Simple Church Ministries of Lancaster

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in   high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  (Eph. 6:12-13 KJV) 

Every Christian should become acquainted with the principles of spiritual warfare.  The bible reveals we are in the midst of a great spiritual war.  It is an invisible supernatural war that rages in the dimension of the spirit world, between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light (2 Kings 6:16-17).

This is not a new war; this war has existed for unknown eons of time.  It is a war where fallen angels and demon spirits (the enemies of God) have become the rulers of the darkness of this world (age).

Satan, the god and prince of this world is the antagonist and instigator of this primeval conflict (Jn. 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4).  Together, with his army of fallen angels and demon spirits, his purpose is to thwart the eternal plan and purposes of God in heaven and Earth. 

At the center of this conflict is God’s prize creation, Man.

The Invisible Enemy:

Whether we realize it or not an unseen but evil enemy is all around us. Whether we wake or sleep this spiritual warfare continually rages on.

Though most of us are unaware, unwitting, and unwilling participants, this war touches the everyday lives of every human being on Earth.  There are no neutral parties in this war; there are no exceptions; no one is exempt. Read more…

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; (Acts 2:44).  

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,  (Acts 2:46).

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Cor. 10:16)

If you were raised in a traditional church setting you have become accustomed to participating in the special but sacred service called the Holy Communion.   This special service, also known as the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper is traditionally administered by the clergy and is usually a solemn, reflective, and introspective time of prayer, confession, and re-dedication of the believer to Christ.

However, in contrast to most churches of today, churches of the 1^st century had an entirely different perspective and experience of what we call the Holy Communion.

The Common Meal

In the early church the Lord’s Supper was not reduced to a sacred ceremony consisting of a small cracker and a tiny glass of grape juice administered by professional clergy.   In contrast to modern practice the early church observed the Lord’s Supper regularly, breaking bread from house to house.  This consisted of a complete meal including bread and wine, symbols of the New Covenant (Acts 2:44, 46).  Read more…

“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. ” (1 Cor. 14:29-33)

The subject of prophecy, prophesying, and prophets has caught the attention of many believers today, so I thought I would take the time to weigh in on this important but controversial area.

It appears that some reject the idea of New Testament prophets in the church today.  Some believe that since the canonization of the scriptures the gift of prophecy as well as the office of the prophet has ceased and they are no longer needed today. 

Personally, I think there is a lack of fundamental knowledge and understanding in the Body of Christ when it comes to the entire arena of prophecy, prophesying, and prophets.

Compound the issue with the misuse and abuse of the gifts and callings of some who represent these things and you end up with confusion, misinformation, and mistrust of anything prophetic in nature.  So, let us begin by defining what prophecy is. Read more…

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (Jn. 19:30) KJV 

Recently I received a letter from a dear brother who shared with me a conversation between two believers discussing the relationship between faith and works.

One assumed the position that salvation is a free-gift by grace through faith; the other the position that obedience is an essential component and evidence of salvation.

Without trying to be critical or judgmental, I believe such discussions exist because many believers do not have an understanding or appreciation of what is commonly referred to in theology as, the finished work of the cross.

More importantly, some believers do not appreciate nor understand how Christ’s finished work of substitution and atonement relates to the justification, sanctification, and preservation of the believer.

 More than good news:

All of my life I have heard many teach that the gospel is the good news.  However, the gospel of Jesus Christ is more than simply good news.

Just what is it about this good news that makes it so good? Read more…

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise.  Which things are an allegory:  for these are the two covenants;   (Gal. 4:22-24)

 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (Jn. 1:13)

  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  (Jn. 3:6)

Salvation, A Miracle of Grace

An allegory is an extended metaphor. It is an illustration used in scripture to explain or give meaning to a biblical type, shadow, or other spiritual truth.  

The Old Testament is full of types and shadows.   The New Testament abounds with allegories.  This allegory of Isaac and Ishmael illustrates the New Testament truth that:

Salvation is possible only because of the promise of God and not by the righteous efforts of man. 

Furthermore, it illustrates the struggle between the proponents of law and grace; “but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now” (Gal. 4:29).  In other words:

Those, who by the grace of God put their trust solely in the blood of Jesus as the basis for salvation, are persecuted by those who look to themselves and to their own works in order to obtain and maintain righteousness with God.

I can find no better example of this than Paul’s use of Isaac and Ishmael.  Isaac was a child of promise, born after the Spirit. He was conceived by grace through faith.  He was a gift to Abraham through Sarah; though Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90 and beyond the age of childbirth (Gen. 15:1-6; Rom. 4:17-22).  

 As Isaac’s birth was made possible because of a miracle of God’s grace, so is the believer’s salvation made possible because of a miracle of God’s grace.  Read more…

At first mention in the bible, systematically, the word grace in its generic form simply means favor; Thus, “Noah found grace [Heb. chen favor] in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). The Hebrew word chen is translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as either grace or favor (e.g. Gen. 18:3 favor and 19:19 grace; 39:4 grace and 39:21 favor).

The idea of grace as favor can be seen and understood in the context of the following scriptures:

“Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 2And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she “obtained” favour [grace], in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 3Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom” (Esth. 5:1-3 emphasis mine)(e.g. Esth. 2:15,5:8,7:3,8:5; Heb. 4:16)

Here, we find that although under the condemnation of the law, Esther, a young Jewish girl obtained grace “favour” (Heb.chen) in the eyes of the king and was granted her petition. What a beautiful picture of what happens to the believer in Christ today when he/she petitions our heavenly Father.  In fact, the New Testament anti-type of this verse is revealed in the book to the Hebrews.   It reads:

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace [charis], that we may “obtain” mercy, and find grace [charis] to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16 emphasis mine).

Whenever God is doing something for us, to us, in us, or through us, it is through the means of and to the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:6). Whenever grace is supplied to the believer it is always given to “help in the time of need.”   Thus, grace is and always brings with it a divine benefit of a sort.

“Mercy, forgiveness, divine enablement, and strength to walk in our gifts and calling flow [freely] from the throne of grace to the believer” (Fallen from Grace, Zulon Press pg. 245) Read more…