Pentecostal Devotions

Creation of the One-Flesh Warfare Team (Eph 5:21-33)

by Anelle Beeby

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord…In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

(Ephesians 5:22, 28-30)

After completing my essay on the spouse relationship in the Ephesian Household Code, I realized the significance of this passage and its context. This passage (the conclusion of the Household Code) leads into Ephesians 6:10-19, The Armour of God – which exemplifies spiritual warfare.

God place within both man and woman (Husband & Wife) abilities, when combined (united) they are an unbeatable warfare team. The fall handicapped one-flesh warfare, but through Jesus the ability was restored.

Sad to say but most families have only one spouse who does warfare. No wonder there are casualties. If we are not fighting the enemy together, we are wasting precious resources. We need to be open that the Lord can teach both spouses how to warfare together.

Furthermore, the woman is like the man. She is his flesh, his body. As the creation story asserts, whe is bone of his bone, she and he are one. Paul rejects the dominant ancient view of women as inferior, and presents her as man’s equal. The husband is exhorted to be committed to one person, his wife as his body, not some other men or other women. Women are commanded to serve and help (Gen 2:18,20) their husbands ‘as to the Lord’. I view this as a great privilege and an opportunity, as a wife what I do for my husband is indirectly what I do for my Lord.

The husband is commanded to love. Ninety-two words in eight verses are addressed to him. Paul commands him to love three times (vv. 25a, 28, 33). Love and love alone is the husband’s critical obligation to his wife. Further, Paul does not leave it to the husband’s imagination to define love. The example of Christ defines the nature of love. Headship and power language are redefined in the most radical terms. To be the head is to love and give up self for the sake of other, the wife. (John E. Toews)

Love casts out all fear…”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).For no one ever hated his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church— because we are members of his body…”

Satan will try to pervert our ability to love one another (Husband & Wife), Love is power and a love focused on God and united in the marriage will do serious warfare in the heavenlies. The ‘I’ gets diffused and becomes ‘Us’ – together with the Power of the Spirit we become the one-flesh warfare team.

God of All Power and Glory

by Eerika Rummukainen

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to his power that is at work within us,

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,

for ever and ever!

Amen.

Eph 3:20-21

Think about the most powerful thing in the universe… You may have thought of a fierce hurricane, the blistering sun, an erupting volcano or even the lethal atom bomb. But combine all the power from these things together and we still do not have a complete picture of the fullness of God’s power. Even what we can comprehend of His power, is only a miniscule fragment of its totality. God is ALL POWERFUL! Omnipotent… Think about it for a minute, try to wrap your head around that one. Even what we can imagine of God’s power is just a small glimpse, and some of us have extreme imaginations!

Now… God’s power is at work within us! WE have that incredible, unstoppable, incomprehensible power working in us. And once we realise that, nothing will be able to stop us because we have the power of God working through us. However, that is the key, once we realise it! If we don’t understand that it is by God’s strength that we can do everything, we can’t do anything. We have to realise that the ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’ is based on the ‘according to his power that is at work within is’. If we don’t recognise that it is God’s power at work, then we will miss out on seeing the impossible happen.

Finally, all of this is for a purpose, and no, it’s not so that we can see the impossible happen. It’s for the glory of God! So He can be glorified by what happens through us. People will see that we are doing the impossible and realise that it is not us making it happen, but there is someone higher, bigger, more powerful than anything on the planet behind it all… GOD! It is for His glory!

God, I will never be able to fully grasp how powerful You are. Yet, I know that Your power is at work through me, and when I understand how powerful I am because of you, nothing will be able to stop me. And it is all so that You can be glorified! People will know that it is nothing to do with me, but everything to do with You… I praise You, God!

All of Us, Always Worship Leaders

by Maneesha Antony

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ,in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 3:1-6

As a worship leader when I read this portion of scripture I realise that we are all called to be worship leaders, to praise the name of Jesus and declare the many precious gifts He has given us. The first chapter of Ephesians explains why we should worship our God. In Acts it tells us that we were actually created for His purpose of worshipping Him.

This portion of scripture is where Paul is giving an outburst of praise to the ‘God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ In these verses it demonstrates our God to be gracious, sovereign, loving and our Saviour. This is the God that we serve! God has given many pre-destined, present and future divine blessings which we need to be grateful for. We can bless the Lord when we ascribe to Him the honour due to His holy Name, when we bow in adoration of His essential perfections and in thanksgiving for their manifestations in His mighty acts.

Worship is an important concept that we still haven’t fully grasped. Worship is a response to God’s initiatives in both revelation and redemption. Our role model of worship is the Holy Spirit who is the ultimate worship leader. We are reminded that we worship by ‘the Spirit of God (Phil 3:3.) Knowing that we need to be dependent on Him we become lead worshippers, setting an example for others to follow. Worship is to be offered to God on His terms, in accordance with His instructions, in the context of a life submitted to Him and obedient to His revealed will and ways.

So are you ready to take up the mantle of worship and become the role of being a worship leader for God?

