May 7, 2010
-
Worship and Service Part 1 by Pastor Abraham
Worship and Service Part 1 by Pastor Abraham
We have had the privilege of having Pastor Abraham visit from India. His work in Orissa, even in the midst of persecution, has significantly increased the numbers of believers and churches in this area of India. What a blessed man of God, a real worshipper and prayer warrior.
Ezekiel 10:1-5 And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched. Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.
Even in the outer court you could hear the sound of wings in the Church, the voice of Almighty God, and the whole court was FULL OF THE LORD’S GLORY. The Throne of God came down on top of the worshippers. God is speaking to His people.
When there is real worship, God comes down. God responds to the praises of His servants. It is not just being a good singer or musician, but it is real heartfelt worship that matters. When we are in the presence of the Lord, we forget ourselves and move to higher levels of spiritual worship, connecting with the glory of God. People worship at the throne of God and they hear the voice of God.
God is leading us to bigger experiences and a closer walk with Him. As we worship in the presence of the Lord we can reach higher spiritual experiences. As more people come to this experience there will be new faces and changes in the Church. Paul was completely changed on the road to Damascus. Ananias received a vision and was told to come and restore Saul/Paul’s sight. Ananias came to pray and the power of God and God’s glory came. Then everything completely changed for Saul/Paul and He mightily served Jesus from that time forth.
When we worship we reach a higher level of experience. Most of us have great experiences in outer court worship. How much more can we have in the inner court? When God speaks we will be much stronger.
Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
The Seraphim’s wings covered their faces, feet, and with two they flew. They were in the presence of the Lord and Isaiah heard the sound of their wings. In the presence of the Lord he became aware of his unclean lips. The Seraphim brought a coal and touched Isaiah’s lips, making them clean. People are searching for the glory of God, and the ministry of the Lord, but God asks us the question, “Who will go for us?” Will we say, “Here I am, send me?” For God to send us we need to be led by the Spirit of God and obedient to God.
When people are in the glory of God, they are changed. Even those who reject Jesus in this life will kneel before Jesus in the last days when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
We must hear the voice of God. God will give us new experiences and we will grow nearer and nearer to Him, day by day. God is with us, in us, and close to us. Draw closer to Him. We will be under attack from the World. We are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. As royal priesthood, we have responsibility and a special purpose. God has called us to show forth His presence.
As servants of god, are we praying for souls and working on extending the Kingdom of God? We can read theology books. Pastors can have college degrees and graduate from seminaries, but how many preachers are catching people for the Lord? We are to catch fish. Win souls. God wants missionaries, those who live for Him, work for Him, and build up the Kingdom of God. There is much work to do, so much that we could be working day and night to do it. Our purpose is to win people for the Kingdom of God.
Take the cup of salvation, and share the truths about Jesus with everyone and that will bring us to higher levels of experience. If we say we are believers but our lives are no different, we may be in error. Our behavior as believers should be changed to be more like the Lord’s. We are a separated group of people. Even Peter was changed after he was restored to Jesus. We are washed with the Blood of Jesus and we are chemically changed. We are seated on the Rock of Ages.
Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
Every tribe, people and nation will worship the only begotten Son. On the cross Jesus said, “It is finished.” What He did on the cross will be revealed to every nation.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.
There is no difference. Jesus purchased salvation for every person. Everything belongs to Him.
Ezekiel 28:23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
God wants all to come to Him, to receive salvation. As a royal priesthood, we want to bring the message of salvation and the love of Jesus to every person.
Revelation 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Jesus preached to every person, but satan wants to fight with the saints and destroy the plan of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
There is a lawlessness that is at work and seeks to pull us away from God. We see evidence of that in the media: TV, magazines, newspapers. The enemy, satan, uses this cunning way to give a person a spirit of lawlessness and separate people from God.
When you violate the rule of God you give satan power over you. There is sin that is being exposed in the leadership. Pastors and leaders are committing sins. We are to be in the world, but not OF the world as we are God’s Royal Priesthood. If we are not doing God’s will and fulfilling the responsibilities God has given us, satan will hurt others.
Luke 8:1-2 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
Every city, village, synagogue, and church.
Acts 20:19-21 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Serve God with ALL humility. Paul spoke with humility going from house to house and to the street telling of the love of God, and sharing the TRUTH.
God called us for great purposes, not to just sit in a place of meeting. We are to go out into the world and heal the sick, preach the Gospel, and share the love of the Lord with others. There may be persecution.
Pastor Abraham was scheduled to preach in an area in India and he was brought to an elderly, infirm man who was on his deathbed. The Hindus in the area told him that if he wanted to preach, he had to heal this man. If the man wasn’t healed, not only wouldn’t he preach but they would beat Pastor Abraham up. The power of God came and healed the man.
