Thursday, July 26, 2018 - Ephesians 6:20

Your Royal Ambassadorship, Pt. 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZFPRitSGcY

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org 

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Summary, The Profile of the Ambassador.

1. Ambassadors do not appoint themselves. We are appointed by God Himself at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ. God also gives us the power and ability to handle the job.

2. The Ambassador does not support himself. The Church Age believer, as an ambassador for Christ, is provided for by God’s logistical grace blessings.

3. The Ambassador’s instructions are always in written form, so he has no doubt as to what he should do. We have the policies, Problem Solving Devices, instructions, principles, doctrines, and concepts in written form in the Scripture.

4. The Ambassador does not belong to the country to which he is sent. Our citizenship and home is in heaven, Phil 3:20, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Cf. Eph 2:19; Phil 1:27; Heb 12:22. We are also citizens of a client nation to God – the USA.

5. The Ambassador does not live in the foreign country for his own personal interest. We live here on earth solely to serve in the interest of our Lord. Therefore, we subordinate all personal interest to the function of our ambassadorship, which includes the development and function of the spiritual skills, including the Filling of the Spirit, understanding of Bible doctrine, and the execution of the Plan of God. Our position as Ambassadors for Christ is in place as of the moment of salvation, but it is not effective until we develop spiritual skills by growing to spiritual maturity.

6. The Ambassador does not treat any insult to himself as personal, Prov 12:16b. This is the Royal Ambassador’s function in both Spiritual Self-Esteem and Impersonal Love for All Mankind. We tolerate others and hold no grudges. When we are insulted, treated unfairly, or ridiculed, we have tremendous Problem Solving Devices (PSD) to handle the situation. You recognize that it is God who they are insulting and not us, we apply the PSD’s, and we turn the matter over to the Supreme Court of Heaven in Faith-Rest.

7. When an Ambassador is recalled, it means either that his job is done, or it means a declaration of war. This is analogous to our death when our Lord will bring us home as a good servant, Mat 25:21, 23, or the Rapture of the Church, 1 Thes 4:13-18. The Tribulation is analogous to the period of war.

8. Everything the believer does in life becomes a part of his way of life as a Royal Ambassador. Every believer, therefore, makes a pulpit out of his circumstances in every area of life. Every believer is in full‑time service; this is a decision God made, not one that we make. The Lord uses ambassadors in business, professions, homes, academic life, and in local churches. Your circumstances are your full-time Christian service whether you work in the military, in labor, or in management.

      a. Believers as ambassadors are the personal representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer is in the Plan of God and lives his life under the principle of full-time Christian service. The profession of every believer is representing Christ as a Royal Ambassador. The avocation of every believer is making a living as per Philemon. Paul was as much an ambassador in prison as when he was a traveling missionary. You always represent Christ.

9. Your ambassadorship is basically made up of two factors: how you live, and what you say as a result of what you think. Generally, in private, you function under your priesthood; in public, you function under your ambassadorship. This was Font/Pitch 2,12 - Off.Note:  The change to pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually.This is the function of every believer who witnesses and is the special function of the believer with the gift of evangelism. We are to witness through verbal communication of the gospel of the Word of God. We are not to witness only through our lifestyle.

10. The Church Age believer is not only an Ambassador to human creatures but to angels as well. You are a Royal Ambassador being watched right now. Angels observed our Lord, 1 Tim 3:16. They observe and rejoice over the conversion of one person, Luke 15:7-10. Fallen angels are organized to resist and oppose your ambassadorship and your growth in grace, Job 1:6, 2:1‑3; Eph 6:12. The fact that angels are watching you as an Ambassador is found in 1 Cor 4:9; Eph 3:10; 1 Tim 5:21; 1 Peter 1:12.

1 Cor 4:9, “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death (last ones into the coliseum); because we have become a spectacle (amphitheater) to the world, both to angels and to men.”

Eph 3:10, “So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (angels).”

1 Tim 5:21, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen (elect) angels, to maintain these principles (doctrines) without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”

1 Peter 1:12, “It was revealed to them (OT Prophets) that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those (Church Age Ambassadors) who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”

11. Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel,” 1 Thes 2:4. As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom, John 18:36, and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it, John 17:16.

