*ILL>In 1951, the original movie starred Paul Douglas as Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager Aloysuys (Guffy) McGovern, a man with a profane vocabulary. Janet Leigh (as Jennifer Paige) was his love interest, and Keenan Wynn played the role of Fred Bayles, an angel who promised manager McGovern that the Pirates would have a winning season (assisted by angel Bayles) if the manager would control his nasty tongue. As the manager battled with his tongue, angels helped his fielders make remarkable plays, enabled his pitchers to throw unhittable pitches, caused fly balls to fly over the outfield fence for home runs, and brought great excitement (and lots of fans) into the ball park. The title of the movie was, of course, "Angels In the Outfield."
*ILL>In 1994 the remake of the movie starred Danny Glover as the manager and Tony Danza was one of his players, but this time the team was the California Angels, a team with a well-earned reputation as "losers" on the field. The plot of the movie surrounded two young orphan boys who become involved with an angel, played by Christopher Lloyd (of "Back to the Future" professorial fame), as they seek God’s help to bring about their wish...they want to be adopted into a family with a real "dad." They are living in a home with an abusive and mean foster parent who told the boys that he wasn’t interested in adopting them. His actual words were, "Wanna know when I would be willing to adopt you? I’ll adopt you when the California Angels (because they were such a hopeless team) win the pennant!" Bring in the angel, and you have the rest of the movie. The foster dad still didn’t live up to his "promise" even after the Angels win, but Danny Glover adopts the boys in the end, and, as only Hollywood can profess, "they lived happily ever after."
Well, as entertainment, they’re both pretty good movies. However, when it comes to being theologically sound and reliable, they stink up the place. They’re all Hollywood and not really Scripture.
Continuing in our message series, Pursuing Answers, I’ve entitled today’s message, "Touched By An Angel," as we look to Scripture for answers to these questions:
What are angels like?
What do they do?
And how shall we respond after knowing what we know?
I invite you to open a Bible and turn to Luke, chapter two.
As you’re turning, it’s no exaggeration to say that angels have become big business in the last twenty years.
You can hardly find a bookstore or retail store that doesn’t have books, movies, sculptures, or artwork that focuses on angels.
Angels have become a fascination by many...and an entire "religion" to those involved in the New Age movement.
Yet, it shouldn’t be so surprising, really, because once we understand who they really are, and who Satan really is, we’ll come to understand why that is the case...but not a good thing.
A. WHAT ANGELS ARE LIKE...
There are numerous WRONG IDEAS that have been presented in movies and recent literature concerning angels that need to be exposed as false:
--Angels don’t shoot arrows and make people fall in love, and there isn’t a struggling angel out there who is finally "getting his wings" each time we hear a bell ring.
--They don’t play baseball in the outfield, and they don’t play harps and sit in the lotus position on clouds in heaven.
--They’re not dead human beings trying to earn a second chance back on earth or trying to earn their entrance into heaven by doing good deeds for God while they’re stuck in a limbo state between heaven and earth.
--Although they can take on other appearances, they don’t normally look like Della Reese or Michael Landon or the Precious Moments figurines.
--Nor do they normally appear as Clarence with his flushed face, trying to help Jimmy Stewart live a wonderful life, or like John Travolta hiding his wings under a trench coat.
What Is True About Angels...
<>They are real.
1 Timothy 3:16 -- By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Angels are real, not just wisps of the wind or "imaginary" creatures like fairies or leprechauns.
They don’t have flesh and blood bodies, but they aren’t "make believe."
They usually operate unseen, but they can appear as flesh and blood creatures if it fulfills their purpose at the time.
*QUOTE>Martin Luther’s definition: An angel is a spiritual creature without a body created by God for the service of Christendom and the church.
<>They are created beings.
Nehemiah 9:6 -- You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host bows down before You.
They are created beings, they are limited in their power...only to what God allows them to employ.
