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Christian
Education Pre-K-12
Richmond Academy
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Renew the Mission
Usually people choose to make New Year resolutions in the
month of January. These are most often resolutions to stop or start doing
certain things. The big question is: where do they plan to get the power to
accomplish things that they evidently could not accomplish the prior year? There
is nothing wrong with setting goals, but futility is eminent if those goals are
approached in the same old manner. Goals and resolutions should be different for
Christian’s who have the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within them. But when
counting on the power of God, remember this: God empowers people to do His will,
not theirs. If the things we desire in life seem unreachable, we have all the
more motive to try to accomplish the things that God desires for us to do. All
people are created equal in the area of selfishness and stubbornness, and all
people have been given equal opportunity to die to their old nature, to humble
themselves before the Lord, and seek to do His will.
Isaiah 61:1-4 (KJV) “The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the
LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening
of the prison to [them that are] bound; (2) To proclaim the acceptable year of
the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that
they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he
might be glorified. (4) And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up
the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations
of many generations.”
As do the multitudes, we ourselves still personally need the accomplishment of
many of the things listed in Isaiah 61:1-4. But to approach these areas without
a renewed mission in mind will not suffice. Let’s consider the fact that we have
been given the Holy Spirit with power! That power comes with the tremendous
responsibility for us to do with Him the things He came to do. The Hebrew word
in this text for “Spirit” is (ruach), and it refers to the active, and
dynamic, presence of God. So we must not only have the Holy Spirit, but we must
also walk in the Spirit and presence of God. Essentially, our walking with God,
while restoring our role as a witness to God in the earth, is the whole message
of that text.
1 Samuel 10:1 (KJV) “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] upon his
head, and kissed him, and said, [Is it] not because the LORD hath anointed thee
[to be] captain over his inheritance?”
In 1 Samuel 10:1 we see the example of King Saul being anointed by the Prophet
Samuel. In the New Testament we see Jesus Christ called the Anointed One, or
Messiah. Saul had been anointed to be a King of the Hebrews. Jesus Christ is
anointed as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. In fact, the word used in
the ancient Hebrew language for ‘anointed’ (mashach), means: “Messiah”
(One sent to save, deliver and heal). Even the translation to the New
Testament Aramaic language is consistent as we read about Jesus, while teaching
in the temple and speaking of Himself as He read from the scroll: Luke 4:18-19 (KJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
King Saul, though he was anointed, did not fulfill the will of God for his life
because he was disobedient and selfish; but the King of kings, Jesus Christ, did
and still does operate in the anointing, fulfilling the calling that was given
to Him. If we believe that Jesus Christ abides in us, then we must also believe
that the anointing to do the will of our Heavenly Father abides there as well.
With that, we can then go forth with a renewed mission, knowing that the
anointing is not just for one action, but is to enable us to accomplish every
God-commissioned task.
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20)
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”
-Kurt Thurston
January
Newsletter 2008 | Waiting & Waiting
Pastor's
Journal January 2007 | Renew The Mission
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Biblical
Counseling for Leaders
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