12. God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves,” Mat 10:16. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must take the message of our King to the “ends of the earth,” Acts 1:8, imploring men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God.

Conclusion:

Being an ambassador for Christ is the fulfillment of the incredibly important kingdom perspective. To follow Christ means to give up the kingdom of self and the kingdom of the world, and pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of God. It means our home is heaven, not earth. Our responsibility is to tell others about that good news, so they can join the Kingdom of God as well.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018 - Ephesians 6:20 

Your Royal Ambassadorship, Pt. 2 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6VKPIhCGOA

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

The Bible contains no finer characterization of the exalted and spiritual nature of the believer’s vocation as the representative of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Savior of the world, Mal 2:7.

Malachi 2:7, “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger (MALAKH) of the LORD of hosts.”

This verse confirms the solemn responsibility and high calling of the priesthood in the OT. In applying here this term, “messenger of the Lord,” the priest is made aware of the awesome responsibility that, just as angels and prophets, he is to be a spokesman for God. (Many times in the Old Test. MALAKH or “messenger” is used with YHWH that indicates the “angel of the Lord.” Only here is this term applied to a priest, KOHEN. As such, our Ambassadorship goes hand-in-hand with our Royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9.

In 2 Cor 5, instead of a nation, Paul is an ambassador of the Kingdom of God. Unlike modern political ambassadors, Paul did not originate from the “nation” he represented. He had to be adopted in, through Christ’s sacrifice, and then he had to undergo a change of perspective. He was no longer a citizen of the world and he no longer saw things as a citizen of the world. He saw things through the perspective of a citizen of the Kingdom of God; he was a new creation, vs. 17.

If we are to represent Jesus to the world, we must first belong to the Kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of Satan’s world and self. We must live by the standards of our new King, even though we are temporarily away from Him, vs. 6-9. Most importantly, we must accept that this earth is not our home; our home awaits us, “eternal in the heavens,” vs. 1, even if we are imprisoned and abused by our host country, Eph 6:20. In addition, ambassadors must spread His message: that everyone is welcome to have such a relationship with God.

Paul’s work as ambassador, as is ours, was to spread his Ruler’s message to his host nation. That message was reconciliation. God wanted to be personally reconciled to the people Paul lived with. In a way, Paul was asking his hosts to commit treason against the kingdom of the world and pledge citizenship to the Kingdom of God. They could then follow in Paul’s footsteps by becoming an ambassador for Christ in their own lives, just as we have become. It starts with a change in citizenship.

I am convinced that many of us have misunderstood our ambassadorship and our ministry. We think it is clocking in and clocking out, either as a paid employee or as a volunteer. But God has something radically different in mind. He wants us on call in every conversation and in every interaction.

The OT gives us some understanding as to the role of the Church Age ambassador for Christ:

• David sent ambassadors to Hanun, king of the Ammonites, to congratulate him upon his accession to the throne, 2 Sam 10:2, and Hiram sent them to Solomon for a like purpose, 1 Kings 5:1. Toi, king of Hamath, sent his son Joram to David “to greet him and bless him” after his victory over Hadadezer, 2 Sam 8:10. Therefore, we see the ambassador as one bringing a word of encouragement to others.

• Ambassadors were also sent:

a.    To protest against a wrong, Judges 11:12,

b.   To seek friendship, Num 20:14,

c.    To contract alliances, Joshua 9:3-6.

As ambassadors for Christ, we are to save people from their sins, plead for them to be reconciled to God, and invite them into the Royal Family of God.

In addition, the OT shows us that faithful ambassadors bring health to a nation, Prov 13:17, i.e., salvation to the people. In addition, we see in Isaiah that he condemned Israel for sending ambassadors to Egypt seeking military aid rather than seeking God’s aid, Isa 30:4; Cf. Isa 57:9. Therefore, we are to make it clear that the world cannot save or truly provide, but only God can. Ambassadors need to encourage all to trust in God, rather than themselves or the world.