That means that Satan, merely an angel, is in no way an "equal foe" to God. God is creator, Satan is merely a created being.
<>Right now they have some privileges we don’t yet enjoy.
Revelation 5:11 -- Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands.
They are sometimes referred to as "the sons of God" due to their close contact with God and that those who are loyal to Him are loyal in every way.
We start off "lower than the angels" because they’ve already been present in heaven and have seen the face of God.
<>They are aware of the spiritual warfare and activity happening on the earth.
Luke 15:10 -- In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
They even hold a celebration in heaven when someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. That means they know what’s happening on the spiritual warfare front and in our lives.
<>But they’re jealous of us.
1 Peter 1:12 -- …things which now have been pronounced to you through those who preached the gospel…things into which angels long to look.
We’re able to make spiritual choices, they are not.
We’re able to enjoy God’s grace and experience God’s love in ways they can’t.
*QUOTE>A. T. Pierson has said it well: "However poor a preacher I am, I can preach the gospel better than Gabriel can, because Gabriel cannot say what I can say: ’I am a sinner saved by grace.’"
Jesus didn’t die for the angels, He died for us, demonstrating His great love toward us.
And, while we’re right now "created below the angels," we will eventually have authority above them, rule over them in the Millenial kingdom.
<>There are different kinds of angelic beings.
There are varying roles and varying authorities granted to them by God.
a) The Angel of the Lord
Exodus 3:2 -- The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
>There are four ideas that have been offered as to who/what kind of being this "angel" is:
--1)Some believe this is a unique and special agent of God who appears infrequently, exhibiting unusual power and authority and instilling in all who meet him the sense that they are in the very presence of God.
--2) Some believe that during the writing / interpreting of Scripture, the writers and/or interpreters would not bring themselves to refer to the name/person of the Lord, so they used this title as a euphemism for the Lord Himself.
Under this theory, it was the Lord Himself who fought battles accredited to the Angel of the Lord; the Lord Himself who wrestled with Jacob, etc.
--3) Some believe the word "the" is synonymous with "an," meaning that every angel could be referred to as the angel of the Lord at that particular moment in time.
--4) Others believe the Angel of the Lord is synonymous as the Archangel.
b) The Archangel.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 -- For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
"Arch" means chief or principal or great.
Some believe that there were three archangels at one time: Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel.
However, neither Lucifer nor Gabriel were even one time referred to as archangels.
The chief angel, the only one referred to as the Archangel in Scripture, is Michael.
His name means, "Who is like God?" It’s a rhetorical question. It would best be understood as a statement: There is no one who is truly like God.
He is especially identified with Israel.
--Daniel 12:2 -- the great prince who stands for the children of God’s people...
It is the voice of the Archangel at Jesus’ return which will call forth from the graves the bodies of believers whose souls are already in heaven.
c) Seraphim.
Isaiah 6:2-3 -- Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Seraphim is a plural word (anything ending in "im" in Hebrew is plural), so there are more than one.
The seraphim are pictured as being above the throne in heaven and described as indescribably beautiful.
The word seraphim comes from the Hebrew word that means "burning ones."
Fire is a metaphor used many times in Scripture to describe holiness. It implies purity, light and brightness, glory.
One of the seraphim, "burning ones," even brought a burning coal and touched Isaiah’s sinful lips to cleanse Isaiah from his sin which Isaiah had just confessed.
They are described in Isaiah as having six wings: two cover their faces, two cover their feet, and with two they can fly (although the idea of angels flying is more assumed than taught in Scripture).
Their function is to proclaim the majesty of God and the holiness of God, and to lead the worship of God in heaven.
d) Cherubim.
Genesis 3:24 -- So (God) drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
The cherubim (plural, again) are sometimes referred to as the "living creatures" in heaven.
They are pictured as being next to the throne of God.
They are described as having feet and hands as well as wings.
They are also described in Isaiah has having four faces. (This could mean each has four faces, or that there are four living creatures, each having one of the four faces).
