Epiphany Church of Gloucester City

The fruit of the spirit is……Joy

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10 

“Weeping may endure for a night but JOY comes in the morning” psalm 30:5

I’ve had a number of ectopic pregnancies in the past, with the 2nd pregnancy, I had to have surgery to remove my left fallopian tube along with my baby. Years later I became pregnant while on birth control only to find out the baby was found in my right fallopian tube, with medication failing I resulted in losing yet another precious life and my last fallopian tube leaving my heart completely shattered, and hopeless. A few days after my surgery I remember struggling to get out of bed, and the lord led me to turn on worship music in my living room, as I was in worship Abba father reassured me that I would reunite with all my little precious babies one day in paradise, giving me hope. It was even in the midst of one of the most devastating moments of my life, that the Lord not only saturated me in his love but filled me up with such a joy that I could not explain, I found myself dancing before the Lord, I was overflowing in such joy I couldn’t contain. He had turned my mourning into dancing, loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, like the word says in psalm 30:11. The joy of the Lord had become my strength in that very moment when I needed it the most. 

You may be going through some trying and most difficult times in life right now (if not praise God) but I want to encourage you sweet friend that there is a joy that comes from the Lord, a joy unspeakable, a joy that strengthens you in the most trying situations.  

Prayer

Heavenly father,

 When I go through the storms of life, times of weeping, or moments deep of pain and sorrow, remind me that it is but only a moment and in you I find renewed strength and unshakable joy! In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Teresa Casiano

The fruit of the sprit is ….. Peace

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:4-7

About a month ago I had a fight with some intense anxiety. I went to the hospital and they were able to help but the days after that visit, I was still experiencing this head spinning feeling. After getting lots of sleep, even though my head was still spinning, I was able to quiet myself and start to find God in my anxiety. In moments like these, I go to scriptures like this in Philippians. These type of scriptures are written on my heart.

When we are ready to fight our anxiety, God is right there with us fighting for us. We can use the sword of the Spirt, which is his word, to conquer anything the enemy or this broken world, can throw at us. 

It says “Do not Be anxious about anything.”. When your head spins, when you feel waves of panic fall over you. Quiet your mind, find God, ask for his peace. Sometimes all I can at first is “Please help me.” And ask for his wisdom to overcome this. Do you need rest? Do you need to eat something? Do you need to call a friend you know is praying for you? Ask God about these things and then out of gentleness for yourself, grant yourself the time to rest in Him and do the things he is calling you to do.

Lord Jesus , grant us the strength to follow you in the words of instruction you have for us. Anxiety can feel so consuming but your consuming love is greater. Thank you for your Word, that it really does sooth the soul and helps us in every single way . You are greater than anxiety and the fears that try to creep in. Thank you for such a blessing. We love you.

In Jesus name, Amen

Ashlee Blasiak

The Fruit of the Spirit is ….. Patience

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalms 37:7

In this high-speed internet world we are constantly seeking instant gratification. It can be extremely challenging to have patience and follow God’s plan for us. However scriptures exist to remind us of the fruit of the Spirit: patience. In Psalms 37:7 we are called to “Be still Before the Lord and wait patiently for him” regardless of other people’s success or evil schemes. It is for the Lord to guide us and grant us what we need to sustain ourselves and grow in our faith. Our earthly desires, though powerful, should never be what drives us. That should come entirely from our faith in the Lord.

God works in his own time and gives us what we need to be sustained. This isn’t always what we want or on our timeline but His. We need to pray regularly and build our faith in the Lord. It’s easy to lose hope and faith when we don’t get exactly what we want. What we often fail to think about is what we actually need. Too often our faith is tested because we don’t get what we want while God constantly provides for all our needs. Patience is something that we also need to extend to everyone. From our neighbors to our co-workers, friends, spouses and children. 

In a social media landscape that is filled with selectively curated content which only shows the very best parts of another’s life we can find ourselves upset, depressed or jealous of them. When we truly have no idea what they’re lives are even like. We may personally know some of them have used immoral or unethical means to get where they are in life but it is not our place to worry about these things. God knows and sees all, he is well aware of everything and will judge them accordingly in His time. Once again it’s up to us to have the patience to wait for Him.

Lord please help build our patience and give us the persistence to rise to all tests that we are given. Please gift us the patience to not only get through them but to be joyful as our faith and patience grows through these trials.

John Blasiak

The fruit of the spirit is…Kindness – Gal 5:22

 “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.  If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have the gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” Romans 12:8 NLT 

“Kindness shouldn’t be determined by our circumstances.  Being kind to those who love us isn’t exercising any untoned muscle, but to extend it to someone who isn’t as loving is the true test. Someone must break the chain of cruelty and, as representatives of Christ, we are called to be that person.” (Taylin Phillips.Spiritual Life.08.16.24)

It is not always easy to be kind, especially in a world where it is exploited and seen as weakness. Being kind is also being brave.  When we have Christ in our lives we must remember how He treated the others who were not kind to Him.  Find the patience in the situation and remember that God is kind to us when we don’t always deserve it. 

Michelle Kovatch

The Fruit of the spirit is …. Goodness

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Proverbs 34:8

Some people are naturally optimistic, glass is half full types, and part of the grace on their lives is that it seems like the waters of life don’t so easily get inside the boat but they can ride over the waves. I am not built like that at all.  If I’m not abiding in the life giving nutrients of God’s word, and I’m not praying, it’s not a good look. I use to be envious of others with a more naturally encouraging disposition, but I now am grateful.  Because I just can’t fake it. I just have to be with Jesus, every single day, I’m good with that!

One of the greatest challenges in life is to be good, when you haven’t had a model for it. How can you be a good neighbor when you just watched neighbors go to war over the pettiest things, how can you be a good Dad when your Dad was absent?  How can you be a good worker, when you’ve only see exploitation of workers, and workers who never felt that giving their all, or level up their skills would ever amount to anything so they didn’t. How can you be a good husband, when you’ve not seen a good husband?  We have to find goodness in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who saw the crowds and always had compassion, He is the one who said ““Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35)

But how can we be like Jesus? The world isn’t good, the days are evil, our flesh is evil. We are climbing up a steep hill, against the grain of everything around us. In the movie The Avengers, Bruce Banner explains to Captain America how he can just turn into the Hulk at will. Right before he transformed he turns to him and says, see Cap, my secret is I’m always angry. What if it was different for us. Instead of just constantly stuffing down our desires, and repressing our flesh, like someone trying to play whack a mole, what if we spent so much time with Jesus, that His goodness wore off on us. You can catch me off guard and see the old me and I will own it and apologize, but I have become a new person, and I consistently trade insults for blessings, listen to people who are hurting, help the one in front of me as I can, pray for those I can.  