When we became ambassadors for Christ, our lives ceased to be our own. We need to acknowledge that our lives belong to another Person now.

But if we are honest with ourselves, this is where we fall into trouble, because we do not really want to live as ambassadors, at least not ALL the time. Some days, we would rather live as a mini-king. We know what we like and the people we want to be with. We know the kind of house we would like to own and the car we want to drive. Without even recognizing it, we quickly fall into a “my kingdom come, my will be done” lifestyle.

Why does it seem that people, things, and situations get in our way? Why do we seldom go through a day without some experience of conflict? The answer is that we view our lives as our own. Often, we are more committed to the purposes of our own little kingdom than we are to God’s eternal kingdom. This is why Christ said that to be his disciples, we must die to ourselves, Luke 9:23, Gal 2:20, and why no one can serve two masters, Mat 6:24.

As ambassadors, we must sacrifice our own kingship before we can properly represent the one true King. The biggest reason for lack of ministry in the church and in our culture is not a lack of training. It is our hearts. Where is God specifically calling you to die to yourself so you can live for a kingdom much bigger than your own?

Therefore, if we know what God’s intention for ministry is, (everyone, everywhere, all the time), and if we know what the biggest obstacle to our ministry lifestyle is, (our hearts pursuing the kingdom of self), what then is the best way to minister to others? The last phrase of 2 Cor 5:20 tells us, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

That directive does have evangelistic application. Believers should look for opportunities to implore non-believers to be reconciled with God, so they can experience eternal life. But, in the context of this passage, Paul has another line of reasoning.

Look back a few verses, 2 Cor 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this; that One has died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

Paul is saying that the purpose of the Cross is not just to secure an eternity for sinners, but to also recapture the hearts of God’s people to serve God alone. Our sin not only separates us from God, but even after we have been reconciled to God through justification, our remaining sin causes us to be incredibly self-absorbed, reducing us to idolatrous worshippers of self.

The focus of Christ’s work is to deliver us from our bondage to ourselves, even after we have been saved! As long as sin indwells us, which it will until Jesus returns or we are taken home, we tend to wander away from the worship of God and serve ourselves. God is intent on owning our hearts unchallenged. His goal is that our lives be shaped by a worship of Him and nothing else. And, He has chosen to send us as His ambassadors to make His appeal for people’s hearts. What an exciting calling! Who is God calling you to engage with in “the ministry of reconciliation?”

As such, an ambassador is one through whom a sovereign speaks. 2 Cor 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

The apostles, as sent by Christ with authority to speak in his name, and to negotiate with men, proposing the terms of reconciliation, and urging their acceptance, were in an eminent sense His ambassadors. Just as all believers are sent by Christ and are commissioned by Him to propose the terms of salvation, they too are entitled to the same honorable designation: AMASSADOR!

Sunday, July 22, 2018 – Ephesians 6:20

Your Royal Ambassadorship, Pt. 1 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhTOLzVX8oo

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Our passage of study, Eph 6:20, is one of two places in the NT where the term “ambassador” is used. The other is 2 Cor 5:20. Other passages like 1 Peter 2:9, speak to the role of ambassador, but these two passages are the only ones that directly identify it. Therefore, since we do not often come across this term, we need to spend a little time understanding it and its application to our lives.

Every believer is entered into the Royal Ambassadorship of God at the moment of their salvation. It is one of the 40+ things we receive on the day of our conversion. It is a position that God has sovereignly chosen for us and bestowed on us. It is not a choice of our own, other than the fact that you chose to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. On the day that you did, you were ordained as a Royal Ambassador for Christ and entered into your Royal Ambassadorship.

The Greek word for Ambassador is the PRESBEUO, πρεσβεύω, (pres-byoo'-o), that means, “an aged person, elder, be an ambassador, or be a representative (for someone).”  It is used in classical Greek to denote the activity of an official envoy of a ruler or government who legally represented the authority responsible for sending him. It is similar to the Noun PRESBUTES or the Adjective PRESBUTEROS that means, “older man, ancestor, elder, presbyter.”

