Man Your Battle Stations

Though I never served in the military, I do know that when the commanding officers yelled, “Man Your Battle Stations!”… he meant just exactly that. As followers Of Jesus Christ, we are in a battle as well. In the spiritual warfare we maneuver in, we must always beware of our surroundings. We must be sure that we do our job! This sermon outline speaks of taking our place as a watchman and interceding on behalf of others! May it challenge your hearts! 

Title: “Man Your Battle Stations!”

Text: Ephesians 6:18

(Ephesians 6:18) “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”  (KJV)

Introduction:

•    Paul as he concludes his teaching on spiritual warfare he asserts the importance of praying.
•    We are in a spiritual battle, whether we comprehend it or not! Prayer is vital!
•    I want to illustrate, for those who are saved, the subject of intercessory prayer!
•    Bible terminology deems intercessory prayer with that of a watchman!
•    A watchman was a person who had a job to do. Their task was to man a tower, or walk (sit or whatever) along the walls of the city and watch for anything that could bring harm to the city! If they failed to warn those within the city, then they were to blame! They were to also bring word to the king of any person who approached the city.
•    This terminology is employed by Jesus and also NT writers of how we are to be in our prayer lives!
•    Will you man your battle station?


Proposition: There are three things we must do as a watchman in order to intercede in prayer as we should!

I.    To Be A Watchman We Must Observe!

A.    We must be watchful for our own souls!

B.    We must be watchful for others’ needs!

“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.” – Oswald Chambers

C.    Consider some verses:

(Habakkuk 2:1) “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”  (KJV)
(Matthew 26:41) “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  (KJV)
(Matthew 26:38) “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”  (KJV)

(1 Thessalonians 5:6) “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”  (KJV)

(2 Timothy 4:5) “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”  (KJV)

(Hebrews 13:17) “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”  (KJV)

(1 Peter 4:7) “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”  (KJV)

 

II.    To Be A Watchman We Must Warn!

A.    Ezekiel had a unique ministry that depicts this aspect of being a watchman!

(Ezekiel 3:17) “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”  (KJV)

(Ezekiel 33:7) “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”  (KJV)

B.    Intercessory prayer will help you to warn others!

C.    God will burden your heart and you will not only “tell the King”, but you will warn those who need it!

D.    To see something that needs to be addressed and not say anything is to be guilty yourself!

III.    To Be A Watchman We Must Persistently Pray!

A.    Our text speaks of watching in prayer!

(Ephesians 6:18) “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”  (KJV)

B.    We should spend time in intercessory prayer for people!

C.    Consider what Isaiah said:

(Isaiah 62:6-7) “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”  (KJV)

D.    We need some people to man their battle stations in prayer!

Conclusion:

To The Sinner:

•    Repent and believe the gospel!

To The Christian:

•    Will you man your battle station?

 

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The Wonder Of Preaching!

Billy Sunday, American baseball player and Chr...Image via Wikipedia

I guess everyone, who has been saved any length of time, has tired of preaching because of apathy and personal sin. It happens! Even pastors, hard working pastors, get heavy ears and weary of preaching. This is no surprise because preaching is the primary way that God uses His Omnipotent Word to reach souls! Satan surely knows this and if he can get the hearers and the proclaimers to lose the wonder of preaching, then he has gained some ground! Whether on the pew, or behind the pulpit, we should not lose the Wonder of Preaching! This post seeks to remind us of the greatness and wonder of preaching God’s Word and hearing it heralded forth!

The Wonder of PREACHING…

Preaching is the medium that God has ordained to proclaim the truth of His revealed word!

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

 1 Corinthians 1:21 “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

We understand the word “Preach” to come from a word that would convey the idea of one who is crying out, or heralding.

Isaiah 58:1 ¶ “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

In our day, we often witness what would never be deemed to fall within the aforementioned definition of preaching. We see a lot of pansy preachers who do not have the backbone of an amoeba. They are the type of people who would be characterized as compromising, hypocritical, and apostates; if you were to compliment them! Many are not God called at all. They are after money, women, prestige, and everything else they can get their hands on. With all of the problems with false preachers, I am glad that there are still some God called men preaching the Bible without compromise!

The Preeminence Of Preaching…

Preaching should be the main thing in the church. It should never take second place to music, drama, socials, or even a pie throwing contest! It should be the highlight of the services because it is expounding the eternal truths that “belong unto us and to our children for ever”! The sermon taken from the pages of the “Holy Writ” should be the highlight of every child of God’s life. Preaching should not be considered as something to be endured, but something that is enduring and delightful!

What Makes Great Preaching Great?

Great preaching is not great because a man inflects his voice like Billy Sunday, because a man is a statesman like Talmage, or because a man has the depth of men like G. Campbell Morgan, and Charles Hadden Spurgeon, and many others. What makes preaching great is the fact that a Spirit filled man declares the living Word of God and the Holy Ghost of God uses that same Word to accomplish what God intended!

Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

It is the God behind preaching that makes great preaching great. Preaching is the greatest privilege in the universe. It is more important than the work of Doctors in the ER. It is higher in honor than giving the state of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress as the President of the United States. It is nobler to preach than to enjoin yourself to a life of philanthropy among the needy of our society. It is accomplishes more to preach than it does in giving lectures among the intellectual minds of the great universities. It is more compassionate to preach, “Thus sayeth the LORD”, than it is to be a social worker is devoted to the betterment of society. It is better to be a “Truth hugger” than a “tree hugger”! We have come to the “kingdom for such a time as this”, to preach, and not to sit around and play our time away.

Consider What God Chose Not To Do…

When God chose to express His thoughts and desires to mankind about the truth contained in the Bible concerning Salvation and the personal growth of the converted in our day, He did not choose the Sun to convey them even though it gives great light to all of our solar system and serves as a picture of Christ. He did not choose the Moon to convey them even though it stands sentry in the night sky, and serves as a picture of a Christian who should reflect the Light of Christ. He did not choose the Stars to convey them, even though they hold everyone’s attention, and serve to give us the vast number of descendents of Abraham. He did not choose the Angels even though they were present at Christ birth, and were mediums of truth in times past. He did not choose to use the sky above to write His message, even though great poems, songs, and other pieces of great contemplation have found their inspiration from it. He did not choose to use the great animals which He created, even though they serve to illustrate many practical truths from which we can benefit.

Consider What God Has Chosen To Do…

HE DID CHOOSE TO USE men, like you and me, who have nothing in and of ourselves to offer, but what God has already given to us. We deserve to suffer for eternity in Hell. We are but dust and deserve nothing at all from God! That being stated, God did choose to save us from our sins and use us to proclaim his message!

Conclusion…

Pastor, layman, church member, Christian have you lost your wonder for preaching? When a minister lifts up his voice to articulate God’s Word do you abhor it, or does it stir your soul as never before?  Brother Keith Knauss stated…

“Never Lose The Wonder Of Preaching!”

Precious saint, cultivate your soul and let the freshness of God’s Holy Spirit get down in the hardened clay of your soul! Let Him stir your desires for the Heavenly way! May the awe inspiring wonder of God’s proclaimed word find its way our of your mouth. As the Word of God says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”

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5 Ways Pastors Can Help Missionaries

Missionary David Livingstone

You would be surprised how poorly God’s men work together sometimes. For the most part, I think it is lack of understanding. If a pastor has never experienced the ministry of deputation, then he is oblivious to what it is like. Likewise, if a missionary has never been the pastor of a congregation, then he is severely limited as to how most men would operate in that capacity. Regardless of circumstance, pastors and missionaries have to work together. This post will address how a pastor can better help a missionary as they seek to work together.


5 Ways Pastors Can Help Missionaries

#1 – Pray Specifically For The Missionary’s Needs 

The missionary’s needs can be surmised by the prayer letter that is usually sent out, at least, once in a quarter. Missionaries can spend hours prayerfully compacting information to send back to their supporters. Often, this precious document is just posted on a bulletin board and never really digested! This should never be the case for a pastor. He should thoroughly be abreast of each of his missionaries’ situations just as if it were a ministry locally.

#2 – Communicate With The Missionary 

If it is possible, a pastor should try and phone his missionaries from time to time. Just hearing the voice on the other end can mean everything that day. Emails are a great way to communicate, but make them meaningful for they sometimes have to pay a little for each email. Sending a package can be very helpful too. One word of caution though… be sure that what you send is worth something. Due to duties, and various tariffs, missionaries can spend quite a bit of money just to get $5.00 worth of stuff. Search out ahead of time.

#3 – Pastors Can Send A Prayer Letter To The Missionary

Every supporting church requires the missionary to send a letter to report back what is taking place on the field. This is done for many reasons. One of which is for accountability purposes. How about the pastor reporting to the missionary about what is going on in the supporting church? It helps to solidify the pastor/missionary relationship. After all, they are co-laboring in God’s harvest field!

#4 – Pastors Should Let Missionaries Preach!

Some pastors think missionaries cannot preach. I have heard this more times than I care to remember. What they are really saying is that they do not have the same style. Ascertaining whether or not someone can preach has nothing to do with style. In fact, pastors would be surprised how God uses missionaries “who cannot preach” on their respective fields of labor. Pastors can really help the missionary by letting him preach!

#5 – Pastors Can Be Pro-Active And Seek Out Missionaries!

Missionaries labor trying to book meetings in search of support. Every now and then a pastor will call a missionary wanting them to present their work! This is like giving someone a Christmas gift. It sure encourages the missionary when this takes place. It shows the pastor truly cares!

Bottom Line…

There are many ways pastors can help missionaries. These are just five. Maybe you can suggest more in the comment section below. You never know how your thought expressed here could help someone whom you will never see here on earth!

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