God will never put us in a place where he doesn’t meet us in our need. Pastor Abraham also told us about a time when pastors were handing out tracts in an area that was strong in Hindu worship and filled with Hindu idols. These Christians were beaten and forced to drink cow’s urine. A necklace of shoes and sandals were placed around their necks which was a huge insult and then they were chained and forced to walk into the city, being beaten at the time. The Hindus were trying to humiliate these pastors, but the pastors held strong in their faith.
Persecution will weaken the faith of some, but not these Christians. The government did not take responsibility for what the Hindus did. The people were beaten badly, but still are serving the Lord. Another pastor in India was preaching the Gospel, and refused to convert to Hinduism. The Hindus killed him, cut out his tongue and pulled out his eyes. The saints in India are willing to give their lives for the Kingdom of God.
Luke 13:31-32 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
Jesus did not let the Scribes and Pharisees’ threats stop Him from doing His Father’s business. He called Herod a fox and sent the message that he was going to do the Gospel teaching, today and tomorrow. He was going to do what He needed to do to accomplish His purpose. Jesus cast out devils and the Kingdom of God was established everywhere.
Jesus has given us the same power and authority, and we are not in the hand or guidance of the Enemy. We are working for the Lord. As we use Jesus’ name and anointing we will see the power advance for the Kingdom. It is our duty to bring all people to Jesus Christ’s feet. Jesus shed His blood for our salvation, and it is our duty to reach people for Him. Fight for God’s property. If someone died and we were to inherit their property, we would be willing to go to court to fight for our rights to own that land. We need to fight for God’s property, and reach souls for Him. We want to defend God’s property the same way we would defend ours.
Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Christ in us, the hope of glory, God gives us the power to do the work He wants us to do. As we do His will, God trusts us with more power.
During our service Pastor Abraham shared the service report of what he is doing in India. I know this will bless you to see how many lives are touched by God through this remarkable man of God. Remember that this is done in the face of serious persecution, at times even martyrdom. If you wish to donate to the spreading of churches in Orissa, we have a fund and you can send donations to Living Word Chapel, stating that it is for Pastor Abraham’s churches and ALL the money designated for that will be sent to them. Living Word Chapel, 1555 Route 28A, West Hurely, New York 12491
Field Report 2009
Number of People reached - 24,592
Number of Positive Responses - 2,990
Number of Baptisms - 606 (a year’s wages must be paid to gvt. for each baptism)
Number of New States where work has begun in 200 - 4
Number of New Villages reached - 341
Number of Daughter Churches / New Believers’ groups - 85
Number of Bibles distributed - 1697
Number of New Testaments distributed - 5999
These figures represent the report of 36 regional missionaries / pastors who have submitted their annual field reports till now. We have not been able to collect data from the other regions due to shortage of manpower to visit the field and collect data. We do not, generally, discuss sensitive ministry information by phone due to risks involved.
We have found that many missionaries (200+ including lay missionaries) have expressed need for further training & leadership materials and programs, however we have only been able to conduct a two day session for 50 field missionaries, due to a lack of funding. With resources we are hoping to conduct more this year.
The most prominent needs mentioned by the missionaries are as below:
1. Church buildings @ $8,000 each = 15
2. Motor bikes for field missionaries @ $1220 each = 14
3. Bicycles for village missionaries @ $65 each = 50
4. Funds to provide Bibles at a subsidized cost to new believers @ $35. Finances to support legal costs incurred by persecuted churches/missionaries
6. Musical instruments for churches
Agenda for 2010
In 2010, we’re primarily looking at developing the leadership potential of our co-workers. We would like to see at least 25% of them arrive at a place where they are adequately trained to begin developing the next level of leadership. We intend to set aside this period to prepare a launching pad for the next phase, where we’re expecting a greater harvest of souls. Understandably, this is going to be a time of renovation and rebuilding, and there are going to be more than a few changes in the way we approach our mission.
We also intend to work towards the following:
1. To start work in at least 2 new states. One of our targets is the state of Kashmir (northern most part of India) but we are waiting on God to open doors there, as it is a restricted area for non-natives.
2. To develop a network of leaders who can interact among their peers and allow for better accountability and a more personal relationship.
3. To provide a 25 hour intensive training to at least 100 lay missionaries to assist the field missionaries better.
4. To mentor young Christians to become mature believers and provide responsible leadership to the mass rural Christian movement that is currently taking shape – basically, investing in the next generation.
5. To encourage branch churches to begin planting their own daughter churches and provide leadership to them.
6. To conduct / facilitate regional crusades in rural areas to allow believers to fellowship and bond together and grow spiritually.