In fact, it is part of the PRESBUS family of words that relates to elders or those in authority, especially inside the Church. It is where the Christian denomination Presbyterian got its name, which also signified its organizational structure of elders in the local assembly, rather than the hierarchical structure of the Roman catholic church or the protestant English Episcopalian church.

PRESBEUO, πρεσβεύω, Verb; “Act as an ambassador,” 2 Cor 5:20; Eph 6:20.

PRESBEIA, πρεσβεία, Noun; “Embassy, ambassador,” Luke 14:32; 19:14.

PRESBUTEROS, πρεσβύτερος, Adjective; “Older man, ancestor, elder, presbyter,” used many times in Scripture.

PRESBUTERION, πρεσβυτέριον, Noun; “Assembly of elders, presbytery,” Luke 22:66; Acts 22:5; 1 Tim 4:14.

PRESBUTES, πρεσβύτης, Noun; “An old man,” Luke 1:18; Titus 2:2; Philemon 1:9.

PRESBUTIS, πρεσβύτις, Noun; “Elderly woman,” Titus 2:3.

SUMPRESBUTEROS, συμπρεσβύτερος, Noun: “Fellow elder, fellow minister, co-pastor,” 1 Peter 5:1.

The earliest mention of political “ambassadors,” called messengers or envoys in the Bible, are found in Num 20:14; Josh 9:4; Judg. 11:17-19.

The Hebrew utilizes the Noun TSIYR, צִיר that means, “an ambassador, an envoy, or a messenger.”

Also Malakh ‏מַלְאָךְ‎, “messenger;” LITS, ‏לוּץ‎, “interpreter.”

Definition and Description.

An ambassador is a high ranking minister of state or of royalty sent by one country as its long-term representative to another country to represent his home sovereign or country. An ambassador is an official envoy who represents a foreign sovereign, providing a link between his host country and the country he represents. Ambassadors work to build relations and develop policies that favor both the host and the home of the ambassador. An ambassador is appointed by the leadership of those he represents and is given authority to speak on their behalf.

By analogy, we are spiritual aristocracy as members of the Royal Family of God, and Christ is the King who has sent us into a foreign country; Satan’s cosmic system – the world.

At salvation, every believer enters the Royal Family of God through adoption by means of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and at the same time we become a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. Ambassadorship results from the fact that we are in union with Christ, caused by the Baptism of the Spirit, cf. Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27. Therefore, every Church Age believer is part of the Royal Family of God representing the King of kings and Lord of lords during our time on this earth. Therefore, two commissions are given to the believer at salvation: the Royal Priesthood, which is a part of the equal privilege of election; and the Royal Ambassadorship, which is a part of the equal privilege of predestination, 1 Peter 2:5-9. As such, we represent ourselves before God and we represent God before men.

Ambassadorship emphasizes that every believer is in fulltime Christian service. Yet, there are different services. Differences of service depends on differences of spiritual gifts, stages of spiritual growth, historical circumstances (prevalence of positive or negative volition), and environment at any given moment, 1 Cor 12:4-6.

1 Cor 12:4, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. ⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Our spiritual gift is a specific gift given to each of us that we use distinctly for the common good of our generation. But there are also common functions and services related to our Priesthood and Ambassadorship that the Word commands us to participate in, such as witnessing, praying, learning God’s Word, assembly together faithfully, etc., so that there is no confusion between what your spiritual gift demands and those functions which are common to all believers. Ambassadorship is common to all believers; it is not just the title for Pastors, evangelists, or missionaries.

In addition to the mandates of Scripture, there are many avenues of expressing your Ambassadorship, such as utilizing the Faith‑Rest life and Impersonal Love as Problem Solving Devices with emphasis on your spiritual growth. Even though you are an ambassador from day one of your salvation, it is not until you grow spiritually that you are able to exercise your position. Spiritual Self-Esteem, the first stage of spiritual adulthood, results in the maximum expression of your ambassadorship, which is a result of consistent residence inside of God’s Power System under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and momentum from metabolized Bible doctrine in your soul.