Lord Jesus teach us to bring the evil in our hearts to the cross to be crucified with Christ! Fill us with your Spirit, help us to abide so deeply and consistently with you that your character rubs off on us and that there would be a goodness in us that is growing so much that other people can notice and give God glory for!  Amen.

Joe Marlin

Fruit of the Sprit is …. Faithfulness 

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

1 Samual 12:24

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Galitians 5:22

I used to not be a very good friend. I would leave people hanging, ghost out, and make excuses why I couldn’t do things. I use to do things out of obligation but connecting with people was hard. I struggled with socially anxiety, deep depression, and loneliness. I think I pushed people away because I felt unworthy of close relationships. But God was always there working on my heart, helping, and loving me. He showed me where there was rejection and abandonment from my past. He was there through it all in His steadfast love and faithfulness. He loved me so deeply he showed me the scripture about “Let your yes’s be yes and your no’s be no.” (Matthew 5) This left no room for flakiness or fear of what could happen in a relationship. I learned so much about myself and the Lord in my late 20’s, early 30’s. He did incredible healing in my heart and mind. My relationships healed and I made new friends, and I stuck around. I could trust people because I first trusted God with the outcomes of all my relationships.

Through God’s love and faithfulness he showed me through his character what it is to a reliable person. His grace has shown me that when people let me down, I can forgive them because I used to struggle with an unfaithful character and God changed me. And I believe if God changed me, he can change anyone.

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and we can ask God to grow this fruit in us.

Lord Jesus,

You are the vine and we are the branches. Help us to abide in you and prune the coping mechanisms that no longer serve us. Help us to grow in you, help us to surrender our hearts to you. You use everything God, especially the ways we fall short. Holy Spirit come and do something new in all of us.

In Jesus name, Amen

Ashlee Blasiak

The fruit of the spirit is…… Gentleness

“But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” 1 Tim 6:11 NLT

It is easy to get caught up in your “every day”, getting frustrated and losing your patience.  Harsh words can cut like a knife at the ones we hold dearest.  Taking out our frustrations on others is a good release but then after comes the guilt and the inability to take back the hurt that came out of our mouths.  Being gentle to others, finding the self-control to take a deep breath, a step away from the situation is the way we are made in Christ.  Will you be the one to bring the fruit of the Spirit of gentleness into this harsh world?

Michelle Kovatch

“The Fruit of the Spirt is….. Self control”

“Like a city whose walls are broken through
    is a person who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)

Ken Fish talks about ‘glory chasers.”  These are people who go from church to church, event to event, to nothing at all just staying to themselves.  They are always looking for the next great experience. They become almost allergic to the things that would actually deeply form us. Because just like in Genesis 1:1, where in the beginning the cosmos was without form, and was empty, God still is speaking a word that will FORM us and FILL us.  Just like He spent three days forming the land, sky and see, and then filing it with animals, birds and fish.  There is this super “religious” version of lacking self-control I just described, just like there’s the worldly version of if, like just picking fights outside of Gloucester Liquors after your just got dumped by your spouse.

When we abide deeply in Him, He also forms and reshapes us.  The fruit of being in the Spirit is we are no longer so easily offended, we can stick out relationships, we can serve and show up on days we aren’t ‘feeling it.’  The Spirit is often deeply in touch with emotions but it doesn’t mean we are ruled by them. When we have the Spirit in us, we not only get so filled with His presence we could barely speak or move, it also looks like doing hard, boring, everyday tasks, for decades.  God brings order to chaos.  He brings stability where there was insecurity, and part of becoming God’s holy, set apart people is we become safe and consistent people.  The kind of people that can break generational churches, and change entire families and neighborhoods. That is because, the fruit of the Spirit, is self-control.

Joe Marlin

The Gift of Wisdom

“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom.”-Psalm 51:6

Jesus says “you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” One of the strongest weapons the enemy uses against us is lies. (john 8:44). Once you fall victim to his lies, you become powerless. When we become believers the bible says we are a new creation in Christ. We learn new things from him. Things that seemed hard or impossible become possible.we discover new talents and gifts in Him. As we grow stronger in Christ, so do our talents and gifts. 

The enemy knows this and works overtime to sow seeds of unbelief and keeps us from the truth. We cannot attain wisdom without knowing the truth.  Truth and wisdom go hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. 

What do you need to be set free from?Take a moment right now, what comes to mind? What lies has the Holy spirit shed light on that you have come in agreement with? Well Jesus says he is the truth and the light, humbly ask Him for the wisdom you need to overcome.James tells us to ask without doubt and it will be given.The full armor of God is absolutely essential to combat against the enemy and his minions, but wisdom is a ship we need to board to navigate through the treacherous seas of life. The more we become truthful about ourselves and what the word teaches us, the more we will grow in the wisdom of God 

When Solomon became King, he realized his incapabilities of leading his people. After Solomon’s burnt offerings God met Solomon in his dreams and granted his request for wisdom.

Not long after, Solomon was faced with a situation where only wisdom could solve.

(1 Kings 3:16-28). Two women living in the same house claimed the ownership of a baby so Solomon drew his sword to cut the baby in two, each woman to receive their half. The real mother was the one who spoke first to stop him. In life we will be faced in the most dire of circumstances but only God’s wisdom will help us to cut it in half.

Carlos Cassiano

The Gift of Knowledge.

“Rather, you must grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 3:18

In 2 Peter, Peter is reminding us to grow in our knowledge of God and learn what it means to follow Him.  There will be those who think God is taking too long to come back, but He is being patient and giving more time for others to learn and follow Jesus.  We too must take this time to mature in our faith and knowledge to draw closer to God. The supernatural gift of knowledge is to be able to discern false teachings and we must take time to learn how to use it.

Lord help us to know things by your Spirit we could have never known by our flesh. Let us be so close to you in our friendship that we are in step with what you are doing and we could love people with your power.

Michelle Kovatch  

The Gift of Knowledge.

“Rather, you must grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 3:18

In 2 Peter, Peter is reminding us to grow in our knowledge of God and learn what it means to follow Him.  There will be those who think God is taking too long to come back, but He is being patient and giving more time for others to learn and follow Jesus.  We too must take this time to mature in our faith and knowledge to draw closer to God. The supernatural gift of knowledge is to be able to discern false teachings and we must take time to learn how to use it.

Lord help us to know things by your Spirit we could have never known by our flesh. Let us be so close to you in our friendship that we are in step with what you are doing and we could love people with your power.

