MINISTERING WITH TRUTH AND AUTHORITY, From 2 Corinthians 10

Corinthans 10:

7 You are judging by appearances.[a] If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

MINISTERING WITH TRUTH AND AUTHORITY, From 2 Corinthians 10




GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART

LORD OF THE HARVEST, by Your grace Your servants are to be humble and gentle as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who said:



Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29



Even, so Your servants must not strive, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Your servants are sometimes wrongfully accused by the church that they are living by the world's standards.

It is tempting to use harshness in defence.



WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.

On the contrary, these weapons have DIVINE POWER to demolish strongholds.

You have enabled Your servants to demolish arguments

and every pretension that sets itself up against Your word of knowledge.

You want for us to take captive every thiought and to make it obedient to Christ.



SEVER FALSE TEACHERS/TEACHINGS

Father God, Peter the apostle warns:

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. -2 Peter 2:1

Therefore, the Apostle Paul exhorted by Your Spirit that the faithful are to be obedient,

and that there will be a readiness to punish every act of disobedience by the incorrigible.



THE AUTHORITY OF GOD'S MINISTERS

Our Father, the Berean Jews were of noble character for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Thus we ought not to be confident to judge a person if they belong to Christ by their appearance.

May people and our lost loved ones, and the church not look at the ministers You appoint as unimpressive and their speaking as amounting to nothing,

May people not be frightened by those that write/speak Your Word in truth.

May You reveal to those that think the words that seem weighty and forceful come from You and not man.

The Lord Jesus taught with real authority--quite unlike the teachers of religious law.

You have given us Your children the authority for evil spirits to submit to us, but we rejoice that our names are written in heaven.

You also have appointed ministers with authority for building up, rather than tearing down, and there is no shame that comes with it.

We depend on Your Spirit of grace to not be only speakers/hearers of the word, but doers also.

We proclaim Your saving Gospel to the people and to our lost loved ones and pray

they will know You,

and glorify You as God

and give You thanks.

Deliver them from wrong thinking and bring light to their hearts.



PRIDE

Father, deliver our ministers from foolish pride, that they not get puffed up in importance, comparing themselves with other ministers,

using themselves as the standard of measurement.

Also, that they take not credit for the work others have done.

This is ignorance.



But,

“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom You the Lord commends.



Thus, may Your servants instead boast of You, of what You've done in their lives and in their ministry.

You use Your servants as Your chosen instruments in service that You have personally assigned to build up Your church and win the lost.



OUR HOPE

Father, our hope is that our faith continues to grow, and our sphere of activity in the church will greatly expand.

We pray the preaching of the gospel will reach beyond the regions already reached. Also, reach our lost loved ones, LORD!


Gift items:


http://www.zazzle.com/hoaryhead*/gifts

I GIVE MYSELF AWAY, From 2 Corinthians 9

IF YOU'VE BEEN BLESSED BY THIS MINISTRY:

1.  GIVE THANKS TO GOD WITH A "LIKE," GIVING GLORY TO HIS NAME!

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Ephesians 5:20

2.  "CLICK" AND VISIT THE GOOGLE ADS THAT INTEREST YOU.

EACH TIME YOU CLICK ON AN AD OF INTEREST FROM THESE BLOGS, YOU PUT A FEW PENNIES TO THIS MINISTRY WITHOUT A COST TO YOU.



THANK YOU. BLESSINGS!


I GIVE MYSELF AWAY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld1cXry5nyM

PRAYING FOR LOST LOVED ONES


From 2 Corinthians 9



SERVICE TO THE LORD'S PEOPLE



Thank You LORD for the

readiness and

eagerness of Your people to help in

generous giving as promised, and not grudgingly given.



This boasting should not prove hollow and there should be no shame for this confidence.



The enthusiasm of the givers

has stirred many of Your people to action.



You want Your Word to be remembered:



Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.



By Your grace You give a heart that wants to give,

not reluctantly

or under compulsion,



You love a cheerful giver.



AND YOU ARE ABLE TO BLESS YOUR CHILDREN ABUNDANTLY,

so that in ALL THINGS

at ALL TIMES,

having ALL THAT YOUR CHILDREN NEED,

Your children will ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD WORK.



As it is written:



“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

their righteousness endures forever.”



Father God, You are the one that supplies seed to the sower

and bread for food.

You will also supply,

and You will also increase the sower's store of seed

and enlarge the harvest of the sower's righteousness.