In 2 Cor 5:20, Paul speaks of himself and others as “ambassadors for Christ,” commissioned by their sovereign King to engage in the ministry of reconciliation. As official representatives, they spoke, (as we should also speak today), with the authority of God to the extent that when they spoke the message of reconciliation, it was as though God himself was doing the talking.

Similarly, in Eph 6:20, Paul described himself as acting as an “ambassador in chains,” the imprisoned representative of Christ. This image conveys both the risk involved for the emissary of God, and the oneness the ambassador has with the message he is speaking.

An ambassador must walk a very fine line. He lives in one country, but he is responsible to another. He must represent the message of a leader who is not directly present. He must also embody the character of his home country, following laws and customs that are not necessarily known or even welcome in the host nation. All while respecting the laws and customs of that host.

The Bible contains no finer characterization of the exalted and spiritual nature of the believer’s vocation as the representative of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Savior of the world, Mal 2:7.

Malachi 2:7, “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger (MALAKH) of the LORD of hosts.”

Stopped here - To be continued on Tuesday, 7/24/18

This verse confirms the solemn responsibility and high calling of the priesthood in the OT. In applying here this term, “messenger of the Lord,” the priest is made aware of the awesome responsibility that, just as angels and prophets, he is to be a spokesman for God. (Many times in the Old Test. MALAKH or “messenger” is used with YHWH that indicates the “angel of the Lord.” Only here is this term applied to a priest, KOHEN. As such, our Ambassadorship goes hand-in-hand with our Royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9.

In 2 Cor 5, instead of a nation, Paul is an ambassador of the Kingdom of God. Unlike modern political ambassadors, Paul did not originate from the “nation” he represented. He had to be adopted in, through Christ’s sacrifice, and then he had to undergo a change of perspective. He was no longer a citizen of the world and he no longer saw things as a citizen of the world. He saw things through the perspective of a citizen of the Kingdom of God; he was a new creation, vs. 17.

If we are to represent Jesus to the world, we must first belong to the Kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of Satan’s world and self. We must live by the standards of our new King, even though we are temporarily away from Him, vs. 6-9. Most importantly, we must accept that this earth is not our home; our home awaits us, “eternal in the heavens,” vs. 1, even if we are imprisoned and abused by our host country, Eph 6:20. In addition, ambassadors must spread His message: that everyone is welcome to have such a relationship with God.

Paul’s work as ambassador, as is ours, was to spread his Ruler’s message to his host nation. That message was reconciliation. God wanted to be personally reconciled to the people Paul lived with. In a way, Paul was asking his hosts to commit treason against the kingdom of the world and pledge citizenship to the Kingdom of God. They could then follow in Paul’s footsteps by becoming an ambassador for Christ in their own lives, just as we have become. It starts with a change in citizenship.

I am convinced that many of us have misunderstood our ambassadorship and our ministry. We think it is clocking in and clocking out, either as a paid employee or as a volunteer. But God has something radically different in mind. He wants us on call in every conversation and in every interaction.

Thursday, July 19, 2018 - Ephesians 6:18-20
Summary of the Principles of Prayer to Defeat Satan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZt2QXPUFXc

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20, God’s Appeal for Prayer in the Church.

Summary of Prayer Principles in vs. 18-20.

In this section we have seen several aspects of prayer. Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor of God and wield the sword. We cannot fight the battle in our own power, no matter how strong or talented we may think we are. When Amalek attacked Israel, Moses went to the mountaintop for intercession, while Joshua used the sword down in the valley, Ex 17:8-16. It took both to defeat Amalek; Moses’ intercession on the mountain, and Joshua’s use of the sword in the valley. Prayer is the power for victory, but not just any kind of prayer. Paul tells us how to pray, if we are to defeat Satan.

1. Pray always. This does not mean “always saying prayers.” We are not heard for our “many words,” Mat 6:7. Instead, “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thes 5:17, means that we are to be diligent and consistent in our prayers, as well as continual until a resolution is seen. A Christian must “pray always” because he is always subject to temptations and attacks of the devil. A surprise attack has defeated more than one believer who forgot to “pray without ceasing.”