Michelle Kovatch  

The Gift of Healing

“And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.” Matthew 4:23-24

“A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good… to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit” 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 9b

As we continue this large section of lent through spiritual gifts we have to stop on this one because of how central it is the heart of God and to the entire purpose of God’s kingdom. Unlike us, every time Jesus encounter sickness, he met it in the ring as an enemy. He never gives us a lecture on how we are meant to embrace the sickness as a friend, because it will teach us a lot about ourselves. There is no doubt that sickness, and all kinds of trials absolutely do reveal our character and God has a redemptive purpose in every ounce of pain we suffer. 

But God is wiling and able to heal, and He gave some people in the church ‘gifts’ of healing. It seems like there is a diversity of the kinds of healing different people have this unusual grace on their life heal. The popular christian author Max Lucado has a wall in his office of all the women he’s prayed for who wanted to get pregnant but were told they were not able to.  Our friend who serves with Convergence Church Network and has spoken at our church, Michael Miller  just seems to have success over and over again praying for peoples feet, and Michelle Kovatch at church has felt in her body the pain of people around her shoulders and neck and God has used her prayers to bring healing and instant relief.  I’ve seen God use our brother Chris Uttke a number of times to pray for inner healing and breaking toxic soul ties that have brought night and day change in peoples lives.

Some people will struggle with this gift saying, if God still heals, why don’t people go and empty out the hospital.  I find this argument odd, I am in the hospital almost every week, and there isn’t an hour there is not someone praying for healing in every hospital I know often seeing God answer in their favor. But healing like every other gift is not some kind of superpower that we exercise at command.  That is clearly not how the apostles worked their healing and even Jesus himself was frustrated unable to heal in his hometown when there was oppositional unbelief.  (Matthew 13:58) While not ‘at will’ when you begin to discover a particular gift of healing, the level of your expectation will grow, and the confidence you have will grow, never demanding anything but full assured when we go to the throne of grace we will get help one way or another! (Hebrews 4:16)

I like what John Wimber has to say about healing.  Before we come with all our questions about healing, let’s pray for 1000 people and not like 10. There is just so much we can’t learn without getting the work in and taking a step of faith. I remember Carlos Casiano came home from North Carolina a couple years ago and just stepped out in faith and prayed for healing in his mom’s ankles, and they both felt it instantly. 

Why don’t we just make room, have a higher expectation for what God can do and pray for some people, and ask them how they feel after.  How else will we find out if we indeed have a gift of healing.

Lord in your mercy, give us the faith to pray for people in our lives and then to follow up and ask how they are, expecting that God is able to actually heal.  We know you don’t owe us anything and yet you have promised us so  much ore than we have faith to ask for.  Lord we believe, help our unbelief!

Joe Marlin

The Gift of Miracles

Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard— Galatians 3:3-5

While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. – Hebrews 2:4

Another gift or manifestation of the Spirit is ‘miracles’ 1 Corinthians 12:10.  Miracles are more than healing, which is another gift, Jack Deere says “There is a distinction between signs and wonders and the gift of healing. Signs and wonders are an outpouring of miracles specifically connected with revival and the proclamation of the gospel”

Miracles are evidence of the Kingdom of heaven breaking into our every day lives, that are meant to demonstrate the truth of the gospel with power.. Miracles are like when Jesus walked on the water (Matthew 14), or told the storm to be calm (Mark 4) or when Philip was transported 20 miles instantly by the Spirit to accomplish God’s will (Acts 8), or when Paul was struck blind for three days so that He would know he was spiritual blind persecuting God’s people (Acts 9), or when the Apostles where singing hymns and God sent an earthquake to break them out of jail. (Acts 16).

Church history is also full of the accounts of miracles. For those who want a serious study of miracles today, you got to check out Craig Keener’s book on the topic. When we do our class on gifted, and ask people about experiences with miracles, dreams, healings, angel visits and more, it is always surprising how the stories start to flow.  These occurrences may not be something we experience every week, but it is a lot more common than you would think.  I’m so glad at Epiphany it’s okay to talk about it, and realize you are not alone.

Even Moses the ‘friend of God’ did not exercise miracles like some kind of superhero.  The power of God is His alone to come upon us for the season and purposes He has.  Paul did not seem to loose His healing power near the end of his ministry in Acts 28, He was able to heal all on the Island of Malta where he was shipwrecked. (Yes, shipwrecked, he suffered a lot, miracles also don’t mean we avoid all pain.) Yet his answer to Timothy his spiritual son wasn’t, I can instantly and at will like Superman use the gifts God gives me to heal you, instead he tells him to add some wine to his water for his stomach ailment. The working of miracles doesn’t take away our need for faith, or our need to wait. The Kingdom is not yet here in its fullness. But Miracles do build our faith!  We can ask Him for more, He wants us to!   

Let’s pray just like the Apostles in Acts 4, for more of His power..

“Lord, we come before you, recognizing your power and authority. We ask that you would grant to us, your servants, the boldness to speak your word with all confidence, just as the early church did. We pray that as we share your message, you would stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. “

The Gift of Prophesy

“But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all, and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!” 1 Corinthians 14:24-25

“But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.” 1 Corinthians 14:3

Like many of the gifts of the Spirit, prophesy is another that manifestation of the spirit that we don’t always know what to do with. We might ask ourselves is this gift for today? Some of us have seen vague, horoscope type ‘prophesy’ given that causes us to question it, or they’ve seen people use prophesy to manipulate others.

The New Testament seems to anticipate this, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:10-22

It’s important to remember some differences in the prophetic ministry between the old and new testaments.

-In the Old Testament most prophets were a part of the King’s court and were sought out to give high stakes guidance that would determine the fate of war, peace, and justice for entire people groups.  In the New Testament, while there are some examples of those who speak for God to all God’s people, most prophesy is happening in a local church to individuals. Of those, these words are given mostly not to give guidance for how to invest your money, who to marry, and the like but are given in a way to reveal God is really here, lead people to faith in Him or to lead Christians to take gospel risks, like the dream Paul had to go to preach the gospel in Macedonia.

-In the Old Testament God chose a small select group of mostly men to prophesy, whereas in the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of Joel in Acts 2, where the Spirit of God would be poured out on all people, slave and free, young and old, male and female, jew and gentile..  Every class, and kind of person.

-In the New Testament there is a call to weigh and judge and test prophesy, in a way that was not possible in the Old Testament because God has given us ALL His Spirit if we are in Christ.

