Mike Kines

Galatians 1:13, "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it"

Paul was a great persecutor of the church before the Lord Jesus intervened in his life and changed his mind. Persecution against the followers of Jesus Christ has been around from the very beginning of the church.

Jesus promised that persecution would be part of the normal Christian's life in this world. He told us ahead of time so that when it came we would not be offended. John 16:1-2.

Heavenly Father, you saved this man, Saul of Tarsus, who was a persecutor of the church, and you transformed him into Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. Lord, you can change anyone's life. I pray today for those who are actively persecuting the church, that their eyes will opened, and they will see what they are doing. Lord, save them and bring to faith in Jesus. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 14:12, "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."

Paul never corrected this church for being zealous of spiritual gifts. Instead, he channeled that zeal into a direction that would be most productive. People who use the letters to the Corinthians to minimize, downplay, or demonize Pentecostals in the modern church are barking up the wrong tree. These letters to the Corinthians only strengthen the facts and the reality of the Pentecostal experience of Christians in the church then and now.

Our goal in using spiritual gifts is to edify, build, encourage, and comfort others in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:3.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all of the spiritual gifts. Give people the wisdom to use the spiritual gifts to help others, to build up the church, to encourage, and to comfort God's people. I pray for the spiritual wisdom to go along with the spiritual gifts for your people. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 12:28, "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

"God hath set". I don't understand how people can exclude apostles, prophets, miracles, gifts of healings, diversities of tongues from the modern church. This scripture is so clear it boggles my mind how people can misinterpret and twist scriptures to make claims that tongues, healings, miracles, or apostles and prophets do not exist in the church today.

Why do you think people try to remove the supernatural from the church today? I think it is for the same reason that the religious leaders opposed the Lord Jesus 2,000 years ago. Control. Power. Jesus threatened their positions. Psalm 37:12, Acts 7:54.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all of the spiritual gifts that you have placed in the body of Christ. I thank you for the gifts of apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues. I am thankful for everything that you have done for the church. Lord, we need you more and more as we are approaching the end of this age. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 11:18, "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it."

From the earliest days of the church we see divisions and strife. This has always been a problem in the house of faith. The enemy will always seek to infiltrate the house of faith with people like Judas, or people like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5).

The true body of Jesus Christ is united by the Holy Spirit. But what we see in the outward, visible religious institution that calls itself the church is not the true body of Christ. The body of Jesus Christ is not divided. What is divided is the man-made copy of Christianity. Acts 20:28-30.

Lord, for a long time I was confused about the outward institution of the church. I did not understand that you view this outward institution that professes your name as a house of faith, even though it is filled with tares and with wheat, and that you are waiting until the end of the age to discern between your true people in the church and those who are hypocrites. Lord, search my heart right now, and please help me every day to stay on the side of the true people of God and shun those who are wolves in sheep's clothing. In Jesus name. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 10:32, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God"

This is an interesting Bible verse because it is a clear description of three groups of people whose stories are told through the entirety of the Bible. There has always been Israel, the church, and the nations. Genesis 1-11 is the prologue for the Bible, but from Genesis 12 until the end of the book it is focused on Israel, the church, and the nations. These three always exist at the same time, but God reveals himself in history primarily through one or the other depending upon what season we are in.

Today is the day of the church. The church did not replace Israel in God's plan. All three continue to exist together, at the same time, working out the testimony and story of God in our world. God is three in one. He is prophet, priest, and king. He reveals himself through Israel, the church, and the nations. There are "three days", and then all will be completed by the Lord when we enter the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:2-5.

Heavenly Father, it makes me sad that Christians today believe that the Jewish people do not matter anymore because they are outside the church. You have always maintained a remnant of spiritual Jewish people who believed in the Messiah, and even today that are Jews who are Christians and believe in Jesus. Just as there are many in the church who are unbelievers, and there is only a remnant of true believers within the church. Lord, I pray that you would deliver your people from systems of theology that put lies about Jews into the minds of Christians. Lord, give your people a heart of mercy and love for Israel and the Jewish people. Lord, you have told us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that you will save the nation of Israel one day. Until then, Lord, I thank you that you are working out your plan in Israel, the church, and the nations. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 6:4, "If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church."