2. Pray with all prayer. There is more than one kind of prayer we can be praying: Rebound, supplication, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, glorification, etc., Phil 4:6; 1 Tim 2:1.

Phil 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

1 Tim 2:1, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ²for kings and all who are in authority,…”

The believer who prays only to ask for things is missing out on blessings that come with other types of prayers like intercessions and giving of thanks. Intercession for others can bring victory to our own lives too, Job 42:10.

Job 42:10 (KJV), “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

3. Pray in the Spirit. The Biblical formula is that we pray to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. Rom 8:26-27, tells us that only in the power of the Spirit can we pray in the will of God. Otherwise, our praying could be selfish and out of the will of God.

In the OT tabernacle, there was a small golden altar standing before the veil, and here the priest burned the incense that was a fragrant aroma to our Lord, Ex 30:1-10, 34-37. The incense had to be mixed according to God’s plan and could not be counterfeited by man. It had to be a right thing done in a right way. The fire on the altar was a picture of the Holy Spirit, for it is He who takes our prayers and “ignites” them in the will of God. Therefore, the burning incense is a picture of our prayers in the Holy Spirit that are a pleasing aroma to the Lord, Psa 141:2; Prov 15:8; Luke 11:1-13; Rev 5:8; 8:3-4.

Psa 141:2, “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”

Prov 15:8, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.”

Rev 5:8, “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

It is possible to pray fervently in the flesh and never get through to God. It is also possible to pray quietly in the Spirit and see God’s hand do great things.

4. Pray with your eyes open. In vs. 18, we are to “be on the alert,” in our prayer life. In fact, the Lord used the phrase “watch and pray” several times, as do the writers of the Bible. When Nehemiah was repairing the walls of Jerusalem, and the enemy was trying to stop the work, Nehemiah defeated the enemy by watching and praying, Neh 4:9.

Neh 4:9, “But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.”

“Watching and praying,” are the secret of victory over the world, Mark 13:33, the flesh, Mark 14:38, and the devil, Eph 6:18. On the other side, we are cautioned as Peter went to sleep when he should have been praying, and the result was victory for Satan, Mark 14:29-31, 67-72. God expects us to use our God-given senses, led by the Spirit, so that we detect Satan when he is beginning to work.

5. Keep on praying. The word perseverance simply means, “to stick to it and not quit.” The early believers prayed this way, Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; and we too should pray this way, Rom 12:12.

Rom 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.”

Perseverance in prayer does not mean we are trying to “twist God’s arm,” but rather that we are deeply concerned and burdened and cannot rest until we get God’s answer. And remember, as Robert Law put it, “Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven; it is getting God’s will done on earth,” (Tests of Life, [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968]).

Most of us quit praying just before God is about to give the victory. Not everybody is so constituted that he can sincerely spend a whole night in prayer, but all of us can persevere in prayer far more than we do. As we noted above, the early church prayed without ceasing when Peter was in prison and, at the last moment, God gave them their answer, Acts 12:1-19. Keep on praying until the Spirit stops you or the Father answers you. Just about the time you feel like quitting, God will give the answer.

6. Pray for all the saints. The Lord’s template for prayer begins with “Our Father,” not “My Father.” Therefore, we are to pray as part of a great family that is also talking to God, and we ought to pray for the other members of the family. Even Paul asked for the prayer support of the Church, and he had been to the third heaven and back. If Paul needed the prayers of the saints, how much more do you and I need them! If your prayers help another believer defeat Satan, then that victory will help you too. Note that Paul did not ask them to pray for his comfort or safety, but for the effectiveness of his witness and ministry.

7. Ask others to pray for you. Do not be a selfish, standalone Christian. You have a very, very large church family. Think of the power that your prayers have and then multiple that power times all of the other believers who could be praying for you. As a Christian, we are not to be self-centered, egotistical, shy, or fearful. If you are afraid to let others know what you need them to prayer for on your behalf, then arrogance has overwhelmed your soul. Paul’s request for confidence and boldness in proclaiming the mystery gospel tells us a little something about him. If you recall, in his prior life as Saul, he was always behind the scenes giving encouragement or commands to persecute the church, cf. Acts 7:58; 8:1. But now as an ambassador for Christ, he is in the front and center stage. He was most likely a little awkward verbally. Therefore, he requested the prayers of the Church to throw off that awkwardness by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that he could proclaim the gospel with boldness and confidence “as he ought to.” Cf. 2 Cor 10:1. Therefore, just as Paul threw off his inhibitions and asked for help, so too should we, “as we ought to.”

