Ephesians 4:8-16 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."  (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that  He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)  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.

Every believer is called to the body  of Christ and has a place in the local church. We are all called to the work of  ministry. Many believers have the "I can take it or leave it attitude" regarding  the local church and their ministry in it. They look at it sort of like whether  or not they would like to go out to eat or stay home, however, involvement in a  local church is not a option to a serious believer. Here is how you can take  your place in the body of Christ. 

I. Know that God  wants to make you a servant (minister) in the house of the Lord. 

The scripture in verse 16 above  says, "every part does its share." That means you. YOU must do your share.  The  government used to have a poster out where Uncle Sam was pointing and the  caption read something like "Uncle Sam wants YOU"  Well, Jesus wants YOU. When  God called Paul, he said, But
rise and stand on  your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister  and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I  will yet reveal to you. 

Even if you are not  called to be a mighty Apostle, like Paul, you are called to
serve and do your share in the body of Christ.  God wants YOU. He wants your time, He wants your talents, He wants your tithes. If you will serve Him, He will bless you beyond your wildest dreams. If you run from Him he can make life pretty miserable, like He did to Jonah when he was cast overboard and swallowed by a whale.

1. You're just as  called as the pastor.

You're role might be different, but  your call to help is just as important. We need every part doing its share. Most  people think only the apostle, prophet,
evangelist, teacher or pastor is called  to minister. I can just go to church
when I feel like it and serve if I feel  like it. However the Lord is more serious about His calling and His ministry and  His church than that. His church cost Him a great price and He wants us to be  serious about serving in the house of the Lord.

Even though you might not be called  to preach or oversee the church, you're still called to be a part of the church.  You're just as called to attend, pray,
serve, worship, help, encourage, and  bless the people of God as the pastor. Can you imagine what would happen to the  church if the pastor and the elders only showed up about half of the time?  It  would fall apart in no time. The people would say, "I'm out of here, the pastor  doesn't care about the church." 

2. There is a  general call and a specific call. 

Everyone is called to general  ministry. Things like cleaning the church, praying before the services,  participating in work days, reaching out to people, inviting people to church,  and lifting up our voices in worship, are all areas of service everyone can  participate in.

Specific calls are those that not  everyone is called to. Not everyone is called to be a pastor. Not everyone is  called to lead worship. Not everyone is called to be an elder or teacher. God  sovereignly chooses certain people for these ministries. We need to know our  calling.

3. Answer the  Call.

At our house when we get a phone  call from an area code we don't recognize we usually don't answer the call. We  let it go to voice mail. We have learned our lesson by being flooded with  telemarketing and political calls. We have learned to be selective regarding the  calls we actually answer. When we are expecting an important call, however we  answer it.  When God calls you it is a "Very Important Call" – Answer it.

We are not our own. We've been  bought with a GREAT price. So, let's not be rude to the Lord Let's answer the  call.

4.Love is the  motivator.

The church today needs to teach  people the first commandment. "And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken  diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with  all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due  season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn,  and thy wine, and thine oil.  And I will send grass in thy  fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

Loving the Lord is a commandment and  therefore a choice. It should be our first prayer and our greatest desire. For  if we would love the Lord will all of our heart all else will fall into place.  When we love God we will want to serve Him. When we love God we will  automatically want to live for Him. When we love God we will want to seek Him.  Worshipping the Lord is not a chore when we love Him.  
 
Bishop Darrell Ellis
Anointed  Word International Fellowship

Many people want more resurrection  power but not all are willing to pay the price. There is a price that the  believer pays. It is the price of hunger and
consecration. For those willing to  pay the price, God is more than willing to
give the hungry and thirsty more of  His power. He wants to empower us so we can be a witness and blessing to  others.  It is what I call, "Power with a
Purpose."  On the day of Pentecost,  the Lord poured out His spirit on those who desired to tarry until they were  endued with power from on high. Jesus said that this power would be for the  specific purpose of making them His witnesses (Acts 1:8). Don't you want to be a  bolder, stronger, witness of Jesus? If so, the following pointers could help.

I.Make the  Resurrection Connection.

Revelation of the Resurrection made  the Christianity the disciples had real. It was no longer about religion.  They had a real, living relationship with the Lord. It wasn't just religion. It  was relationship that involved a divine infusion of divine life. God gave his  very own Spirit to man. They were able to walk the walk by the Spirit of Grace  working in them. If we abide in Him and stay filled with His Spirit, we'll walk  the walk too. "In Him we live and move and have our being."

