KJV