Remember Mat 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Does this count?

Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - Ephesians 6:20 

The Importance of Intercessory Prayer, Pt. 3, The Strength Received. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNACZGZoo2U

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20, God’s Appeal for Prayer in the Church.

Eph 6:20, “For which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

This verse continues Paul petition for intercessory prayer on his behalf by the Church. He recognizes the strength received through the power of intercessory prayer.

“For which,” is the Preposition HUPER with the Genitive Relative Pronoun HOS that relates this continuation of Paul’s petition for intercessory prayer to communicate the Mystery Gospel of Jesus Christ back to vs. 19, where the petition began.

“I am an ambassador,” is the verb PRESBEUO, πρεσβεύω in the Extending from the Past Present, Active Indicative, 1^st Person, Singular that means, “to act as an ambassador or representative for someone.” This is one of two uses of this term in the NT. The other is in 2 Cor 5:20, that tells us all believers are to “act as ambassadors” for Christ, where it is used in the 1^st Person Plural. Paul, like all who are to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ are royal ambassadors of God, 1 Peter 2:9, “…so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

The word was commonly used in classical Greek to denote an aged person or elder, and the activity of an official envoy of a ruler or government who legally represented the authority responsible for sending him.

Given that the English word ambassador can be used as a noun or a verb, here the Greek is telling us that this is an action to be performed. Therefore, we should translate this “I am to act as an ambassador.”

Next we have some definition to Paul’s present state with “in chains.” It is the Dative of Manner of the Preposition EN Plus the Dative Singular Noun HALUSIS, ἅλυσις that means, “chain or captivity.” It is an old Greek word from the negative prefix A, the verb LUO, “loose,” and the suffix SIS that indicates action. Literally, it means, “not loose,” and became the term for, “being in bondage, tied up, in chains, shackled, handcuffed, imprisonment, etc.” In addition, in our passage the singular “chain” is used. The Romans would bind a prisoner to a soldier by a single chain, in a kind of free custody, cf. the singular in Acts 28:16, 20. The term “bonds” was used when the prisoner’s hands and feet were bound together, cf. the plural in Acts 26:29; 12:6. Here, “imprisonment,” is the better context as Paul was under house arrest at the time and guarded by Roman soldiers, cf. Acts 28:20; 2 Tim 1:16.

In the ancient world, as today, ambassadors were to be received with all the respect due to the ones who sent them; as heralds, they were to be immune from hostility even if they represented an enemy kingdom. Paul, an “ambassador” of the greatest King and the greatest Kingdom, Eph 6:20, is instead chained in Rome for his mission of peace, Eph 6:15. In Greek literature, a true philosopher was characterized by his “boldness,” or frank speech. Therefore, we see that Paul was an ambassador in chains, and yet he did not lose his courage, but preached with as much boldness as ever, Eph 3:1-13. He had just written about the spiritual warfare, and now we see that he was experiencing the onslaught of the enemy at the very moment he was writing. Paul was an ambassador in chains; cf. Acts 28:16, 20; Eph 3:1; 4:1; Phil 1:7, 13-14, 16; Col 4:3, 18; Philemon 1, 9-10, 13.

So far we have, “for which (on behalf of the mystery gospel), I am acting as an imprisoned ambassador.”

Then we have the reiteration of Paul’s desire in the petition for intercessory prayer, “that in proclaiming it, I may speak boldly.”

This is a HINA of Result clause, which begins with HINA for “that.” Then we have Dative Preposition EN “in,” with the Dative Personal Pronoun AUTOS in the Neuter, 3^rd Person, Singular for “it,” that refers back to the “mystery gospel” that Paul desires to proclaim. “Proclaim” is not found in the Greek but is the context here. That is why it is in italic in the NASB.

