Joyce Meyer on Finding Total Restoration in Christ - Georgia Mossholder

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Joyce Meyer on Finding Total Restoration in Christ – Georgia Mossholder

You too can find joy and restoration in Christ.

God is in the business of restoration, and as believers in Christ,

He wants to make us whole in every area of our lives. This

process transforms us into the new creation that 2 Corinthians

5:17 describes as “(a new creature altogether); old things

[previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away … .”

I remember when I desperately needed to recover from the

abuse in my past. I had thought that when I was old enough to

leave home, I would leave the pain behind, but the problem was

in my soul—my thinking and emotions. I needed healing and

restoration so I wouldn’t continue to be poisoned by things that

had happened to me all those years growing up.

I came to this realization after a woman came to speak at our

church and shared her testimony of how she had been abused

and God had healed her. My husband, Dave, bought her book for

me, and when I started to read it, it was so painful that I threw it

across the room and refused to pick it up. But then I clearly

heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, “It’s time, Joyce.” God

had a much better life for me than what I had known up to that

point, and He wanted to restore my soul so I could experience it.

Double for Your Trouble

Isaiah 61:7 says, “Instead of your shame you shall have double

honor; and instead of humiliation they shall rejoice over their

portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess a double

portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs.”

This Scripture shows us that God can completely restore us—no

matter what we’ve done or been through. And He wants to bring

us to a position that’s better than we would have been in if we

had never gone through the messes in our lives. He wants to give

us double for our trouble!

Notice the phrase “instead of your former shame.” Do you know

what it’s like to have shame in your life? I had a shame-based

nature for many years because of the abuse I experienced from

my father. It made me feel like something must be wrong with

me for him to do the things he had done to me.

But the first thing Jesus gives us through our relationship with

Him is righteousness, or right standing with God (2 Cor. 5:21).

It’s so important for us to get this, because the enemy wants us

to think about everything that’s wrong with us so we’ll focus on

our faults. And when we do this, it just gives our problems more

strength over us.

We need to learn how to “walk in the Spirit, and you shall not

fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). This is what it means

to be transformed into the image of Christ. And while it’s not an

easy process, we can do it with God’s help.

The Process of Restoration

Think about it like this: When a person restores a used-up, beat-

up piece of furniture, the first thing they do is strip off the old

layers of paint or varnish. We all have things that need to be

stripped away in our lives. Maybe it’s old attitudes and mindsets

that don’t line up with the way God thinks and acts, or unhealthy

relationships that are holding you back from God’s purpose and

plans for you.

Whatever it is, you can pray: “Lord, strip me of everything that’s

not good for me, and everything that’s hindering my walk with

You. Do what You need to do to get it out of my life.”

Sanding is another step in the process. Is there anyone in your

life whose personality just grates on you? They’re like sandpaper,

and God uses them to get the rough edges off us so the good

things He has put in us can be developed and demonstrated in

the way we live. And after the sanding, there is sealing. For us,

that means we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit, “sealed for the day

of redemption.” (Eph. 4:30).

After all this, the furniture must be dusted and polished from time

to time. I feel like God is always polishing my life in some area.

Our walk with Christ is a lifelong journey that brings us closer to

Him and makes us more like Him. That’s why we should be

thankful when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, or the mistakes

we make; it’s how He’s polishing us to help us stay in God’s will

for our lives.

Wherever you are in the restoration process, I want to encourage

you to set your mind today that God is healing you, and stay

focused on following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Trust God

to lead you in the way that’s right for you, bringing you to

wholeness in Christ in every area of your life.

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and

founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored 100

books, including Battlefield of the Mind, The Mind Connection

and Get Your Hopes Up! (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying

Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of

stations worldwide. For more information,

visitwww.joycemeyer.org.

Joyce Meyer on Finding Total Restoration in Christ – Georgia Mossholder

Joyce Meyer on Finding Total Restoration in Christ - Georgia Mossholder

Do women have a biblical right to be on the front lines of ministry?

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Do women have a biblical right to be on the front lines of ministry?

November 8, 2006 by Dr. Sam Storms, Lead Pastor of Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has received many distinguished awards as a theological scholar.

We must never minimize or overlook the incredible influence in the early church of a number of courageous and faithful women. Where does one begin to list them all? I suppose we’d have to give preeminent notice to Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose remarkable faith and submission to God’s will is an example for all people, male and female, of all ages (cf. Luke 1:38).

One thinks also of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, the mother of John the Baptist. Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, also played a vital role in the early ministry of Jesus, as did Mary Magdalene (no, that’s NOT because she was the wife of Jesus and bore his child!).

