Empowering the Body of Christ

By Tony V. Hammack

Feed a man a fish and you feed him for a day but if you teach him how to fish you’ll feed him for a lifetime.

Some people aren’t interested in fishing but it’s really a better way of life than receiving handouts all the time.

When it comes to ministry there is a place of maturity or critical mass when a Christian moves from a place of only receiving, to receiving and then giving out. Getting Christians to this place is one of my goals as a five fold minister.

They eventually move to where the majority of their receiving is coming directly from God and their load on the rest of the Body of Christ is very minimal. This frees up time and resources for others who are not as mature as well as amplifying ministry through the one who's stepped up to a higher level of maturity.

Things that build up the Body of Christ
I.     Five Fold Ministers Equip
II.   The Scriptures Equip
III.  The God of Peace Equips

I. Five Fold Ministers Equip
Ephesians 4:11-13
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Greek word in the New Testament for the concept of being built up is oikodome which denotes (a) "the act of building" (oikos, "a home," and demo, "to build"); this is used only figuratively in the NT, in the sense of edification, the promotion of spiritual growth.

Things that indicate maturity
A.  Unity
B.  Growing in the knowledge of God
C.  We attain to the fullness of Christ
D.  We teach others by word and deed

      A. Unity

The Prayer for Jesus' Disciples
John 17:11
11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.

Jesus Prays for All Believers
John 17:20,21
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

When we're not unified it grieved the Apostle Paul and it grieves the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 12:21
20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

   B. We are growing in the knowledge of the son of God

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.


2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

   C. We Attain to the fullness of Christ

     1.  Christ’s Character
     2.  Christ’s Power

   D. We teach others by word and deed

Kingdom Greatness
Matthew 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

I. Paul
     A. Timothy - Witnesses
          1. Reliable Men
               a. Others

2. The Scriptures Equip
2 Timothy 3:16,17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

     A. The Scriptures empower against sin
     Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
     B. The Scriptures should cause our hearts to burn.
     Luke 24:32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
     C. The Scripture points to Jesus
     John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,

III.  The God of Peace equips
Hebrews 13:20
20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.  

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124

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Has God Called You to Do Something?

By Donna Santini

Has God called you to do something? He will never call you to do something He hasn’t equipped you for. All He asks for is obedience and a willing heart. Only then can God accomplish through you the things He put in you to operate in so you can be the vessel He’s intended you to be and touch the people He sends your way.

He never said it would be easy. He just asks that you have faith and take that first step. Sometimes we just have to step through the fear that grips us and just do what God’s told us to do. Sometimes it’s not easy and it takes us out of our comfort zones.

I love music & God has given me specific prophecies regarding what I’m to do in that area but it takes me out of “my” comfort zone. Most people don’t know that before I do a special or lead a song, I get so nervous that I get sick to my stomach and want to frantically back out but God has reminded me that I need to push through that fear to accomplish His goals for my life.

That same fear has kept many of you from walking in the anointing and purpose that God has for your lives. I made a statement to myself once that I was never going to sing a special again and God quickly responded “that’s what the devil wants.” Wow! How easy it is for us to give up.

The devil tells us we’re not good enough and we compare ourselves with others gifts and talents and start believing that if we don’t sound as good as Celione Dion than we’re not good enough or preach as good as Billy Graham then we can’t be used to touch anyone.

I’ve struggled for many years with fear and feelings of inferiority that have held me hostage and kept me from having the freedom to function in the gifts God’s given me. God told me what to do and instead of blatantly stating that I wouldn’t do it, I decided I’d do it eventually, and I was sincere in that. But how many of you know that fear, life, etc have a tendency to push that aside and before you know it, you’ve forgotten all about that promise. You’re intentions were good initially but because you didn’t act on it, you became like the child who when told to clean his room stated he’d get to it but never did. Eventually he got a whoopin' for being disobedient and not doing what was asked of him.

When God calls you to do something and you don’t, no matter what excuse you give, you’re being disobedient and God can’t use you like He wants to. We can become spiritually stagnant. Like a pond where nothing flows in or out.

God is not looking for perfection. He used a downs syndrome boy at a prior church who had no vocal gifts at all, just a heart overflowing with the love of God, to pour out His anointing on the whole congregation. God just wants a willing and obedient heart that He can use, to mold into the vessel of honor that He can use in the capacity He wants.

What is it that God’s called you to do? What has kept you from operating in that gift/calling? Fear? Fear of failure, of man, of being rejected, ridiculed? We are all going to fail and stumble at some point but it’s important to get up and keep pushing forward. A baby doesn’t go from laying on it’s back to running overnight. I’ve done some songs that turned out horrible and I was embarrassed but God dusts us off and says “great job my precious child”, let’s take another step. He’s ecstatic that we stepped out in faith to do it regardless of whether we considered it a success or failure. If we do what He’s called us to do, it’s always a success in His eyes.

We place our confidence in ourselves and our abilities. When we do that, we are like toasters that haven’t been plugged in. We might be polished and shiny and look great but unless we’re plugged in to the power source, we’re not operating in our intended function and purpose.

A pastor preaching without the power of God in his life can be just a person who speaks well. A singer without the anointing of God is just someone who can sing a pretty song. The bible to someone who never opens it is just a book. In our own strength, these things are like the unplugged toaster. In God’s strength and power, they are like the power lines that carry electricity to everything attached to it and give us the power we need to run our appliances, our lives.

