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Thesis: The very windows of Heaven will open or close based on how we relate with one another.
The Importance
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
1 John 4:20
20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
1 Corinthians 11:29, 30
For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Vertical Relationship: Going Up
How to get the most you can get out of people in spiritual authority. Honor them and the gift that they walk in.
Matthew 10:41
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
You could also read it like this:
41 Whoever does not welcome a prophet as a prophet but welcomes him as a welder will not receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a laborer at Ideal bakery will not receive a righteous person’s reward.
I believe that you can pick other spiritual gifts as well and they also apply. Evangelism, Apostleship, Mercy, Administration, you name it.
To sum it up, honoring the office that a person carries, will open up the blessing of that office.
Luke 4:22
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Mark 6:2, 3
2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Teaching Ministry
- Amazement by the people who recognized his source of information was divine.
- Great wisdom flowing forth from Jesus
- Signs, wonders, and miracles accompany the ministry of the word!
- His vocation and family come up and the people become offended. They now reason that he’s just like them and they lose their ability to receive from the gifting that is obviously present.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Attitude of familiarity = Lack of Faith
Miracle’s get stifled in this environment. Even Jesus Christ, the God Man, Son of God, The sinless Christ was limited by it.
So honor should be the culture. Honoring the men and women of God in your midst. This will open the way for their gifting to flow to you. If you dishonor them it will stifle the flow of the Holy Spirit. It happened to Jesus and it will happen today.
Vertical Relationship: Going down
Now let me speak to the men and women in the house of the Lord who have some measure of spiritual authority in the ministry. Maybe you have a title or a specific function where you’re responsible for people in some capacity.
Humility and mutual honor should blanket every relationship within the body of Christ. There shouldn’t be an attitude like Big “I” and little “you”.
Matthew 23:5-12
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
I believe this passage is to be interpreted in light of the attitude behind it. Let’s take a look at the spirit behind the instruction. It’s pride. Can you call someone in ministry by any title. Well, if you interpret this passage literally you can’t. So no more pastor, teacher, bishop, prophet, father, whatever. However, I don’t believe the primary issue here are the titles but the response in the heart of the person with the title.
When you approach someone in spiritual authority and call them say, “pastor”. Are they o.k. with you calling them brother? They should be. If they aren’t, there’s a pride problem. However, for their benefit, if they view you as a brother when they need the pastoral anointing it might not be available for them. If they see you just as they are, they will have a friend’s reward. That is fine but if you need a prophetic word the heavens might be as brass for that prophet if you see them as familiar. If you need a healing you might not receive it due to this buddy, buddy attitude.
1 Peter 5:5
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Don’t Lord over People
Matthew 20:25
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Lording over People
1 Peter 5:2
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
Revelation 2:6. In the letter to the Ephesian Church John writes. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. I believe history bears out that the name Nicolatian refers to conquering people. The sect was inclusive of more depravity than just this but I believe this was one component of it.
Horizontal Relationships
Binding and Loosing
Matthew 18:18
v’s 15-17 deal with conflict resolution between brothers and sisters. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven.
v’s 19-20 deal with the prayer of agreement. Conclusion: The very windows of Heaven will open or close based on how we relate with one another.
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Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124