The four faces are that of a lion, an eagle, a bull, and a man.
Some have surmised that they represent all living beings: beings that are wild (lion), beings that are domesticated (bull), beings taht are not land-locked (eagle), and mankind (face of a man).
Their function is to bring attention to the righteousness and holiness of God.
They are NOT at all like we would picture "cherubs" such as the Precious Moments figurines.
They are better pictured as being the "enforcers" or "bouncers" of God’s domain.
It was the cherubim who guarded the Garden of Eden, insuring only those who are pure could remain there, and who guarded the gate to keep Adam and Eve from re-entering once Adam and Eve had sinned. Out of God’s love for mankind, He stationed the cherubim there to keep Adam and Eve from eating of the tree of life while they remained in their sinful condition, which would leave them eternally in their sinful state.
It was cherubim who are described as guarding the entrance into the holy place of the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem.
Cherubim were depicted in the fabric of the curtains of the tabernacle and on the walls of temple in Jerusalem.
And it was two cherubim who are depicted as part of the gold sculpture atop the ark of the covenant, with the wings of two cherubim touching each other above the gold-plated box containing the two stones of the ten commandments, the rod of Aaron, and a sample of manna from the wilderness.
d) Lucifer.
Mark 1:13 -- And (Jesus) was in the wilderness forty days being temped by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
We usually refer to Lucifer by the name Satan or simply refer to him as the devil.
He is merely an angel, not an equal with God.
However, make no mistake: just as is true with the other angels, Satan is real. He exists and he is active in his efforts to accomplish his own causes.
He has absolutely NO POWER OVER BELIEVERS, unless we fall for his lies and believe him to have powers he doesn’t really possess.
You see, that’s his "game," being deceptive and providing a distraction in order to deter our full-time service to the Lord, to deter us from doing what God wants us to do by stopping to give time and attention to the devil. When we do so we’re playing right into his hands, because his real goal is simply to occupy our attention and time, no matter how unimportant he really is.
Some believe he may have at one time been THE Archangel, and is clearly presented in Scripture as being the most beautiful of God’s creations.
The problem is, Satan began to become enamored with himself, with his own beauty perhaps, to the point that he led a rebellion in heaven and persuaded one third of the angels in heaven to join him in a revolt...a revolt designed to put Satan in charge instead of God.
As a result, God cast Satan out of heaven, along with the third of the angels who followed Satan. Hence, the term "fallen" angels.
They have been assigned to the earth as they await the end of time to live in the place God designed specifally for them...hell. Hence, the term "Hell’s angels."
Ever since Satan’s fall, as early as the Garden of Eden, Satan has vigilantly opposed the work and mission of God on the earth, and he continues to oppose it even now.
Satan is described as crafty, persuasive, and a liar. In fact, he is the author and father of lies. If you want to know where evil is first seen, it is seen in the heart of Satan, the devil. He rebelled against God long before Adam and Eve did. They sinned after being persuaded by Satan to rebel against God’s command to not eat of the fruit of the one tree God said, "Don’t eat."
Satan can "morph" his appearance and can influence circumstances, entice people to rebel against God just as he did himself.
Consequently, although hell was never really designed as a place of punishment for human beings (because God does not wish for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance), it will, unfortunately, be the eternal dwelling place of judgment not only for the devil and the fallen angels, but also for human beings who choose to commit the same offense that Satan himself committed: forever rebelling against God, and thereby committing the unpardonable sin we discussed last week: blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God.
e) Demons.
Luke 4:41 -- and demons also were coming out of many, shouting, "You are the Son of God!” But…He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.
These are the fallen angels, the third of the angels who were cast out of heaven and cast down to the earth for the time being.
They serve under the leadership and at the beckon call and command of Satan, and they stand angrily opposed to the work of God.
Because they would enjoy nothing more than us spending lots of time discussing them, I want to move on to the last type of angelic being...
f) Messenger Angels or Ministering Angels.