You will enrich the sower in EVERY way

so that the sower can be generous on EVERY occasion,

and through the ministers You appoint, the sowers' generosity will result in giving You thanks.

Not only is this service performed supplying the needs of Your people,

but also there is an overflowing in many expressions of thanks to You, Lord God.

Because of the service by which Your body has proved itself,

others will praise You Lord God for the obedience that accompanies Your servants' confession of the gospel of Christ,

and for the generosity in sharing with Your people and with everyone else.

Your people's hearts and prayers will go with the ministers You have appointed.

Thank You Father because of the SURPASSING GRACE You have given Your people.

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!



ALL THIS FATHER GOD, BECAUSE YOU SO LOVED THE WORLD YOU SENT YOUR SON TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS.

OUR CARES AND PRAYERS FOR OUR LOST LOVED ONES ARE IN YOUR THRONE OF GRACE FOR THEIR EVERY NEED THAT YOU HAVE SUPPLIED BY YOUR SON, THE LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.

THANK YOU, FATHER, AGAIN FOR YOUR

INDESCRIBABLE GIFT OF MERCY AND GRACE!

ALL ABOUT GIVING, ALL ACCORDING TO 2 CORINTHIANS 8

PRAYING FOR LOST LOVED ONES

ALL ABOUT GIVING, ALL ACCORDING TO 2 CORINTHIANS 8

Our Father, thank You for the grace You've given Your church.

IN THE MIDST OF VERY SEVERE TRIALS/EXTREME POVERTY, Your church has overflowing joy to well up in rich generosity.

It is to Your glory to testify that the members of Your body give as much as able, even beyond ability.

Entirely on one's own, members of Your body urgently plead for the privilege of sharing in the service to the Lord's people, exceeding the expectation of Your ministers.

Father God, as members of Your body, we must first give ourselves to You,

and by Your will, also to Your ministers, for this is an act of grace.



BY YOUR GRACE, You have made Your church excel in everything:

in faith,

in speech,

in knowledge,

in complete earnestness,

in love kindled within,

and also excel in this grace of giving.



The ministers You appointed over Your flock do not command,

but each member of Your flock ought to test one's sincerity of love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

For Your church knows the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though He was rich,

yet our our sake He became poor,

so that we through His poverty might become rich.



Judging what is best for Your church in this matter is that not only do Your children first give, but also have the desire to do so.

Father, it is You that works in Your children both to will and do of Your pleasure.

Your body's eager willingness will be matched by the completion of doing it, according to the means of each member.

There ought to be equality, and not that some be relieved while others are hard pressed,

but that as it is written:



“The one who gathered much did not have TOO MUCH,

and the one who gathered little did not have TOO LITTLE.”



LORD, may Your ministers have concern

with much enthusiasm,

initiative,

and eagerness to help Your people that need help with service to the gospel,
(as did the apostle Paul and Titus.)

May all this be done to honor You.

To avoid any criticism of the way these collections are administered,

take whatever pains are necessary to do it right,

not only in the eyes of You, LORD, but also in the eyes of man.



We pray for ministering partners and co-workers

who have often proved themselves

with a good testimony,

that are zealous,

and can have great confidence in the support of the congregation with proof of Your love,

with a testimony to be proud for the churches to see it.

All Your servants represent the churches and are to bring honor to Christ.

Father God, may Your church not lose sight that each member is now Your ambassador that You sent with the Gospel to save the lost, including our lost loved ones.

You are beseeching the lost to be reconciled to You through Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We want the lost and our loved ones to look up and behold the Lamb of God who takes away their sins.

We depend on Your Spirit to work through us to reveal Your truth to the unsaved, convince them, and save them.

We trust You will do it, for You sent Your Son not to condemn the world, but to save it.

Thank You LORD, for Your great love and mercy for us. In Christ Jesus name, amen.

GODLY SORROW, From 2 Corinthians 7

From 2 Corinthians 7


LOVE OUR PASTORS AND LEADERS

As Your body LORD we must remember our Lord and Savior's words,



“A new command I give you:

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”



We make room in our hearts for the brethren and submit to those that watch over us that their work be a joy to benefit all.



The body of Christ by Your grace will wrong no one, corrupt no one, and exploit no one.



The ministers You have appointed over Your flock admonish without condemnation but tell the truth in love,

and they would live and die with Your flock.

They have great confidence and take great pride in Your people, following Christ with great encouragement.



IN TROUBLES Your ministers know no bounds, though the body has no rest, harrassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within.



You comfort the downcast, LORD, and bring encouragers with the same comfort You give to them.