So today, God is asking all of us, what has He called you to do that you are not doing? And Why? He’s ready. His hand is stretched out waiting for us to take it, to be obedient. Has he called you to a specific ministry? Has He called you to write, sing, preach, work with kids, teach, evangelize? Has He called you to do something big, something small-behind the scenes?

Today is the day that you need to decide that God is bigger than your fears, bigger than your failures, and able to accomplish in you what He has for your life. If you will be obedient to what God has for you, your life will not be the only one transformed. You will be blessed and be a blessing to others.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here. Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music. Jubilee Family Church 45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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Spiritual Warfare (Part 2); Winning the Battle in the Spiritual Realm

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here. 

This week we're going to focus in on discussing how to win the battle in the spiritual realm, more specifically the second heaven.

A review from last week

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

I. How to win the Spiritual War over Self
A. View God’s Mercy
B. Crucify Self

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Consider the possibilities when we win the battle in the spiritual realm.  Watch this 9 minute video where groups of people all over the globe are experiencing a mighty revival.




Winning the Battle In The Spiritual Realm
We know from scripture that there is a "Third Heaven" from the writings of Paul and he described what he saw as paradise.

The Third Heaven
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise.

The Second Heaven
It’s generally accepted that the first heaven is the visible world or cosmos.  It’s also generally accepted, considering first century Jewish thought, that the second heaven was a place of chaos. Some believe this is the realm between the dwelling place of God and the dwelling place of man. It’s possibly the place where the Prince of the Persian kingdoms resisted the heavenly messenger in Daniel chapter 10.

Daniel 10:12,13
12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

Our Struggle
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Possibly referring to the second heaven.

A Peek into the Second Heaven
2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Keys to Overcoming The Devil
Revelation 12:11
They overcame him (The Accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

A.  The Blood of the Sinless Lamb of God
B.  The Word of their Testimony

1. Remembering
2. Reminding
3. Reinforcing

C.  Don’t love life so much as to shrink from death.

Have you ever noticed how people tend to only remember the first two ways to overcome listed in Revelation 12:11?  Why do you think that is?

Understand the Devil’s Tactics
Tactic #1 
Being Opportunistic
Luke 4:13
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

From the above passage what does it tell you about the tactics of the devil?

We know that Jesus eventually considered his disciples friends from the scripture below.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Tactic #2
Using your closest friends
Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

John 13:27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

What conclusions can you draw from Matthew 16 and John 13 as it relates to the tactics of the devil?

Tactic #3
Intimidation and opportunistic – Roaring Lion
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The only people the Devil devours from the Christian ranks are those who allow themselves to be devoured.
1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Tactic #4
Doing Nothing
Lulling you to sleep before the attack

Matthew 26:41, 45
41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Tactic #5
Play on the Sinful Nature
Devil’s Entry Points

1. When a person yields to cravings 
2. When a person allows lust of the eyes 
3. When a person boasts of what he has and does - pride

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was 1. good for food and 2. pleasing to the eye, and also 3. desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

Satanic Attack against Jesus
Matthew 4:2 – A Craving is Present
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

2. Matthew 4:8 – Something that appeals to the Eyes is Present
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

3. Matthew 4:5,6 – Trying to Get Jesus to Boast inappropriately to Prove he’s the Son of God.
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:    " 'He will command his angels concerning you,       and they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[b]"

Jesus overcomes the Devil by understanding correctly the word of God and declaring it to the situations the enemy placed before him.
Jesus is a master swordsman wielding the Word of God!

Ephesians 6:17
The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

The devil will push the same buttons in your life.  You must study to show your self approved a workman who rightly divides the word of truth if you want to overcome the attacks of the enemy.  The devil will continue to use the same tactics against you.

Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.

1 John 2:16
For everything in the world—1.  the cravings of sinful man, 2.  the lust of his eyes and the 3.  boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Dealing with principalities in the second heaven.
Intercession

Ezekiel 22:30
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Take some time and pray about your area in the world.  Ask God to show you what principalities are affecting the thinking of people and pray for the Lord to move those principalities out so the Glory of God can pour into your sphere of influence.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here. Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music. Jubilee Family Church 45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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Spiritual Warfare (Part 1); Winning the Battle over Self

By Tony V. Hammack


These notes are best when used as an outline and in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.
 

1. The Three Battle Grounds,
1. Self
2. The World System
3. The Heavenly Realms

1.  Winning the Battle over Self

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

I. How to win the Spiritual War over Self
   A. View God’s Mercy
   B. Crucify Self

The mercy of God is exhibited in sending His perfect sinless son to die on the cross for a perfectly sinful humanity.   It's important that we view our own sacrifices in the light of His sacrifice.

Crucify Self
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The image is represented by Barabbas. We are Barabbas, the sinful, getting pardoned so a sinless Messiah could die in our place.

Followers of Christ
Christianity 101 – Flies in the face of the false gospel that teaches God is more concerned about your comfort than your character. More concerned about you being blessed than your obedience to Him. More interested in your bank account than your son-ship.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

1. Self consists of 3 parts
     a. Body
     b. Soul (Mind, Will, Emotions)
     c. Spirit

The Body
Matthew 26:41
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

The Soul
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

The Spirit of Mankind
Lost Men don’t have a living spirit within them.
1 Corinthians 2:10b,11
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Dead to Sin
Romans 6:11
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Battle for the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:4,5
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The Battle for the Will
Romans 6:16
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

The Battle in the Emotions
John 14:27 – Troubled Heart
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:1 – Troubles
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.
2 Corinthians 1:3,4 – All Troubles
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via Internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?'

The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't
know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took
out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk
toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to
remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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