When we genuinely seek a more  intimate relationship with the Lord, He pours out His Spirit upon us in a  greater way. Many have treated being filled with the Spirit as a one time event,  when it really should be a continual occurrence. The Disciples who received that  first Pentecostal experience were in continual communion with the Lord.  Acts 1:14 NASB "These all with one mind were continually  devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of  Jesus, and with His brothers."

They had experienced first hand,  revelation of the resurrection. They had witnessed with their own eyes the  resurrected Savior before His ascension. They knew that the resurrection was  real, and this inspired them to continually seek the Lord. In similar fashion,  if we are really saved and Baptized in the Holy Spirit, we have experienced the  resurrection power of the Lord by the Holy Spirit. This should make us  continually want to pray and be in His presence. It should cause us to be  freshly filled with His Spirit daily.  I tell you, revelation of the resurrection will revolutionize your Christianity. One of the best ways to maintain the "resurrection connection" is to pray in the spirit (Jude 20) and to  wait before the Lord. (Is. 40:31). When we do we are filled fresh and anew with  the Lord's glory and power.

II. Believe There  is More for You.

Often people stop seeking more  because they believe they look on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as the ultimate  spiritual experience. In reality, being Baptized in the Holy Spirit is just the  beginning of a new and living way of moving in the realm of the Spirit. As we  exercise our prayer language and pray, we move deeper and deeper into the things  of the Spirit.  The disciples were filled over and over again. Keep believing  that God wants to take you deeper in the Spirit and He will. Although I have had  many glorious touches of His glory and power I continue to seek Him and believe  Him for more.  There is no limit to the power and glory of God. Believe and  receive.

III.Get Together With  Others Who Want More.

Although the Lord is everywhere He  does not manifest His glory every where. The Holy Spirit is like an Airplane. An  airplane doesn't just land anywhere. The pilot looks for a place that is right.  He looks for a place that is smooth and level that won't be harmful to the  plane. The Holy Spirit is the same way.  He's looking for a landing strip to  come in on. We create the landing strip through having a hungry worshipful  heart. The Lord manifests His glory where His people genuinely seek Him. 


Press into His presence. Desire a  greater move of His Spirit in your life. Be willing to pray for it and invest  some time seeking the Lord and He will come in power. We have to press into the  Kingdom. "The Law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom  of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it." Lk. 16:17. Some people want God to force them to be filled  with His Spirit. It doesn't work that way. He says we need to press in. Our Lord  pressed in at Gethsemane . Incidentally, Gethsemane actually means "wine press"  or "oil press" The oil of the Holy Spirit is imparted as we press into God's  presence.  Keep pressing in, and You will receive more.  Blessed are those who  hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. 

Have a great week,

Dr. Darrell Ellis, D.Min.
Anointed Word International Fellowship

If we refuse to get into a legitimate church and worship with other saints on a 
regular basis, then we are committing a serious infraction of God's Word.  Don't  take the command of the Lord to be in church lightly.  Here are just a
few of  the good reasons to worship in a local church that preaches the whole
counsel of  God's Word, with a pastor and elders and deacons:

1. God will  chasten us if we don't.

Although the love of God should always be our primary motive for obeying Him. Chastening and judgment for disobedience is also a good reason to obey Him.

Hebrews 10:26, 27 says, "for if we  sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer  remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and  fiery indignation…"  Note the little word for at the beginning of this verse. It  connects this verse to the previous verses as a conclusion to what was said in  the prior verses. One of the willful sins found in this context is the sin of  not attending a legitimate scriptural church.  Willful sins of this nature will  incur the Lord's judgment.  We must all appear before the judgment seat of  Christ (II Cor. 5:10) 

For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives  (Heb12:6)."

Our Lord Jesus bled and died for the  church. It's called the church of the
firstborn. He called some to be apostles,  prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers, to equip the saints for the work of  ministry, and preach the truth in love so they will grow up in all things. He  has a divine order for the blessing and growth of the saints, to shun the church  is to shun the Head of the church. To ignore His mandate of fellowship in the  house of the Lord is to make light of the body of Christ, especially once we  know the verses of scripture regarding our being in Christ.

2. God tells us  to attend.

This should be reason enough.

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up  love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of  ourselves together, as is  the manner of some, but exhorting one  another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching  (Heb. 10:24,25)."

Many people today, ignore  the Word of God about church attendance. They make all kinds of excuses for not  being faithful and regular in attendance. One of the biggest and best plans of  the devil is to keep people ignorant of the Word and out of a good Holy Spirit  filled, Bible believing church. Isolated Christians are easily confused, and led  astray. Unsaved people are far less likely to ever hear the gospel if they are  not in a church that preaches it. The devil comes up with some pretty good ideas  as to why they should not be in a local church too. Here are just a few excuses  contrived by the flesh and the devil.