Next we have, “I may speak boldly,” which is the Verb PARRHESIAZOMAI, παῤῥησιάζομαι that means, “to speak openly, fearlessly, boldly, or freely.” We had the Noun of this word, PARRHESIA, in vs. 19.

It is formed from PAN, “all”; RHESIS, “speech, word”; and ERO, “say, speak,” and means “freedom to say all.” In classical Greek it refers to fearless and frank speaking with the freedom to speak openly even in the face of opposition. It was also used to express the openness of intimate conversation with a friend, which also hints at the relaxed mental attitude we should have while witnessing. Later, it was used to denote the freedom of speech that someone who is morally pure has; he need not fear the public scrutiny of his life which his words might incite. In the NT it is used of the fearless and free proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, cf. Acts 9:27,29; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 1 Thes 2:2, even in chains before kings Acts 26:26. Therefore, it means, “to speak openly, boldly, and without constraint.”

Here it is in the Aorist, Middle, Subjunctive as part of the HINA purpose clause. 

The Constative Aorist Tense views the entirety of the process of witnessing with confidence and boldness. 

The Middle Deponent Voice: gives this an active meaning, with results that go back to Paul; “He may speak boldly.” 

The Subjunctive Mood is for the “Results Clause.” This is the desired result Paul is looking for when asking for their prayers. As such, Paul, who was “in chains” or “imprisoned,” desired to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ just as a free man would.

1 Thes 2:2, “But after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”

In essence, this is the third time in this petition for intercessory prayer that Paul emphasized speaking boldly in regard to the mystery gospel of Jesus Christ; twice in vs. 18 and now here. Three is the number of Divine perfection. Therefore, when we speak the gospel with bold confidence, we are operating as God has designed and would intend for us to do.

Finally we have, “as I ought to speak,” which is the Subordinating Conjunction HOS, “as,” with the Personal Pronoun EGO, “I,” the Verb DEI, and the Verb LALEO.  Here we have two verbs. The first is DEI, δεῖ that means, “it is necessary, must, ought, has to, or should,” do something. It says that something “must” be done without indicating the source or intensity of the demand. It is in the Present, Active, Indicative, for the reality of the ongoing action that Paul should adhere to. This is simply how he should speak. This is what is expected of the professional Christian in fulltime Christian service. And, we know from Scripture, that this is only considered Divine good when performed through the filling of God the Holy Spirit.

Then we have LALEO, λαλέω that means, “to speak, proclaim, say, communicate, or utter sounds,” in the Aorist, Active, Infinitive. We saw this word in Eph 5:19, for how we are to encourage to one another, “with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” It relates more to the external sound rather than to the content of what is said. Yet, in this case we know what the content is, the mystery gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, this simply emphasizes the communication of that gospel.

The Constative Aorist views the entirety of the action of Paul witnessing / proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The Active Voice, Paul is to communicate this information. 

The Epexegetical Infinitive clarifies the previous HINA result clause, to indicate this is Paul’s desired outcome in his petition to the Church for intercessory prayers on his behalf. He desires to speak boldly and confidently the mystery gospel of Jesus Christ, as he should speak, being an ambassador for Christ in chains.

From the time of his conversion, Acts 9, Paul was consumed with one main goal in life; to proclaim the gospel to the world. He considered himself a special appointee of Jesus Christ. Just as a King, Caesar, President, etc., of a country appoints an ambassador to represent him personally in another country, so too did God appoint Paul to represent Him and His gospel to the world. Remember, an ambassador does not speak for himself, but for the prominent person he represents. This gives a certain amount of boldness to the ambassador, because it is not his words but that of his sovereign. How much more this should be true of a representative of Jesus Christ.

Fear hinders us from preaching Christ openly and fearlessly. That is why the absence of all restraint and disguise in confessing Christ is demanded from his ministers. As we have noted, evangelism is spiritual warfare. The culture opposes it. Therefore, we need God’s power to do it faithfully and confidently. That is why Paul asks for these prayers on his behalf.