Will and Act According to His Good Purpose

by Eerika Rummukainen

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

People always stress about whether or not they are doing the right thing for God, or if they are doing enough for God. This verse releases people to understand and to realise that God is the author and finisher of our faith and He is the one who works in us to His good purpose. When Paul says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, he doesn’t mean that we get salvation through works or that we have to be scared like little mice, but just to be humble and realise that it is God who is working in our lives and without Him, we could not do any good no matter how hard we tried. But this verse also shows that we do actually partner with God and our responsibility of that partnership is obedience. As long as we are being obedient and following God’s ways (or like it points to in this verse; following the model of Christ that was portrayed in the previous verses; Christ laying down his life, even unto death) and not being rebellious, we can trust that God is working in us for His good purpose. So we don’t have to worry if we are doing too much or not enough. If we are following His leading, we can trust that we are doing exactly what He wants us to do at this very time and place in our lives. So, as long as we obey and are humble, then God can do the most work in us, so that we can reach the full potential that God has in store for us, which is His good purpose.

A Model Wanted

by Victor Chandra

Join with others in following my example [model], brothers,

and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Philippians 3:17

For four weeks in a row Dr Parker has been lecturing on the Book of Philippians. It was incredibly outstanding! With the help of such an awesome lecturer the class has come to an understanding that not only is the Philippians a first-century letter of friendship but also a letter of moral exhortation. It is interesting to know that moral instruction in the first-century community is most commonly given by way of providing examples to follow, and that Paul offers himself, Jesus, Timothy, and Epaphroditus as positive paradigms to imitate.

In this verse Paul appeals to the church in Philippi (to brothers and sisters) to become imitators of him, that is, to imitate him in their behaviour. The picture is like a pupil who learned not simply by receiving instruction but by putting into practice the example of the teacher. Having said this, people need a teacher or leader who really can show integrity in his or her words and deeds, or else no one will follow them. In the case of the apostle Paul, he is pretty much confident in what he says to the church in Philippi, “following my example,” simply because he has proven himself to be a good follower of Christ who is nothing less than the self-giving God (Philippians 2:6-8 cf. 1:1).

The question for us as the twenty-first century church however is “Are we still able to say with confidence to our generation, even to the generation to come, ‘join with others in following my example?’” Likewise, could we be a positive model for the people surrounding us (e.g., our fellow students/mates, parents, teachers, etc) in what we say and do? Lastly, if Jesus is the perfect model for the church to emulate, and he certainly is, what about us as his disciples? Have we become another positive model for our society or community to follow? While people are seeking a man and woman of integrity whom they can imitate, would they find such a person in the Church?   

Together Living a Life Worthy of the Call

by Sione Ma'ake

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:1-2

Paul refers to the Church as the body of Christ, the whole body of the believers. The first portion of Paul’s letter addresses the situation of the believer in Christ, contrasting the believer’s conduct as a member of the body of Christ with the believer’s former life of sin. The believer is called and empowered to live a life that is worthy, totally transformed by reflecting the very nature of the Lord as we blend together with each other. Paul’s unrelenting point is that the power of the Holy Spirit sets believers apart from the world and enables believers to live in Christ. He puts emphasis on the way the body of Christ functions, the Christian life is not a solitary performance, but it absorbs and exudes the godly constituent among the believers.

Hence, it is very impractical to concentrate on the moments of our life when circumstances and situations restricted us from advantage. But, Paul gives explanation that even in the lowest conditions that he experienced; captivity won’t hinder his priority in honouring his calling. He thoroughly emphasises the fundamentals of our calling, it should bring us into line and we should remain under the authority of the one who called us. The life that is worthy is the life that brings harmony and tranquillity into the body of Christ.

The Body of Christ

by Pieter De Vries

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,

to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

Ephesians 4:11-13

Paul is describing the body of Christ and how the Lord has given each part a specific purpose. It gives an image of the overall picture of the Church and at the same time shows the seeming ‘insignificance’ of how we are standing in there as part of the body. It in a sense captures the greatness of our God with an image of our selves. God created us and we cannot but be subjected to that thought. Then we are shown a picture that signifies us, but is actually a representation of the body of Christ.

When thinking this through, we are standing in awe of how great our God actually is. In that, I find again the incomprehensiveness of our God whom through Jesus Christ is bringing His children to Himself. Paul signifies that we should work together in ‘the unity of the faith’ to equip and edify the body of Christ. Paul is looking forward, and understands that only by working together the body can be build. He’s saying that if one part of the body loses, then the body cannot be build. If my hand is cut off, then surely I cannot pick up that stone to build that part of the house. If then my eyes are spiritually blind, then surely false doctrines are not understood and easily accepted.

Paul then warns the church of Ephesus saying that they need to stop acting like Gentiles, because it only destroys the body and doesn’t edify. He understood that the church can only be built when all the body-parts are working together in ‘the unity of faith,’ and only then can it function properly. What we learn from this is that the Church can only work accordingly when all its parts are working according to how God intended it to be.