A point is being made here that these carnal issues that have to do with human disputes should be of such a low priority among spiritual Christians that even the least esteemed person in the church should be put in charge of resolving the issue.

Churches who major on carnal and fleshly issues have little spiritual maturity. Are you sure you want to stay in a religious crowd that focuses on what is carnal and of the flesh? Or should we instead be looking for brothers and sisters in Christ who call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart? 2 Timothy 2:22.

Heavenly Father, help us to be constructive and bear good fruit in the church. Hopefully others will desire to be mature and walk after this example, but if not, help us to find a group of Christians who call on your name with a pure heart. Lead, guide, and direct us Lord into godly fellowship so that we do not become the companions of fools, in Jesus name. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 1:2, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"

Churches in the bible were identified and described according to their geographical locations. Churches were not identified by the names of men or man's systemic theology. Where do you think the words "Mennonite", "Amish", "Methodist", "Baptist", "Pentecostal", or "Calvinist" come from? Read 1 Corinthians 3:3-4.

These words come from the names of men or the systematic theology of men. This type of naming of churches is carnal. It is an example of the religious system that began all the way back at Babel with men trying to make a name for themselves. Genesis 11:4.

Most of what we see in the religious world has nothing to do with the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is just the religious branches of the world system, based upon the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 1 John 2:15-17.

Lord, I pray that more and more Christians will have spiritual discernment to see through the vanity of following after the names of men, and churches who call themselves after the name's of men or the systematic theology of men. Deliver your people from this subtle trap of the devil. Help us to overcome this carnal, worldly mindset, and to learn how to have the mind of Christ and see things as you see them, in Jesus name. Amen.

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Acts 20:17, 28, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. 28, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

The Lord has chosen certain individuals to serve the church and "to feed the church of God". What does it mean to "feed" the church of God. An example of this can be seen in the early church when the apostles maintained their focus on prayer and the ministry of God's word in Acts 6:4.

It is important that you know with certainty God's will and calling on your life so that you stay in your own lane and focus on the task God has given you. We get into trouble when we think or ourselves more highly than we ought to and get into other people's lane or work. Read Romans chapter 12.

Lord, I pray for your people to have wisdom and humility to abide in their calling and in their gift. It is so easy to be come distracted and try to take over the work of someone else for the purpose of being seen and heard. Lord, help these people to see the value of the gift you gave them, and help to be faithful to use their gifts for the edifying of the body of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Acts 14:23,27, "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. 27, And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."

The Lord chooses elders to help guide his church. Just like the chose the early apostles to guide the church in Jerusalem, so also today the Lord raises up certain individuals for the purpose of helping guide his people. Ephesians 4:11-13.

We are instructed to respect these people that God uses to guide, lead, and direct the church. 1 Timothy 5:17.

Heavenly Father, I pray for those whom you have called to serve by leading, guiding, and directing the church. I pray for these people that they will not be deceived by the worldly attitude of pride and position, but instead will find ways to humble themselves and serve others with this gift of being a true elder in the church, in Jesus name. Amen.

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Acts 13:1, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul."

The New Testament church included men, and also women, who were prophets. How is that today's church religious leaders deny the existence of apostles and prophets in the church? Why do they mock modern day prophets? Ephesians 4:11-13.

I realize there are many false prophets out there, but that does not cancel out the truth that there are still true men of God who are prophets in the modern day church. You can know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-16.

Father God, I pray for the men and women of God today who are excluded because their spiritual gifts is that of an apostle or a prophet. I pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ today who have this special gift from you, and who are mostly left outside the camp of the Christian church. I pray for them to find creative ways to impart their spiritual gifts to others, even going outside the traditional, mainstream of the modern church, and truly raise a new generation of Holy Spirit filled believers in Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com