Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Jesus came in a way we could understand; in a body we are familiar with; in a world we occupy; and amidst troubles we understand.

But something is required of US.  He asks "just one thing" of us.

What is required of YOU is to BELIEVE what was required of HIM. He requests that what was required of Him be agreed upon by you.

It is a great thing that we have before us.  We confess this is GREAT!

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Why should I go to church? What makes the church so very special? The church is not a building.  It is an ASSEMBLAGE.  It is a gathering of the people that He indwells.

We don't "find God" in temples, or in nations or in particular cities anymore.  We find God in PEOPLE.  He's commanded us to gather these people together every Sunday morning to display Him in a unique way.  

If all you "get out of church" is something like, "I liked the message", you are missing the main thing:  IT IS THE ASSEMBLAGE OF THE INDWELT THAT UNIQUELY MANIFESTS HIM. See you in church this Sunday. bewithme.us Instagram [email protected]

It is a fair question to ask: Are you ready to be a deacon/deaconess? To assess this the individual and the church looks at:

• family: what do our kids, spouse, and marriage demonstrate about us?
• words: what do our words represent about us?
• character: how does our self-control, money, and reputation reveal readiness?

God has an interest in the kind of person He indwells.  The church has an interest in the kind of person that represents her.  Let's each at least ask the question: am I ready to candidate for this church office? Let's go be a deacon/deaconess candidate or at least be one in training.

The falling of a pastor into the disgrace of pride is rarely a recipe for Kingdom growth.  When the pastor falls, he is spoken poorly of; God is spoken poorly of; and the people the pastor leads are spoken poorly of.  He is TRAPPED first, then he TUMBLES, and then it's on TV.  The ripples of his pride effect, through no fault of their own, the whole congregation.

So choose carefully before you lay hands on a new elder/pastor/teacher guy. Let's have him around for a while first, as continuance is the test of reality; time is the window to observe the truth.

Like the guy who steps on a hive and is stung by 1000's of bees, let's avoid the person who is SWOLLEN by pride.  bewithme.us Apple Podcasts. 

For the potential Elder/Shepherd, what is true in YOUR house will be true in GOD'S House. That is, it is fair game to look at the management and instructional content of his home to get a glimpse of whether he will be a good manager/teacher in the church.

Specifically, the ask is whether SUBMISSION has been a LIFE SKILL that he has committed his family to. It is a critical life skill that is important in students, in soldiers, in workers, in Christians, in citizens and in a number of relationships in the home.

Submission is the voluntary attachment under a designated person in a designated role, that demonstrates the posture of an internal adornment before God. If you get this, and it can be demonstrated in your home, you might just be a good pastor.

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In many ways, Pastors/Elder/Teachers/overseers are in the greatest of battles every day.  How should they be fighting? LIKE CHRISTIANS.  Look with me for 7 minutes at the character with which they should be fighting. Today we'll focus on not violent but gentle and not quarrelsome. 

Finally our Teachers should be free from the love of money.  I ask: has any lasting legacy of goodness ever been produced by a "pastor" with a JET? Yes, sometimes I am just hilarious. bewithme.us and FB and instagram and linked in.

Elders are supposed to be skillful teachers. If they have had such sincere exposure to the Word, somewhere along the way they should have been STRUCK with their own sin. They should be the most sinfully-aware people on the planet.

They should also be the most SHATTERED people in the world, for God breaks everybody to piece when they really come to Him.

Like Job, they also should be SILENCED in Awe-filled respect and be standing before God with their HANDS OVER THEIR MOUTHS.

From this place of being STRUCK, being SHATTERED and being SILENCED, excellent elders can be found. The most able teachers are the ones with their HANDS OVER THEIR MOUTHS. bewithme.us Apple Podcasts. Google and Spotify and audible.

The office of Pastor/Elder/Overseer/Leader/teacher should be occupied by a man who:

• has STUDIED the Word
• has SUBMITTED under the Word
• has SHUT HIS MOUTH before the Word
• has BEEN SHATTERED Upon the Word
• has been STRUCK with their own SIN as prodded by the Word
• has been SOBERED by the holiness of the WORD
• has been SILENCED BEFORE THE WORD

THEN and only then will you find a man who is truly SKILLFUL with the WORD, that is ABLE TO TEACH.  Have such men for your pastor/elders. 

If only God would tell us what kind of men He wants to pastor us! If only we knew a few criteria. Well,  wonder no more. God has made it abundantly clear. 

• Be above reproach. Be well thought of by OUTsiders.
• Be a one-woman-man; husband of one wife; single person of one future wife
• Be sober-minded. Be not controlled by drink.
• Be a person that demonstrates self-control.

Here's the trick, all of these are also some pretty good qualities for every single believer and even non-believer. God is very clear what kind of people He wants to lead His Church.  Listen 7 minutes today and 7 tomorrow to hear a couple more.  They'll all be good. Bewithme.us Spotify.

When the police come to your door...When the Doctor has the biopsy results...When your spouse says, "I don't love you any more"...When the horror of your sin finally STRIKES you...WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

We will find out today the qualifications of the person on the other end of the phone.  There are 15 of them. They are hard. They are comprehensive. They are public and private. They are in the church and out. 

When you make that call, you have the God-ordained office and the qualifications of that office on the other end of the line. Let's honor these men! Bewithme.us to subscribe. Listen every day on Apple Podcasts or other.