Hebrews 1:14 -- Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service…?
These are who we usually mean when we talk about angels.
These are the "good angels," if you will, the two-thirds of the angels who refused to fall to Satan’s persuasion, and who serve God day and night.
Sometimes Gabriel is singled out among them in Scripture because of his role as a proclaimer of God’s mercy and grace.
Do the math, and it’s easy to see that there at least twice as many of them as there are demons.
That should be enough to tell us that Satan and his limited powers along with "his" angels who also have limited power stand no chance against the unlimited power of God and are, in fact, even outnumbered two to one in a battle of "equals" with the "good angels."
However, rather than spend more time on the minutia of the differing types and what happens in spiritual warfare, I want to move on and focus our attention on what these "good angels" do.
B. WHAT ANGELS DO...
Angels serve four primary functions:
1) They PROCLAIM the message of God.
Look now at Luke 2, where we had turned earlier. It’s a familiar passage to all of us, but it is an example of angels functioning in this first role as messengers:
Luke 2:10-11 -- But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.”
The Hebrew word for angel is "malak," meaning "message" or "messenger." So, in a very real sense, serving as God’s messengers is the primary role of angels.
The word "angel" or "messenger" serves as the basis for the name of the last book of the Old Testament, "Malachi," which means "My messenger."
This word comes into play in many ways and we use it sometimes without even stopping to think about it...
The word "angel" is also the root for the words "evangelist" and "evangelism."
When you break those words down, as word studies help us to do, the prefix "ev" means "out," the suffix "ist" means "a person who," while the suffix "ism" means "the process of or means of."
Therefore, an evANGEList is a person who gets the message out, someone who proclaims God’s message out in the open for others to hear.
In the same way, evangelism is the process or means by which we get the message out.
EvANGELism, therefore, refers to what we do when we are proclaiming God’s message to those who need to hear the gospel. We are involved then in evangelism.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus proclaims a message to each of the seven churches represented, and declares that the message should be proclaimed first to the "angel" of the church of Smyrna, Sardis, Laodicea, etc.
In that sense, the "angel" of the particular church is the "messenger" to the local church, the one who stands to proclaim God’s message to them...It refers to the pastor or the preacher in that church.
However, there is a very real warning we need to remember here: NOT EVERY PERSON GETTING A MESSAGE OUT IS PROCLAIMING GOD’S MESSAGE.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15a is very clear on the subject: And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness;
It means that Satan can take the form of or engage one of his "servants" to send out a false message.
The messenger can "appear" to be legitimate: an angel/messenger of light/truth. Perhaps the messenger is a television or radio preacher/teacher, perhaps an eloquent motivational speaker, or even a local pastor.
The key is that we need to always "test the spirits"" by comparing their message with the word of God.
Just because it’s on a Christian television network doesn’t mean it’s true. That’s one of Satan’s favorite playgrounds and snares.
Just because it’s on a Christian radio station or is billed as a Christian broadcast, or is sold in a Christian bookstore, or uses Jesus’ name as part of its description or title doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true to the word of God.
Remember, sometimes the most damaging lies have the "ring of truth" to them at first, or may be a mixture of truth and error, which still makes them false messages.
<>There are numerous examples in Scripture of angels acting in their messenger function:
--In Genesis, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Abram and declared God’s promise to him of making of him a great nation.
--In Genesis, Jacob was comforted by an angel as he worried over an upcoming meeting with his brother, Esau, then Jacob wrestled with the angel until He "blessed" Jacob, even declaring Jacob’s name to be forever changed to "Israel," meaning "he who strives with God."
--In Exodus the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush, passing along the message of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
--In Daniel, an angel described to Daniel the events of the last times and when the Messia would be revealed in Jerusalem and what would happen after that in the last days (the "70 weeks of Daniel" prophecy).
--In Luke, the angel Gabriel proclaims to Mary that she’s been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah.