"I was too tired", "I just turned the alarm off and went back to sleep and I 
overslept (Hmmm I never oversleep on a work day, I know my boss would not buy this excuse, but I expect the pastor to or he'll never see me again.)" "I 
deserve a break today," "I was forced to go to church when I was a kid, and it 
has prevented me from ever wanting to go again" "We have church in our home every Sunday watching Christian T.V." "I had a little cold" "My cat had a
cough"  "I feel closer to God out on the golf course" "I had to stay home and
wait for  my kids to call" "All the church wants is your money" "I attend a home fellowship (Me and my family and the neighbors – no pastor of course)."  "I couldn't afford the gas (but I could afford to run to the mall and all over
town  on Saturday)" 

The list goes on and on.  The fact is many people are totally ignoring the Word of God regarding church attendance and church membership. Granted, some have had bad church experiences.  They went to a dull, dead, boring, lifeless, social club called a "church" and  said, "if this is all there is to it, what's the point?"  I have occasionally  gone to a restaurant that had lousy food, but that didn't stop me from going out  to eat. I just went to a different restaurant with a better reputation the next  time I went out to eat.  
 
Most of the excuses don't  hold water with God. Granted, sometimes there are legitimate illnesses, and circumstances that are beyond our control that are legitimate reasons whey we can't be in the House of the Lord. Reasons like a family emergency, being called  in to work because of an unforeseen emergency, or a death in the family are  obviously legitimate reasons. For the
most part however, we need to stop making  excuses and obey God and go to
church.

3. Being planted  in a local church is vital for your spiritual growth and
prosperity.

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of
our  God.  They shall  still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing (Ps. 92:13,  14). 

Just wandering around from one  church to another is not being planted. Attending a church as long as the pastor  preaches messages that make you feel good, and then leaving as soon as he  preaches something that is convicting or hard to take, even though it lines up  with the truth is not being planted. Being planted means you make a commitment.  Being planted means you have a church home and you are committed to stay there  until the Lord moves you, and believe me, the Lord is not moving you every year.  Being planted is putting down roots and taking a stand to be there no matter  what. 

In Ephesians chapter 4 God gave  Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and
teachers for the equipping of the  saints for the work of the ministry. This is
talking about in the local church  he set "gifts" inside of men to train us and
equip us so that we can build each  other up. We can't be a part of the mutual
edification of our brothers and  sisters if we are never planted in a church
long enough to develop relationships  and build each other up. 

Ephsians 4:16 says: 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. 

This sounds like people getting  together on a regular basis and encouraging one another and helping one another.  This sounds like people really getting to know each other and having the kind of  Koinonia Fellowship that is mutually beneficial to real Christian growth. People  are not really planted in a church until they start "doing their share" That  means that they commit to help the church grow. They begin to serve and find  their ministry gifts and help build the local church up into the spiritual house  God called it to be.  
 
Friends, please, don't let the devil  rip you off from the blessing of being planted in a local church.  Don't let one  sermon you didn't like make you give up on the place where God planted you.  Don't let the devil talk you into staying home Sunday after Sunday. Remember  "It's the banana that gets separated from the bunch that gets peeled first."  When you get isolated you are an easy target for the devil. When you stay  planted in the house of the Lord you have the protection of the corporate  anointing and the help of your brothers and sisters in Christ. You have the  Pastors and elders watching over you and helping you walk the walk.  

If you are not planted in a real (Spirit filled) local church with a pastor ( who 
preaches the full counsel of God's Word)  and elders and deacons then you need to repent of your rebellion and pray to God to show you where He wants you and then get planted.  I will write more on this subject later.

4. Bear Fruit  that Remains

It's great to win souls. I  especially love those divine appointments where the Holy Spirit has prepared the  person's heart to receive, and then has given me the privilege to speak to them  the exact words they need to hear in order to lead them to receive Christ.

I had  a divine appointment like that in China in 1986. We were on a bus on our way to minister  in an orphanage. A lady got on the bus with a bag of bread and sat right across  from me. She was breaking off small pieces of the bread and nibbling on it. I  began to talk to her. The Holy Spirit told me to ask her if she had heard of the  bread of Life Jesus Christ. She said she had not. She was in a Methodist church  and even taught in a Christian school but had not heard that story. I shared the  story of Jesus telling people He was the bread of life. I asked her if she had  ever received Jesus as her personal Lord and savior. She said she had not but  she had wanted to and had actually prayed and asked God to show her how to be  saved. I told her that the Lord had sent me all the way from America to share  the good news with her and help her pray to receive the Lord. I asked her if she  would like to pray and receive Jesus into her heart. She said she would like  that very much. We prayed and she asked the Lord into her heart. As soon as she  was through praying with me, the bus stopped at the place she was to get off. I  she thanked me profusely and got off the bus. I will probably never see her,  this side of heaven, but I believe I will see her in glory.

