Sunday Words of Encouragement August 20, 2023 - Growing Up!

I am still recovering from my fever spikes and fatigue, so I attended church online. It was Pastor Appreciation Day and our Pastor preached on Ephesians 4:11-16 regarding God’s Call. I'm choosing to call the message "Growing Up!"

Christ called those to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. It is five-fold offices of God. The Lord gives a burden on the heart as a placement, but the call is in any of the gifts. It is for God’s purposes.

First, to equip and prepare the people of Christ to minister to others, to handle life. Each person is equipped to minister, not just to receive. We should not just hire ministers to do the work or to lead a corporate outreach instead of us doing individual work of ministry. You can’t be trained if you aren’t present to hear the messages or share in the studies.

Second is the “building up” empowering the body of Christ. Jesus didn’t live a perfect life, but He lived a sinless life, submitted wholly to God. We have to be submitted and present to God’s Word. God wants to convict and heal. If you have sinned or experienced broken relationship, Jesus came to save and heal. This is done through ministry. The Church suffers from having difficulty in humbling ourselves, in admitting we don’t have it all together. We think the sermon or lesson is for someone else. (Matthew 7:1-5 ‘Judge not lest you be judged…’) Religious people can be hypocrites when we need to be Authentic Christians. God wants you right on the inside, not on the outside.

Third is to reach unity and maturity. Unity does not mean we look the same, think the same, or do things the same. But we are in unity or accord to promote the Kingdom. Different styles are not important as long as we share and preach the same message. God wants us to grow up.

When we are mature:

1. We are not tossed to and fro, anchored in the faith; not deceived by messages that sound good but are not of God. Fads and styles can come and go.
2. We are less influenced by men and more influenced by God.
3. We love with the unconditional love of God. Sometimes we should not speak. Not everything needs to be said.
4. We grow in every way into Christ so every part of our life reflects Christ.

We are wired to revert to age of trauma… We need to pray that God matures us to understand love through His eyes. Also to know that the world doesn’t revolve around us.

We are to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Growing up in every aspect to allow God to choose what we get to be. (This is shown in the story of the potter and the clay. Jeremiah 18.)

The Body of Christ grows when we each mature and join together to allow God’s work. The Church gets healthy and healthy things grow. It is not the world or culture that is prohibiting the church, it is the lack of health in the churches. We need to be examples to show others how to handle life – with the Sprint and power of God.

As we grow and serve, the body “builds itself up in love…”

I found this song to fit today (and to make me cry) - It Starts Right Here:

Verses for Today:
Ephesians 4:11-16 New International Version
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.


Lord, Help me to be mature in mind, emotions and spirit so that I can be used by You to grow Your Kingdom. Mold me and use me.

Sunday Words of Encouragement January 2, 2022

We attended church for a wonderful Sunday School lesson in Revelation. Then went into church to worship and to say goodbye to our Pastor and his family as God has called them to another church. Our church is on a pastoral search again.

Pastor’s last sermon was “Eternity Matters”.
He noted that when you are young you look at life open in front of you. When you are older you may look behind. But when you are in midlife you might be thinking “What if?” both for the past and future.
When pastor was young, and even now in midlife, he is optimistic with youthful idealism. He wonders if the youth of today might be missing that idealism. And, of course, many people felt/feel the duty to spread realism to temper expectations and enthusiasm.

The church has a different idealism because God has set up His church to be His hands, feet, messenger! The church still has great years to come and we hope 2022 will see a church surge. Pasto hopes it will a year of the church through the power of Holy Spirit. The church can spread a message the world needs: a message of joy, life, love! And our God believes in us! He believes we can do this because He has directed us to spread the message.

So Pastor has been wondering - What if....?.

• Every Christian in the church came on Sunday already full?
• Every person in church felt they were being fiercely protected by every other person in the church?
• There was always forgiveness.?

Ephesians 5:21 ‘submit to one another’.
Romans 12:10 ‘love each other’.

• We all fought for unity?

We realized that the real enemy is Satan.
The church is a body. It functions as a body. It moves best in unity.

Paul wrote about unity in almost every letter. But he focused on this in Ephesians 4.

• What if every Christian in the church understood they are called by God to be a minister?
• What if every Christian asked God right now: “What are You calling me to do this year?”

God wants us to live a life worthy of His call
Build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:1-16.
Don't bow to society pressure.
Be “healthy and growing and full of love.”

What if we lived this life as if eternity mattered? Psalms 103:15-17.

Pastor shared this song on a video. Build Your Church.

Verses for Today:
Ephesians 4: 11-16 NIV
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.


Lord, please direct me to do Your calling from this day forward!

Sunday Words of Encouragement August 4, 2019

We shared prayer concerns and praises. Our substitute Sunday School teacher shared a good message about Jehoshaphat from 2 Chronicles 20.

Our church service began with a praise song that fit with the Sunday School message. After praise and worship we shared Communion.
Our pastor shared another Resolution Sermon based Hebrews 11.
Faith is nothing without Action. Faith must be continually exercised.
Faith accompanied by action increases our endurance. Especially for spiritual attacks.

All Christians face spiritual attacks in finances, illness, community and opposition. When pastors seek vision they are often attacked by doubts. We see this in battles our missionaries face.
Some people avoid them; others become fearful of them. Some find triumph while others suffer.
Hebrews 11:32-40.

The Point: We have been equipped with faith to endure and win the spiritual battle.

Faith is required for spiritual endurance.
There attacks against the Church from outside but Churches stand against outward battles. However, Churches often fall as a result of attacks from within.

The enemy is fighting for a whole generation. The enemy is Satan.

We've been equipped with faith; with the power of The Holy Spirit; with numbers in the support of each other.

When we recognize the spiritual attack, then it can be defeated.
God has provided leaders and equipped His people. Ephesians 4:12.
Then we will no longer be like immature children... Each part does its own special work...Ephesians 4: 14-16.

The body is not supposed to avoid spiritual battles. The battle is imminent. We have a vision to go into the community. The ‘gates of hell’ can't hold us back. Matthew 16:18.
The church is equipped to fight the battle. We are to take the battle to the enemy.
Are we ready to face the battle? Together.
No condemnation in church, but rather support. Let us be warriors to face the battle.

I picked this song for today’s message: Warrior.

Verses for Today:
Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Matthew 16:18 (NIV)
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.


I pray that God gives me the heart and strength to be a Warrior for Him.