Theologians call this giving of the Spirit to all, the democratization of the Holy Spirit. So instead of prophesy being this unquestioned tool use to control, we actually can walk in faith knowing God can and does speak to us through others, and if it is truly Him, these words will be testable in real life, through a intimate knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and our union with Christ as we grow in having his mind and his heart.

So what if you could be so close to God, that you could know, feel, and see things that you could have never known in your flesh, but came from God himself? If you are unsure of what this even means biblically or in your life today, before anything else I’d encourage you to study what the Bible says about prophesy, and then I would give a good listen to what this looks like today in people you know.  We have a playlist of testimonies on YouTube many of whom are sharing experiences of prophesy.

Once you have an idea of what prophesy might be and want to pursue it yourself, here are a few steps  1)  Live a life close with God, be His friend, which looks like repenting of your sins quickly, doing what He says, not just sitting in guilt and shame or a life of compromise, so He’d want to share His secrets with you. 2) Ask Him (we often have not when we ask not) to lead you and give you words for others, ask God to speak to you through words, feelings, visions, and dreams for others that are clear and specific and will be for other peoples “edification, encouragement, and comfort” 3) Take risks in safe places, among friends and small groups where it is understood you are learning. Share the thing you see in a way that is honest with how confident you received it.  That often might be like “I think this might be from God.”

Some of us will be unusually gifted in prophesy and will want too share that gift with the whole church, and in an evangelistic way with people you meet as you grow in confidence in hearing Him more and more.  Let’s really listen to what Paul says “Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1

Lord thank you in Jesus there is no condemnation, and by His blood we can approach your throne, help us to confess our sins, and to live closely with you.  Lord right now this compromise in my life you are speaking to me about, I am done with it, I am going to trust you and live righteously no matter what the cost!

Help me to think your thoughts, to feel what you feel, help me to be so close to you that I am able to bring your words to the people around me that I love. Give me specific words for the people you put in my life this week, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Joe Marlin

The gift of discernment

“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant practice have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish good from evil”  Hebrews 5:14

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”  Philippines 1:9-11

Discernment is as much a spiritual gift, a manifestation of His spirit working in us as healing and miracles. Yet like every other spiritual gift they have their powers constantly trained.  Paul encourages Timothy to ‘fan into the flame’ the spiritual gift that was imparted to him. How do you grow in discernment?  It looks a lot like how you grow in other gifts.  Build yourself up in the love of God, be His friend, hang out with people who manifest discernment in their lives, ask for it. 

My old Pastor Doug Logan had an unusual grace in his life to know when someone was lying.  We called him a human lie dictator.  In urban ministry, this is a gift from God, because people are constantly trying to present themselves as one thing while they are actually another thing.  Being around Doug, opened my eyes that God really does gift people in a powerful way, that could only come from Him.  It gave me something to pray for in my own life.

One of the reasons we lack discernment, is because we lack experience with the fake and the genuine so it all seems the same to us. It might be a real challenge for someone growing up in a protected spiritual bubble as it would be for someone who lived their lives deep in the world to have discerment. For the person who has never had coffee before Dunkin’ might seem the same as La Colombe. When you expose yourself to better books, better people, different experiences, and step out of your world, and genuine ask God to ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12) you begin to mature and enjoy steak and not just be happy with Mountain Dew (Hebrew 5:12-14)

“Lord, I humbly ask for the gift of discernment, to help me see clearly and make wise choices. Grant me the ability to distinguish between truth and deception, and to discern your will in my life. Open my heart and mind to your guidance, and help me to trust in your wisdom, even when I don’t fully understand. Amen.”

The Gift of Speaking in Tongues…

“But the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all; for to one is given…different kinds of tongues” – 1 Corinthians 12:7-8,10

Speaking in tongues is a heavenly language that is given us by the Holy Spirit, to build up and edify ourselves and others. With the gift of tongues one speaks not to men but to God, and no one understands him; he utters mysteries by the spirit as it says in 1 Corinthians 14:2. How amazing is that! Unfortunately it is one of the gifts of the spirit most misunderstood and gets a bad reputation. Some believe you only have the holy spirit if there is physical evidence of speaking in tongues leaving others with the impression that they may not have the holy spirit because they don’t possess this gift, this then leads people to fake it just to “fit in”. This is simply not the truth. In Corinthians 12:30  Peter says “there are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit, distributes them, there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord, there are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” However, we should desire this gift because not only does it build us up in faith but the spirit also intercedes and prays things through us at times when we don’t know what to pray for. 

 If it is a desire in your heart to speak this heavenly language we are able to freely come to our father on His throne of grace and ask him in faith for this gift of the spirit, if earthly fathers know how to give good gifts how much more will our father in heaven freely give to his sons and daughter who ask Him. We have a good father in heaven who loves to give us heavenly treasures such as the gift of tongues.  How awesome is it that God can fill our mouths to pray, when we don’t know how to pray.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

Thank you Lord for your heart towards me, that you love to give your children good gifts. Lord, you know the desires of my heart and I desire to speak in the heavenly language, to build up and edify myself and others around me. I believe and come in agreement with what your word says to be true, that “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours” thank you father for gifts from heaven. 

In Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Teresa Casiano

Interpretation of Tongues

“If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬

The gift of Tongues is something that brings a lot of criticism and skepticism from non-believers and believes a-like. A Lot of faith filled Christians have seen tongues used very rarely or alternatively seen tongues be used as a measure of faith. Something that is stressed in 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ is the important part interpretation plays in speaking tongues, especially around non-believers. This scripture even goes as far as to say if everyone is speaking in tongues outsiders and unbelievers will say they are out of their minds. However the gift or interpretation can take something extremely powerful like praying in tongues and use it not only for communicating with God but for building up the Church as well.

It is important to distinguish speaking in tongues without interpretation in an appropriate setting and an inappropriate setting. Praying genuinely in tongues alone is always appropriate. Just like speaking in tongues around fellow believers who are comfortable with this is also appropriate. When speaking in larger group settings among those who are uncomfortable or unbelievers, having interpretation is extremely important according to Paul’s teaching. This gift of interpretation can shed light on the mysteries of speaking in tongues and glorify the Lord. Tongues are also commonly used for passionate and powerful prayers that can not only Glorify God but be a great encouragement to everyone when interpreted.

Lord please allow more of us to be comfortable with hearing and speaking tongues and Lord please allow many among us to get the gift of interpretation. To strengthen the Church and glorify you Lord.