The book of Acts is full of powerful and passionate women who put their lives and livelihood on the line for the kingdom of God. Yet another Mary, mother of Mark, opened her home to serve as a base for prayer and fellowship (Acts 12:12). Lydia’s conversion is well known, but not as many are aware that she opened her home to Paul and Silas which may well have been the original house church in the city of Philippi (Acts 16:15,40).

Priscilla, wife of Aquila, was evidently well educated and was used of the Lord together with her husband to explain to Apollos “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). In fact, they also opened their home to serve as the base for a local church (1 Corinthians 16:19). The four unmarried daughters of Philip the evangelist ministered faithfully in the gift of prophecy (Acts 21:9). The apostle Paul had such great trust in Phoebe, “a servant of the church in Cenchreae” (Romans 16:1), that it was she to whom he probably entrusted delivery of his letter to the Romans. Euodia and Synthche “labored side by side” with Paul in the work of the gospel (Philippians 4:2) and I’m sure there were others who shared this great honor. These are but a few of the many who could be mentioned.

I raise this point because we encounter yet another faithful servant of the Lord in this epistle. InColossians 4:15 Paul sends his greetings to “the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.” There is a measure of ambiguity as to whether the name is masculine or feminine, but the weight of textual evidence supports the possessive pronoun “her” rather than “his” in the subsequent phrase.

As you probably know (if not, you should), so-called “house-churches” are mentioned on several occasions in the New Testament. Christians didn’t congregate in larger, public facilities until late into the third century (at the earliest). In some smaller towns the entire body of Christ would have gathered in one person’s home, while in larger cities several house-churches would have existed.

In addition to the congregation that met in Nympha’s house in Laodicea (which was located some ten miles to the west of Colossae), Philemon’s house was the meeting place for a (the?) congregation in Colossae (Philemon 2). Evidently the house of Gaius was large enough to host, at least on occasion, “the whole church” (Romans 16:23; cf. 1 Corinthians 14:23) in the city of Corinth. In all likelihood there were smaller groups of Christians that also met throughout that city. Priscilla and Aquila customarily hosted a church in their home wherever they lived (whether in Ephesus, see 1 Corinthians 16:19, or in Rome, see Romans 16:5).

Let me conclude with two observations. First, this text in Colossians 4:15, together with the others noted, reminds us of the nature of the church and how far removed we are from its original meaning. Use the word “church” today and the vast majority in our society, both Christian and non, immediately think of a building, a physical structure of some sort, whether in a strip mall or one of the more massive mega-churches that dot the American landscape with increasing frequency.

My point is simply that the church is people, an assembly of gathered believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether they meet in a cave (to avoid arrest) or on a hillside (to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation) or in a home (for lack of money to meet elsewhere) or in a 10,000 seat auditorium, the church is the body of Christ. A living, vibrant, spiritual organism (not organization) gathered and thrived and worshiped and prayed and studied God’s Word in Nympha’s house.

Walk through Nympha’s house and take note: there was no electricity, amplified sound system, Power Point, indoor plumbing, robed choirs, offering plates, Sunday School classrooms, air-conditioning, padded pews, pipe organs, pianos, carpeted hallways, computers, printed bulletins, or any of the paraphernalia we typically associate with normal church life, but you would assuredly encounter a genuine, God-fearing, Christ-exalting CHURCH!

I’m not in the least surprised by the growth and popularity of the so-called “house-church” movement today. There is a simplicity and spiritual authenticity that often is found in such gatherings that is sorely missed in what can be the impersonal and sterile environment of a mega-church (I emphasis the words “can be,” acknowledging that some large congregations do well in welcoming the stranger and facilitating every-member ministry). So long as these house churches embrace the biblical guidelines for a local congregation (plurality of Elders, teaching of the Scriptures, observance of the sacraments, discipline of its members, etc.), one can hardly object to their existence. Indeed, we should thank God for them!

Second, and finally, I also thank God for women such as Nympha and others like her in the history of the church. The fact that Nympha’s name stands alone probably indicates that she was either single or a widow. In any case it is testimony to her courage, her capacity to bear an immense spiritual and physical burden, and especially her willingness to subject herself to persecution and slander. A recognition of the biblical principle of male headship in church leadership and marriage should in no way undermine the spiritual gifting of women or inhibit their contribution to the expansion of God’s kingdom. Thank you Lord, for Nympha and others like her!

Celebrating women as “fellow heirs of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7; NASV),

Sam

Do women have a biblical right to be on the front lines of ministry?

Do women have a biblical right to be on the front lines of ministry?

How to live in a world like this one, Part 2 – Joyce Meyer

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This is the continuation of the first part of Joyce’s message. Don’t miss it. –Ray


How to live in a world like this one, Part 2 – Joyce Meyer

How to live in a world like this one, Part 2 – Joyce Meyer