Ephesians 4:11-16~"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
According to this scripture, the gift of offices is given to the church to equip the saints and disciple the church in works of ministry. If ministry isn't taking place, the responsibility falls on the pastor. If people are not equipped well enough to discern between truth and error, the responsibility falls on the leadership.
However, all of us will give an account for the Word we have heard and read and will be held responsible for the things we did or did not do. We are all ministers.
The title of Pastor Frank's sermon was "Monumental Faith."
How do we make a monument?
For example, communion, the table of the Lord, is a monument to remind us of what He has done for us.
It is easier for a pastor to give spiritual milk to his flock than it is to give them meat.
It is easier for the church to slurp down milk than it is to chew meat and digest it.
But it is time to grow up.
We need to grow up.
We have a responsibility to win souls in the Kingdom of God.
Years ago, some laws were formed to separate church and state.
These laws were formed to keep government out of Christianity; not to keep Christianity
out of the government.
In 1863, President Lincoln declared April 30, to be a National Day of Prayer and Humiliation.
We, as Americans, have been seduced by the belief that we have been blessed because we deserve it.
Have you ever watched the TV show, 'Rags to Riches?' ( I watched it once, and it was this same showing that Pastor Frank talked about.)
The show people went into a junkyard and picked out a 1969 Lamanze and bought it for $1,000. They invested their blood, sweat, tears, and $38,000 to turn it into a GTO. They sold it at auction for almost $80,000.
Each of us could be on God's 'Rags to Riches' Show. It is who we are in the kingdom. It is all about His redemption. It's in Him that we live and have anything good in our lives.
All we need to have to witness of Jesus Christ is our own testimony.
No one can argue with the fact that He has taken us from rags to riches; He has healed us and cleansed us and forgiven us. Who else can do that for us?
On top of the Washington Monument are written two Latin words that no naked eye can see.
As you climb the stairs of the monument, you will come upon plaques posted at the plateaus. There are inscriptions written on the plaques that point our nation to the one and only God, and exhortations to return to Him with repentance and mourning.
The two words on top of the monument are 'Laos Deo'.(Not sure of the spelling.)
The meaning? "All Praise Be To God."
Our nation was created so we could worship God.
Our nation was created so I could tell you, "Jesus loves you."
We have bought into the lies that we need to be tolerant of anything that opposes Christianity and God.
We have been obedient to these lies and immorality has increased. Now, there are those who say, "Why don't we just legalize it and get it over with."
If we want to see revival and change in our nation and community, we need to pray.
It is not about us and having God's favor in our lives.
It is about souls being added to the kingdom.
We need monumental praise, witness, and faith.
All praise, honor, and glory are going to Him, whether times are good or bad.
"Give me a burden for souls."
"Give me your heart for the lost."
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