John Blasiak

Apostles

“One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:” –  Luke 6:12-13

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles.”  – Ephesians 4:11

The word apostle simply means, a messenger.  Every here the expression “don’t shoot the messenger.”  The idea is hey, the messenger is only relaying the message they have recieved.  The Apostles only have the authority, and the words that were given to them.  It’s very clear in the word there there is a deep singificance in Christ spending all night on a mountain to pray and choose ‘the tweleve.’  These could be called apostles with a capital A.  They show up in the book of revelation, in the throne room of heaven and represent the 12 tribes of Isreal, in other words, the fullness of all God’s people.  They were given a special task, sent in a special way, but Christ himself. When Judas betrayed Jesus, and they had to choose a replacement, it had to be specially a disciple who walked with Jesus before His death and someone who encountered Him after He rose from the dead. In other words, that is not possible today. (Acts 1)

However in the New Testament we have 25-26 names of apostles in the Bible, we also have apostles who become famous like James the brother of Jesus, Paul and Barnanbus, who were not apart of the 12.   We can call these lower case apostles, they are messengers, of the Church and not of Christ in the way the 12 are.  So what is meant by this kind of gifting? We see we have the other 4 kinds of gifts in the church listed in Ephesians 4, we have teachers, prophets, evangelists and shepherds. 

It seems like apostles are gifted in their pioneering work of establishing new Churches. Today we would often call these people missionaries. There is a kind of authority that is unusual placed in the hands of someone operating in this gift, because the Church is not yet mature and complete.  Apostles drop into places and God’s grace is on them to make stuff happen! 

The older I get the less I care about titles, and we’ve seen titles do a ton of harm.  At this point I introduce myself as Pastor Joe more out of a habit than any need in me to ideniitified by gift. it’s important that as we go through these various gifts we remember that these are not meant to be hierarchical, in the sense that Pastors need an Apostle over them, but in fact consistently there are only two permenant offices listed in the church in that sense, and that is Elder & Deacon and both of those offices aren’t just specific gifts but must be wholistically tested for health, holiness and giftedness by the Church (they are NEVER self-appointed) for that calling and responsiblity of authority in the church.

Though while we’ve seen a lot of harm of people being to wrapped up in the gift they have, none is worse than that of apostle.  A life of experience has taught me to RUN from churches that insist on calling their leaders at the top “apostle” so and so. I remember just shocked meeting “super apostles” when I served in Africa, and thought this can’t be real, this is literally straight from 2 Conrithians 11:5, 12:11, where Paul defends himself against those who called themselves such. 

On the other hand, it is so important that we do honor and reckongize the gifts God has placed on people and the gift that they are to the Church.  That is the whole point of Ephesians 5. Some are sent by God to just start things up lead something as if God sent them (Apostles), some are soo caring, they make people feel cared by God (Pastors), some just have this superantural gift to know things only God could tell them (Prophets), some when they share the gospel, there is just an annointing on them that peopel actually want to learn more and not less and they are always drawing people to God (Evangelists) and some teach in such a way, the Spirit makes it seem like they are just bringing it right home for me. (Teachers)

Their gifting alone doesn’t make them qualified to be put over others, (See Titus, and 1st Timothy 3) but each gift is used to build up the Church to function as the body of Christ on earth!

“Lord thank you for THE 12 APOSTLES, and thank you for apostolic men and women, that you continue to raise up and gift.  Let me me like Isaiah, spending time in the throne room of heaven, crying out, “here am I Lord, send me!” Show me my mission field Jesus, show me the unique way you’ve called me to represent you now, Amen.

Joe Marlin

Evangelists

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” – Proverbs 11:30

I have been blessed to be mentored by a number of evangelists. Like all these gifted ministers they don’t just do the thing but they teach people in the church to love their ministry and to do it. They “equip the church to do the work”  Ephesians 4:11. Evangelists have an infectious passion for sharing the faith. I can remember being a new Christian and the man who led me to Jesus Pastor Steve, was always leaning over the yellow line striking up a conversation with the bus drive about Jesus, or at the Deli or anywhere or how my old Pastor in Camden , Doug Logan I could pull up on him randomly on a Friday night, and he would be joking with the guys on the corner selling drugs, and could go from telling jokes to “your life life is leading you and others to hell” in seconds, and instead of pushing them away, he had a way of bringing them in. They knew he loved them, and the knew he was telling the truth.

One time I was hanging with this young guy named Johnny in London, it was really cool, we went and visited CH Spurgeon’s first church, it looked exactly like the little neighborhood, churches I’ve served in.  The other thing that happened is he shared the faith with EVERYONE, the laundry mat woman, the guy drunk in the ally, the cab driver, and consistently people felt loved, and responded.

I asked him when he knew it was the right time to share the gospel.  He said to me, if you wait for the right time to share y our faith it will never come.

On the flight home to Philadelphia from London I shared the gospel with the woman sitting next to me, and led her to Jesus. We need evangelists to be the Church, everyone reading this devotion, who goes to Church, someone took a risk and shared with them or their parents. 

“Lord raise up evangelists in our midst! Thank you for those who go out on the street praying for people block by block, thank you for ministries like theology on tap and all the family ministries we do, block parties, big outreaches, Lord let these things be used by you to draw people to salvation! Amen”

Joe Marlin

The gift of discernment

“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant practice have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish good from evil”  Hebrews 5:14

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”  Philippines 1:9-11

Discernment is as much a spiritual gift, a manifestation of His spirit working in us as healing and miracles. Yet like every other spiritual gift they have their powers constantly trained.  Paul encourages Timothy to ‘fan into the flame’ the spiritual gift that was imparted to him. How do you grow in discernment?  It looks a lot like how you grow in other gifts.  Build yourself up in the love of God, be His friend, hang out with people who manifest discernment in their lives, ask for it. 

My old Pastor Doug Logan had an unusual grace in his life to know when someone was lying.  We called him a human lie dictator.  In urban ministry, this is a gift from God, because people are constantly trying to present themselves as one thing while they are actually another thing.  Being around Doug, opened my eyes that God really does gift people in a powerful way, that could only come from Him.  It gave me something to pray for in my own life.

One of the reasons we lack discernment, is because we lack experience with the fake and the genuine so it all seems the same to us. It might be a real challenge for someone growing up in a protected spiritual bubble as it would be for someone who lived their lives deep in the world to have discerment. For the person who has never had coffee before Dunkin’ might seem the same as La Colombe. When you expose yourself to better books, better people, different experiences, and step out of your world, and genuine ask God to ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12) you begin to mature and enjoy steak and not just be happy with Mountain Dew (Hebrew 5:12-14)

“Lord, I humbly ask for the gift of discernment, to help me see clearly and make wise choices. Grant me the ability to distinguish between truth and deception, and to discern your will in my life. Open my heart and mind to your guidance, and help me to trust in your wisdom, even when I don’t fully understand. Amen.”