We need to ask Him to tell us how the different parts need to be structured. Only then, in unity, edifying itself in love can the body grow. I find then that from this passage comes an understanding of who we are to be as ministers of Jesus Christ. If we are working in the body to come to the ‘fullness of Christ,’ then we have a responsibility to see that body come to fruition. In this passage I find myself and see in the bigger picture how He wants me in there, and through that I stand in awe of His greatness and almost feel unworthy of even being a part of that. How privileged are we to be a part of His Bride, and how much more should we then work together for the glory of God so that His Kingdom can be established!

Knowledge and Bliss…by the Spirit

by Luke Fletcher

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11

Ignorance is not bliss. In fact, I was quite surprised to see an emphasis on increasing knowledge, and that by doing this I can show my devotion to my Lord and Saviour. Enhancing my understanding and appreciating his works, his words and his mysteries is not an obligation, but a outworking of my love. Yet I am faced with a challenge in this information age to pursue the knowledge of God. Growing in ‘knowledge’ just doesn’t happen, neither does ‘depth of insight’. In fact the Greek phrase aijsqhvsei indicates an intellectual understanding that affects one’s moral and ethical judgement. In other words the knowledge I gain in my head must progress and inform my heart. To gain a love that “is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush” (The Message) means I need to read things that challenge me, issues that confront my heart and life. The mystery is that because it is a prayer that Paul prays, there must be some corresponding involvement by the Spirit. Yet, the biggest challenge I, and others with a disposition like me, face with this verse is to not pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake, (1 Corinthians 8:1 warns us of the dangers here). I need perspective on what really matters – that’s why the reference to “day of Christ” needs to be the lens through which I gain (and apply!!) all “knowledge and depth of insight”.  Only then will the information, facts and knowledge penetrate my heart enabling me to cooperate with the Spirit as he produces “the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

Servants: The New Superheroes

by Emanuel Henriksson

While reading Paul’s letter to the Philippians it is easy to get the impression that he had a special relationship with them. We can see that from the very start of the letter. Normally Paul opens his letters by establishing authority, “Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus,” but he does not have to do that with the Philippians because they are already good friends. Instead he opens with “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” By doing that, he not only points to their friendship but also introduces something else of importance that he will take up later in the letter, namely servanthood.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians has usually been regarded as a “thank you letter.” Paul is thanking them for their financial support and for their faithful partnership in the gospel. However, Paul takes the opportunity to include something more. He not only gives them thanks but also some moral instructions that will correct their behaviour in order for them to stay within the group of people Paul has already established that they belong to, the group of people that are friends in Christ.

Moral instructions in the first century were normally offered through models to follow. Paul follows this pattern as he points towards Jesus, Timothy, Epaphroditus and himself as models for the Philippians. In 1:21-24 Paul gives himself as a model to follow as he points towards his unselfishness. For Paul it would be better to die and be with Jesus, but for their sake he rather stays alive. In 2:6-8 we have the qualities of the next model to follow, Jesus. Jesus did not consider the fact of Him being God as something that he should keep for his own advantage, but for the Philippians’ sake he humbled himself, became a servant and lived his life in obedience to God, even to the point of death. Timothy is the next model Paul presents to the Philippians. In 2:20-22 Timothy is described as someone concerned about the best for others, someone who is obedient (proved himself) and someone that is a servant of the gospel. In many ways he is described in the same terms as Jesus just a few verses earlier. Next Paul presents Epaphroditus as a model for them to follow. In 2:29-30, they are told to honour people like him because he was willing to die for the work of Christ.

The significance of all this for us today is the fact that Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus were normal human beings just like we are. If they could live a life described in the same terms as the life Jesus lived, if they could live “Jesus-lives” there is no reason why we couldn’t. In fact, Paul is telling them that if they want to stay friends in Christ with himself and Timothy, there is no other way than to live a life that will identify them as that. If you and I really want to be the followers of Jesus as we say we are, it is necessary for us to live a life that will identify us as such. We are to live our lives in the same way as the models given to the Philippians did. They had their heart and mind set on serving others. Do you?

I Want to Know Christ

by Moses Fahuia

We read in Philippians that Paul’s desire was “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10). And to do that, he was willing to let go of his credentials for the knowledge of Christ, in fact he counted it all rubbish in comparison to knowing Christ. By now we would think that Paul knew Christ, but what does he mean by saying “I want to know Christ”?

In the Greek, the word translated “know” is an infinitive verb, which means that to know Christ is an ongoing process. It is not an event, it doesn’t have an ending. There is no limit to knowing Christ our saviour. Christians should never arrive at a stage of satisfaction that they know Christ; but they should instead be constantly transformed and conformed every day into his likeness.

Paul also in his desire to know Christ was willing “to share in his suffering and become like him in his death”. His death in the context of Philippians refers to Christ’s self-giving to others attitude which Paul uses as a model to be followed by the church and every Christian around the world (Philippians 2:5-11). What are we willing to let go for the sake knowing Christ, what stands in our way that hinders us from desiring to know Christ? Is it pain and suffering? OR, is it our position? Is it our credentials? OR, is it our family and friends? Whatever it is, I am pretty sure that knowing Christ is worth much more than what we may sacrifice. We won’t know the power of Christ without crucifying what our flesh delights in. Let’s ask God to strengthen us with the power of the Holy Spirit, so we will constantly conform into his likeness in our daily walk.