--In Matthew, Gabriel assures Joseph that the child within Mary truly was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
--In Luke, where we read earlier, the Angel of the Lord, accompanied by a host of angelic creatures (the heavenly host is another term used to describe the angels of God), proclaims to shepherds that Jesus has been born in Bethlehem.
--At Jesus’ tomb, the Angel of the Lord proclaims to the ladies arriving on Easter Sunday morning that Jesus is not there any longer, for He had risen, just as He said He would.
--At Jesus’ ascension into heaven from the Mount of Olives, two angels appear to the disciples and tell them that Jesus is going to return to the earth in the same manner (and to the same place) as He left.
--While John was on the isle of Patmos, it was an angel that gave him a tour around heaven during his vision, and revealed to him what would take place in the end times, the result being the book of Revelation.
2) They PROTECT and assist in the work of God.
2 Chronicles 32:21 -- The Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria…
Daniel 6:21-22 -- Then Daniel spoke to the king, …”My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me…”
When God promises that all things will work together for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, part of how He works all things together is through His angels who "watch out" for us, or who are "watching over us" as His agents to fulfill His purposes.
*ILL>Some years ago, Amy Grant sang the truth in her song, "Angels," when she declared: "God only knows the times my life was threatened just today: a reckless car ran out of gas before it came my way; near misses all around me, accidents unknown, though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home. But I know they’re all around me all day and through the night. When the enemy is closing in, I know sometimes they fight. To keep my feet from falling, I’ll never turn away. If you’re asking what’s protecting me, you’re gonna hear me say, ’He’s got His angels watching over me, every move I make; angels watching over me, every step I take. Angels watching over me!’"
<>Amy’s lyrics do match up with the Bible about the protecting function of God’s angels, protecting God’s children from the work of the enemy.
--In the book of Daniel, an angel shut the mouths of lions to keep them from eating Daniel after he had been thrown into the lion’s den by king Nebuchadnezzar.
--Also in Daniel, one who appears to be a "son of God" (a term often used to describe angels) appeared walking around in the midst of a fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo, and protected them so that the fire never touched them, and delivered them out of the fiery furnace Nebuchadnezzar had sentenced them to.
--One of my favorite stories in Scripture is found in the book of Numbers, where Balaam is on his way to speak to th evil king Balak and pronounce a curse on the children of Israel. However, as he’s on his way there his donkey stops on a narrow path with walls on each side of the path, refusing to go forward. Even after Balaam strikes the donkey, the donkey won’t budge. As Balaam continues striking, the donkey speaks to Balaam, and still Balaam doesn’t sense there’s something unusual going on! Finally, God opens Balaam’s eyes to see what the donkey had already been aware of: the Angel of the Lord is blocking the donkey’s way, and there are thousands of angels on the hills ahead. Balaam finally sees them and submits himself to God’s will and instructions in the matter.
Jesus even chastised Peter in the garden of Gethsemane when Peter pulled out a sword to defend Jesus and prevent Him from being arrested, reminding Peter that if He wanted to He could call on myriads of angels to come to His defense, but that what was happening that moment is actually "the hour" Jesus had come from heaven to accomplish in the first place.
*ILL>Closer to our own day, John Paton and his wife served as missionaries to the New Hebrides islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the missionary station, intent on burning out the Pastons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them, and, remarkably, at daybreak they were amazed to see their attackers leave. Some years later, the chief of the tribe who had resisted the work of the Patons was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton went to the chief and asked him what had kept him from burning down the Paton’s house and killing them that night years ago. The chief replied in surprise, asking Paton, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew that no men were present, but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
The Paton’s experience is merely one of thousands and thousands of recorded incidents of a similar nature, where angels have been clearly involved in protecting Christians from harm, "watching over us," "having charge over us" in the sense of providing protection unseen.
2) They PROVIDE for and minister to the people of God.
1 Kings 19:7-8 -- The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.
Angels are sometimes referred to in Scripture as "ministering spirits" due to their function as providing, caring for, and ministering to us.