Shepherds

We talked about apostles, prophets, evangelists, and now we are going to talk about shepherds, how do you think shepherds, or ‘pastors’ are gifted to help equip the church for the ministry?

What is the great commandment?  We find it in Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Pastor’s show the church how to love like God the Father.  He has his eye on us, he watches us when we wander, he brings us back and again.  His patience is legendary.  Many of these other gifts teach the church to move in the urgency of right now, but this gift helps us restrain that sense of urgency, in a way that we know the people we want to see grow, are not only ignorant, and rebellious, they don’t just need to be taught well, and to repent of their sin.

They are also wounded and afflicted. The world has beat everybody up and evil spirits torment so many through the compromises we have made.  A pastor is patience, loving, kind, a pastor looks like Jesus!

You don’t have to be called what we do in the west ‘the pastor’ to have the ministry of being a pastor biblically.  Some people in the church are gifted with supernatural compassion.  We need these people to see who God truly is.

“Lord raise up pastors in your church, people who notice those who are forgotten, who have supernatural patience and grace for those everyone else has given up on. Lord help us to be more like you.  Amen.”

Joe Marlin

Teachers

Teaching is a gift that in the evangelical tribe of the Church, tends to be the most highly valued. A lot of people think that Church is always gathering to hear someone who prepared a lesson. So everyone who is zealous in the faith, who wants to be used by God is going to want to teach.  But James 3:1 says, let not many of you become teachers, for you shall face a stricter judgement. We tend to love knowledge, and bible facts, and undervalue living out what we know and practicing the full range of gifts that God has blessed us with.

Like every other gift, and ministry, teaching is a manifestation of the Spirit of God.  Some people are comfortable in front of others, they are naturally able to remember a lot of what they read and break it down and make it simple, this is not the “gift of teaching” or the ministry given to ‘teachers” that is being talked about in Ephesians 4.  There are some awesome social studies teachers that would bear no fruit teaching the bible. 

Paul says “But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.” 1 Cornithians 2:14.  To be a gifted teacher, you need to have the. mind of Christ.

I believe everyone in Jesus has at least one amazing sermon in them.  Theses are truths that have have truly shaped your life so deeply you could walk up in front of people and teach them from your very soul. The challenge for teachers in the church is to do this on consistent basis, perhaps in just about every area of life. Theres a reason Paul challenges his spiritual son Timothy ‘study and show yourself approved.’ 2 Timothy 2:15 and that Elders in the church must be “able to teach’’ and not be a “recent convert” so they may not become concieted and fall under the same judgemnet as the devil.  1 Timoth 3:6. 

The life of having a ministry of teaching that “equips His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up untill we reach unity in the faitha nd the knowledge of the Son of God wand become mature… “ (Ephesians 4:13-14). Is a life of prayer and study. If God has given you this gift, especially when you are new, do everything you can to say yes to oppertunities to teach.  Pray like crazy and read till your eyeballs fall out.  If this is not your gift, find the gifts that God has given you, and just go equally as hard for them as well, because without you, the body of Christ will not be complete!

“Lord help us disern the gifts and ministries you have for us.  Protect the teaching in our church, that we might not go astray from you.  Let teaching not just be correct but breathed to life by your Spirit that it would transform our lives.  Amen”

Joe Marlin

The Gift of Service

“If your gift is to serve others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well”  Romans 12:7

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

The gift of service is to be loyal and faithful. Allowing the gifts of the Spirit to work through us helps us in our lives to demonstrate to unbelievers the power and goodness of Christ, who dwells in us.  Being able to show God’s love for others through service, is strength and loving others the way Jesus did.  Take the time today to do something for someone other than yourself.

Because the heart of Jesus’s ministry was to serve others. This means that when we operate in the gift of service, the voice of the spirit is challenging us through the day, walk the extra mile, lend to others and expect nothing back, give of your time, offer your prayers, your advice. While every follower of Christ is called to serve we know we have a grace on our lives and a calling to service when it is our passion and joy, and others feel loved by God through our acts of service.

“Lord help me to be your hands and feet, and to serve someone today. Amen”

Michelle Kovatch

The Gift of Exhortation

“if it is to encourage, then give encouragement…” -Romans 12:8

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

– 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Exhortation means in the greek to “call along side”. When I think of coming along side someone, I think about those God has sent to me who have faced struggles and hardships big and small. I was called on to lift them up. Whether that be praying with them, sharing a word with them, refocusing them on what God is doing in them, letting them know how loved they are by God, and church family.

I have encouraged and given advice in my own strength, but there is something completely different when I have exhorted in the Spirit. The words hit different, you are able to see that person for who they actually are, a blood bought brother or sister in Christ. Letting them know exactly what you see them as, loved by God.

In Acts 13 the word is read in the temple and the man giving the word asks if anyone has an exhortation. Paul stands up and explains the Messiah has come and the love of God has been shown by the sacrifice of Jesus. So it also has a purpose in teaching, but it just makes me think no matter how long the exhortation or encouragement is. There is one thing being expressed and that is love.

Everyone needs to be encouraged. Everyone need to be told the truth of who they are because it is so freeing. (John 8:32) Let’s ask God for more of this gift and lift each other up!

Lord Jesus, 

Encourage us to today. You are the perfect example of a person who encourages. You love so deeply and relate with us on the deepest of levels. Impart the gift of encouragement on specific people  in our church and may it be a gift we desire. Help us to build each other up and not tear each other down. Help us to articulate to people how much they are loved by you, and cared for by you. We love you.

In Jesus name, Amen. 

Ashlee Blasiak

The Gift of Giving

“So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Throughout the Bible we are constantly reminded to give, not for our own earthly rewards but for the glory of God and a Heavenly reward. We as Christians are called to help the poor and give what we can. We are told not to hoard earthly treasures but to store yourselves treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). We are also reminded in these verses that where our treasure is stored is where our heart will be. Our hearts should always be on God and Heaven and not the Earthly possessions or rewards around us. These same verses also remind us earthly treasures can be destroyed or stolen. It is so important as Christians to focus on the afterlife and all the Heavenly glory and the fragile temporary existence we have on earth, scripture constantly reminds us that the future is never promised. So we need to constantly make the most of today instead of putting off things like giving. We need to be generous now.