We long for our pastors and leaders.

When they suffer we also have deep sorrow.

May Your flock show ardent concern for them so that their joy be greater than ever.



GODLY SORROW

Preachers and teachers of Your word may cause sorrow, but there is no regret though it hurt, but only for a little while.

Father God, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Everyone should be happy, because this sorrow leads to repentance.



Therefore, LORD, may the hearers see that Your ministers mean them no harm,

and our lost loved ones see that it is Your intent that they be sorrowful

because Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,

but worldly sorrow brings death.



WHAT!

Inwardly, Godly sorrow produces:

What earnestness

What eagerness to clear oneself

What indignation

What alarm

What longing

What concern

What readiness to see justice done



POSITIVE MESSAGE

At every point we must all prove ourselves to be innocent of such matters.

You sent this message not for the person who does wrong nor the injured party,

but rather that BEFORE YOU GOD, we see for ourselves how devoted we are to those You have appointed over Your flock to follow them as they follow Christ.

May they be encouraged and refreshed.

Those that feed Your sheep enjoy boasting over Your flock without being embarrassed because it is a proven truth.

This brotherly and sisterly affection is all the greater at remembering all the obedience in receiving a servant of the LORD with fear and trembling,

and he can have complete confidence in Your flock, for Christ is the head of the church and in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.



You did all this, LORD, to save the lost, and save our lost loved ones. Thank You, our Father! in Christ Jesus name.

CO-WORKERS WITH CHRIST, From 2 Corinthians Chapter 6

IF YOU'VE BEEN BLESSED BY THIS MINISTRY:

1.  GIVE THANKS TO GOD WITH A "LIKE," GIVING GLORY TO HIS NAME!

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Ephesians 5:20

2.  "CLICK" AND VISIT THE GOOGLE ADS THAT INTEREST YOU.

EACH TIME YOU CLICK ON AN AD OF INTEREST FROM THESE BLOGS, YOU PUT A FEW PENNIES TO THIS MINISTRY WITHOUT A COST TO YOU.

THANK YOU. BLESSINGS!

FROM 2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 6


WE HAVE RECEIVED GRACE AS GOD'S CO-WORKERS

Father God You are so gracious to call us Your CO-workers! May we not waste nor misuse Your grace for this marvelous calling.

For You said,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

And we've been told, NOW is the time of Your favor, NOW is the day of salvation.

Our Father, may our lost loved ones grasp and embrace this opportunity--don't pass them by dear LORD!

Help us to do our part in winning them to You as Your ambassadors, we pray.



HARDSHIPS

The work as Your ambassadors gets hard, and we realize we depend in the wisdom and empowerment of Your Spirit, not putting any stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

Rather, as Your servants we apply ourselves in every way in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses.

In Your body there have been beatings, imprisonments and riots. Your servants have worked hard, had sleepless nights and hungered.

SOULS ARE SO PRECIOUS TO YOU AND THE PERISHING MUST BE RESCUED!

Help us to represent You in purity, understanding, patience and kindness,

in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love, in truthful speech and in Your power,

with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.

through glory and dishoner, bad report and good report, genuine, though regarded as imposters,

known, yet regarded as unknown;

dying, and yet we live on; beaten , and yet not killed,

sorrowful, YET ALWAYS REJOICING,

poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, AND YET POSSESSING EVERYTHING.

LORD, give pastors and evangelists the boldness to speak freely to Your people with wide-opened hearts not withholding true affection though it not be returned from the ones receiving this message. May the preachers speak the truth in love as to their children. We pray the hearers open wide their hearts also. Open wide the hearts of our lost loved ones to love You and Your truth and the brethren.



DO NOT BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS

Our Father we want to lead others and our lost loved ones to Christ without compromise, and not have them pull us away from You.

You are asking us to answer You and affirm that:

Righteousness and wickedness have nothing in common.

Light and darkness cannot fellowship.

There is no harmony between Christ and Belial.

A believer and an unbeliever are in contrast.

There is no agreement between us, Your temple, and idols.

As You said:

“I will live with them

and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they will be my people.”

Therefore,

“Come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.”

And,

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty."



IN ALL THIS WE NEED TO TRUST YOU THAT TO WIN OUR LOST LOVED ONES WE MUST SPEAK AND WALK IN YOUR TRUTH AND NOT FEAR, AND APPLY THE WISDOM YOU LIBERALLY GIVE TO US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE IN THIS GREAT COMMISSION!



IN CHRIST JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.



From 2 Corinthians Chapter 6