Many times they do so without us even knowing it was an angel that helped us.
Many have reported of times when a stranger out of nowhere shows up to provide food or money or to change a flat tire, etc., someone we’ve never met and can never find again once they’ve done their "good deed" and then left.
<>But the Bible describes many incidents too when angels assisted and their identity WAS clearly revealed as being an angel sent from God:
--Angels ministered to Elijah after his encounter with Jezebel, they brought him food and water, and gave him rest.
--After Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, angels came and ministered to Jesus.
--During Jesus’ intense time of grief and prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, angels ministerd to Him and encouraged Him.
*ILL>In a German art gallery, at the end of a long dark hall, hangs a painting titled, "Cloud Lane." At first glance it appears to be a huge, ugly mass of confused color that is unattractive and foreboding. But when you look closer, you see that what’s portrayed on the canvas is actually an innumerable company of angels. -- That’s kind of how it is with us: when the clouds of trials or temptation come away we’re so tempted to run, but if we’d look closely at our situation through the eyes of faith, we would see God’s angels of mercy coming to our aid.
4) They PRONOUNCE and accomplish the judgment of God.
Matthew 13:49 -- So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous.
Matthew 16:27 -- For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
<>God employs His angels to enforce His judgments:
--In the book of Revelation, it is an angel (note: it’s just ONE, lone angel, no more than one solitary angel is required to perform the task) who will bind Satan and throw him into a pit where he’ll be bound for a thousand years.
--At the end of time, the Angel of the Lord will run a sickle through the population of mankind and harvest, separate the wheat (believers) from the chaff (those who rejected Jesus).
Well, it’s important to know these things.
However, the question that must be asked and answered now is this: SO WHAT?!
C. HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND, KNOWING WHAT WE NOW KNOW...
1) We need to give our primary attention to Jesus, not spend our time "looking for angels."
Colossians 2:18 -- Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels...
It’s important to know and remember what we’ve learned here today.
However, it’s even more important to move forward, and put our focus, devote all our attention to serving Jesus, NOT worrying about demons or what the devil would like for us to spend our time doing.
2) We too should be God’s "angels," God’s messengers, proclaiming the good news of the gospel to the world.
Acts 1:8 -- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
God’s message and the responsbility for spreading it has been handed over to us, so let’s be about the business of proclaiming it from the mountains to the valleys, and all over the earth.
3) We too need to protect and watch out for one another, defend one another.
Galatians 6:2 -- Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
As God’s family of faith, as brothers and sisters in faith to one another, we need to watch out for one another and protect one another.
Sometimes it may require us to be part of an "intervention," and help another believer from HIMSELF!
Sometimes protecting one another means holding one another accountable, out of love, so that we stay strong and avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that can cause us harm and cause harm to the rest of the family and/or the cause of Christ.
4) And finally, we too need to provide for and minister to one another.
1 Peter 4:10 -- …serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Why not "free up" the angels from having to come to the aid of believers? Let’s assist one another ourselves, prompted by God’s spirit, urged on by the compassion the Lord brings into our hearts.
Let’s be tender-hearted and forgiving.
Come, let us pour the oil of healing, and minister to one another in times of crisis, times of difficulty, and encourage one another even in the best of times.
Bringing It Home...
Today, as God’s "angel," as God’s "messenger" in this place, on behalf of God’s purpose and under His leadership and direction, I invite you to respond to the urging of His Spirit on your heart.
If you’re here today, or listening by way of c.d., or reading or listening to the website, I ask you to ask yourself: Can I sense God leading me to make a decision to walk with Him? To walk closer to Him? To serve Him?
If you can sense Him speaking to you, I urge you to respond in faith, turning your life over into His hands. You can trust Him, He cares for you.
And finally, I invite you to "be an angel" in the sense of ministering to others, and letting God’s power work through you to impact others’ lives.
Will you do it?