Giving can have many motivations but we shouldn’t feel guilt about the joy that comes from giving. As long as we’re not getting our joy from earthly praise and admiration, joy is a natural byproduct of doing the Lord’s work. Giving also doesn’t stop when you step outside of the Church. Tithing is great but the giving nature of Christians should not stop there. I think we’ve all seen people in need but have thought twice about helping.

Lord let us all be moved to be more generous with those in need and the Church itself. We have nothing without you Lord and nothing on this earth is more valuable than Your Kingdom in Heaven.

John Blasiak

The Gift of Leading

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬

Leading is something that can be an amazing gift but comes with a lot of responsibility. Christian leadership is best exemplified by Jesus himself through the New Testament. He’s a constant reminder that true leadership is not only enlightening and growing others but serving them as well. Jesus not only washed his disciples feet but also sacrificed Himself for our sins. Leadership is also caring for others and looking out for them the way a shepherd looks after their flock. One of, if not the most, effective ways to lead comes from setting a good example. A leader’s actions can directly influence someone else in a positive or negative way. In 1 Timothy 4:12 Paul brings up the importance of this example setting in being a good, gifted leader.

Sometimes it’s the smallest action that makes the biggest impact on someone looking up to you. It is with this in mind that leaders must thoughtfully and prayerfully make decisions. Not only the big decisions but when reflecting on day to day interactions. Are they setting an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity that God would be glorified by? No one is perfect but the more time we spend in reflection and prayer the better leaders can fulfill this calling. Leaders should be the shepherd of the flock, treating all members of the flock with love and respect. Being happy in watching them grow, succeed and progress in faith. This is the call of a gifted leader.

Grant us all wisdom to be the leaders we are called to be Lord. Wisdom to make the right decisions and help lead in a way that glorifies You. Whether we are leading our children, family, small group, church or even in the workplace Lord please gift us the ability to shepherdLeading (Day 27)

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬

Leading is something that can be an amazing gift but comes with a lot of responsibility. Christian leadership is best exemplified by Jesus himself through the New Testament. He’s a constant reminder that true leadership is not only enlightening and growing others but serving them as well. Jesus not only washed his disciples feet but also sacrificed Himself for our sins. Leadership is also caring for others and looking out for them the way a shepherd looks after their flock. One of, if not the most, effective ways to lead comes from setting a good example. A leader’s actions can directly influence someone else in a positive or negative way. In 1 Timothy 4:12 Paul brings up the importance of this example setting in being a good, gifted leader.

Sometimes it’s the smallest action that makes the biggest impact on someone looking up to you. It is with this in mind that leaders must thoughtfully and prayerfully make decisions. Not only the big decisions but when reflecting on day to day interactions. Are they setting an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity that God would be glorified by? No one is perfect but the more time we spend in reflection and prayer the better leaders can fulfill this calling. Leaders should be the shepherd of the flock, treating all members of the flock with love and respect. Being happy in watching them grow, succeed and progress in faith. This is the call of a gifted leader.

Grant us all wisdom to be the leaders we are called to be Lord. Wisdom to make the right decisions and help lead in a way that glorifies You. Whether we are leading our children, family, small group, church or even in the workplace Lord please gift us the ability to shepherd the way Jesus taught us by his perfect example.

John Blasiak

The Gift of Mercy

“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬

Mercy is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. The grace of Jesus’ sacrifice gives us all mercy we don’t deserve. It is by this grace alone that we are saved from eternal death (Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5). His mercy is a reminder to us all to have mercy in our own lives. Countless examples exist where Jesus teaches us to have mercy for everyone in our lives, even our enemies. Those who are without mercy will not be shown mercy (James 2:13). This mercy should be extended to everyone from our debtors, enemies, families, friends and neighbors. For the Lord makes it clear that anyone can show mercy and love to someone who shows mercy and love back. The true nature of Christianity is to show love and mercy when we receive none in return.

True mercy is a gift from the Lord and we should feel empowered when we give mercy as well. It may not always be easy but being able to show mercy to those who don’t deserve it is a uniquely Christian idea. It’s so easy to hold on to grudges, debts and feeling wronged but truly Biblical to forgive and show mercy to everyone. Living a life full of mercy heals the soul and makes us worthy of God’s never ending mercy for us.

Please Lord, let us be worthy of your never ending mercy by embracing mercy towards everyone in our life. For we are all made in your image Lord and are your Sons and Daughters. Let us treat everyone as they deserve to be treated as you have gifted us mercy. Let us gift others with the same mercy.

John Blasiak

We have now covered the fruits of the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, the last ten days of lent we will look at the characters of a leader.

Desire to serve 

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:43-44

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

-Romans 12:3

There is a book out there called “Leaders Eat Last”. It is based out of this idea that in the Marine core captains eat last. That the needs of those in a lower rank than you are more important that your own. In a world where the strong thrive and leaders take. As Christians, as I’m sure you know, we live in an upside down world. Where the leaders become servants, we as leaders put the needs of other before our own. And not what we think they need, but what they actually desire or what God desires for that person.

Jesus teaches us not just how to a be leader but to be a servant leader. When you take on the Spiritual gifting of being a leader you also should take on the same humility as Jesus. The greatest example to us a leader, served from the depths of his heart, was Jesus. When he could have exalted himself, but he took on his human form and made himself lowly and unimportant.

Lord Jesus,

Help us to take on the humility of Jesus as we lead others. Help us to think of the needs or others more highly than our own. Give us a desire to serve others and understand deeply what it is people need. Let your Holy Spirit make us more sensitive to what those around us need.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Ashlee Blasiak

Husband of one wife – One woman man.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

—

Throughout Scripture, God reveals to us the trustworthiness of his character through his covenants. These are so much more than simple promises made, they are agreements between God and His people that hinge on his very nature – were God to break His covenants, He would cease to be our perfect God. We see him make these binding agreements with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and, through Christ, all of us with his New Covenant. It’s clear that God takes these things seriously, and expects us to value them as much as He does. 

When we enter into marriage, we’re not just making a simple promise to our spouse, or an agreement to join up our finances like a business partner – we’re entering into a covenant. God elevates marriage to the level of covenant to give us an Earthly example of a heavenly principle. God is giving us an opportunity to exemplify faithfulness in the same way he does towards us, and that’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s a way for us to understand, and to show others around us, how faithful God is.

Some translations of 1 Timothy say that a leader should be “the husband of one wife” while others tell us they “must be faithful to their wife.” The key idea here is that a leader must value their covenants in the same way that God values His covenants – he must stake his entire character upon them. How can a leader who does not honor his own marriage covenant faithfully minister the Gospel covenant to a flock? Even the leader who is not married is called to the same level of reverence and faithfulness to the very idea of marriage – as it is the same type of agreement on which all of our salvation stands.

Lord, Teach me to value faithfulness in covenants as You do. Place in my heart a sincere reverence of the covenant agreement of marriage, that I might deeper understand the power of the New Covenant that has saved me. Help me to live up to my calling, and repent of where my own faithfulness falls short, knowing that yours never will. Amen.

Charles Pildis

Self-Control

“An overseer, therefore, must be… self-controlled, — 1 Timothy 3:2 (CSB)

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” –Prov. 25:28 (NLT)

In order to be qualified to lead in God’s church, Paul says, you must be self-controlled (1 Tim 3:2). 

One commentator describing this passage says, “And “temperate,” from the Greek egkrates, describes one who is in control of himself. He must control his mind, his mouth, his eyes, and his passions. His temper must not get away. He must not become proud or allow jealousy to sway him. As humans we have preferences and personal desires. An elder must be able to master such things and have enough control to prevent his own feelings from interfering with the work of the church. He will, at times, feel used and unappreciated. He will experience stress and, like Paul, will bear the cares of the church daily. He will be disappointed, and may be tempted to lash out, take advantage, or even give up. But an elder must be in control, and he must persevere.” (Randy Ballard, Christian Expositors Journal)

The issue of self-control is a question of allegiance. What are you giving your life to? Are you living for yourself? Or as Jesus says, are you, as Jesus says to disciples,“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. — Matthew 16:24 (CSB)

The failure to have self control as a leader in God’s church comes with dire consequences. Consider God’s confrontation of the Shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel 34. The shepherds were “feeding themselves,” and “You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals.” And meanwhile, “ you do not tend the flock,” and “You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost”, “Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.” And all this results in, “My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.”

In order to be qualified to lead in God’s church, you must be self-controlled, because you are caring for the bride of Christ, the church, the very thing He laid his life down for. If you cannot lay down your life, set aside your preferences, time, hobbies and desires as a leader, you will inevitably become the kind of shepherd that comes under the condemnation of God, and is responsible for the destruction of God’s people.

This is true, not only as a leader in God’s church. It’s true in every part of life. Are you self-controlled in your marriage, at home, at work? If not, your life probably mirrors Prov 25: 28, “a city with broken-down walls.”

Consider anew, what does Jesus want you to do. “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. — Matthew 16:24 (CSB)

Chris Uttke

An Elder must be “Above Reproach”

1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6-9

I remember being in a training process to be an elder, and we had to get a whole bunch of references. From family, from our pastor, from a friend,  from your coworkers, from a neighbor and the tough one, at least one reference had to be from someone who didn’t particularly like you.

This idea of having a good reputation with outsiders, or being above reproach doesn’t mean you are sinless, but it does mean you are 

Consistent – We live a lifestyle of faith and repentance.  There’s no hidden addictions, there’s no sin in our life that is just unfought, unconfessed, unchecked, and let to run wild.  We walk with humility, and when we mess up we are quick to own it.

Credible –  You walk the walk not just talk the talk. You don’t just have opinions but you have a lifestyle that backs up what you believe.  For example, let’s say you are really passionate about protecting pre-born life, you know it’s a sensitive issue where people in hard situations, but you re-arrange your life to adopt kids because this is your heart.  You don’t just change your Facebook profile, or slap a bumper sticker about refugees, you volunteer to teach English as second language, and run windows to the grocery story and teach day one families how to take out the trash and live a new life in a new country.

Safe – Someone may not like you for whatever reason but if they are honest with themselves they know one thing, they could leave their sons and daughters, their wives and husbands with you and you are safe.  If their house caught on fire, they know where they could stay.  Being above reproach means that if you have enemies it’s not from your side.  “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18.

In this world, often people just aren’t going to like you.  When you stand on business, for the things of God, it’s going to rub people the wrong way.  But there is a world where nobody can really say you are a liar, you are prone to angry outbursts, you neglect your family.   

Elder’s MUST be above reproach to be qualified to be Elders, but all christians, are called to follow this example.  Let’s pray that God would knock off the jagged edges in us, that every one of us would grow into His image no matter where w are now.

Lord Jesus, help me to look more like you.  Make me someone who is consistent in my walk with you, credible in every area of life and safe to be around.  Lord in your. Mercy, Hear our prayers!

Joe Marlin

Hospitable 

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

-Genesis 18:1-5

In the greek hospitality means “love of strangers”. When we think of hospitality, we think of bringing people into your homes, feeding them, showing generosity to them, showing them love, welcoming them in.

In this story Abraham is a picture of hospitality. He welcomes them in, he gives them something to drink, he washes their feet. This also make me think of the hospitality that Jesus shows to his disciples by washing their feet the day before his death. (John 13:1-7) 

Let’s welcome strangers and friends in our homes. We need to push back on the societal norm to be people who keep to ourselves and are an island to the world. Let’s love like Jesus. 

Lord Jesus, You are our greatest example of loving our neighbors, friends, and strangers. Continue to help its be a blessing and a light to all of those around us. Help us to welcome the stranger or those even outside of your circle. Help us.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Ashlee Blasiak

Able to teach

“Go into all the world, make disciples…. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” Matthew 28:20

“An Elder must ..  be able to teach.” 1 Timothy 3:2

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” James 3:1

Some elders are called to teach vocationally.  “The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” – 1 Timothy 5:17-18.  Here Paul is arguing that some are gifted to teaching and preaching, in a way that the church should pay them and free them up to just do that all the time.

In one sense this is clearly not something that every Christian should desire, and yet even an Elder who is not the main preacher is called to be ‘able to teach’.  As you mature in your faith you might be called to something different than a focus on teaching or preaching, but as you grow in the fear of the Lord, you will teach in many ways. 

We teach other through the songs we sing (Colossians 3:16), we teach each other through the example of our lives (Titus 2:10), we teach others through mentoring and disciple making (Matthew 28:20), we teach others through the exercise of spiritual gifts like prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:3).

A mature Christian will raise their own children  to know the Lord. Here is an amazing picture from the Old Testament that illustrates this and shows us that teaching isn’t just standing in a pulpit on a Sunday morning but is through the course of life. 

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Being “able to teach” isn’t just a gift to be desired by a single Pastor but it starts with “They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.”  1 Timothy 3:9.  It starts with truly knowing and living the gospel, not just finding slick ways to present it to others.

“Lord help us to know, and live the truth of your word in our lives.  Part of being your disciple is being a lifelong student of you. Fill our minds with your truth that it would be a lamp to show us and others around us the way forward. Amen.”

Joe Marlin