I love these soul winning experiences. I've been blessed with many of them over the years.  Nevertheless, I would rather get someone solidly planted in a
local  church than have one of these "power evangelism encounters." Why? Because I know  that when someone is really planted in a local church they are going to be a  disciple and they will bear "fruit that remains." If they stay in my church they  will learn how to win people to Christ and they will develop a heart for the  lost. They will grow up in all things.

Jesus said, I am the vine; you are  the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing  yourselves to be my disciples. 

One of the biggest deceptions in the  body of Christ is the idea that once we are saved we can live however we want  because we can't lose our salvation. This is the deceptive doctrine of  Antinomianism.

Antinomianism is the Christian doctrine that we can live however we want and go to heaven. It holds to the idea  that no matter what we do we can never sin away our salvation so we might as  well ignore moral laws.

Many "Christians" today hold to this doctrine. The old  Calvinistic reformers would have said that they were not saved in the first place, because a true Christian would not be able to think like that. The Armenianist would say that they lost their salvation. Either way I know that a person who lives like the devil is going to spend eternity with the devil if he or she doesn't repent. The Bible is clear on this point.  I believe God is gracious and it takes considerable sinning to harden our heart to the point of denying Christ, but I believe it is possible. The Bible says it is so. (I Tim. 4:1; Mark 13:13; Heb. 10:39)  I also believe someone is saved as long as they want to be saved and they are trying to live for Jesus even though they stumble and fall numerous times, but to fly in the face of God and rebel against Him and  His word repeatedly can result in eternal destruction.  The scripture above is  very clear on this. Jesus didn't mince words. We must abide in Him, or "remain"  in Him in order to have life. He is our life and if we cut ourselves off from  His life we are dead ie. eternally separated from Him.  Beware of the current,  popular, theological deception called antinomianism  which says, "that you can  live like you want and go to heaven." You had better live like the Lord tells  you to or you will not be a part of God's Kingdom ( See I Cor. 6:9,10; Gal.5:21). 

Jesus is very clear on this point of  submitting to His Lordship.  Not everyone who says  to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will  of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord,  Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons
in Your name, and  done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them,  'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!' 

I said all of the above to say this to give you reason number five as to why you should  be planted in a true, New Testament, Local Church . 

5. The Local Church is a Discipleship Training Center. 

Jesus said we should  make disciples. You can't be a true disciple if you are not planted in a  true Bible believing, Holy Spirit Filled, local church and submitting to the  leadership and mentoring of the Pastor and Elders, Other 5 fold ministry gifts.  It is more important that people be in the local church God called them to, than  for them to have their "dream job" or anything other temporal thing. It is more  important to be under a pastor who will train you and disciple you in the ways  of the Lord and hold you accountable to live for the Lord than anything else.  What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? If  you stay planted in a local church with a pastor who really knows how to make  disciples and you want to know the Lord more and you listen to that pastor and  do what he says, then you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  This is what I am committed to help every disciple under my pastorate  accomplish. Over the past 23 years we have planted 4 churches and pastored five.  I have always endeavored to build True Local Churches that fit the Biblical  Pattern found in Ephesians 4:7-16. I know that a true Church will win souls that  become disciples (true followers of Jesus) and that these disciples will win  more people to Christ and help them become disciples etc.   

When you get  planted in a local church and truly learn the blessings of being a disciple you  will thank God for the revelation of the Local Church . The end result will be  that you end up in heaven for eternity and you have the spiritual development  necessary to lead others to Christ and help them grow in the grace and knowledge  of Jesus Christ yourself. 

I beseech you to get  planted in a good Spirit-filled church with a seasoned
pastor that knows how to  help you be all you can be in the Lord.  Don't look
for an ear tickler. Look for  men and women of God that will tell you the truth. Only the Truth can set you  free. 

6. Church is a  healing center.

The Lord loves to manifest His glory when His people come together to worship. He is  a healing God.

And Jesus went about all Galilee , teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the  kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  (Matthew 4:24)

The local Church is the modern day equivalent of the synagogue.  Instead of a head rabbi, we have pastors and like the synagogue we have elders.  Believers in Jehovah attended Synagogue. Of course hypocrites attended too. Today it is no different. We have the true believers and we have some who only profess Christ but live contrary to the Word. Jesus attended gatherings of believers. You might  say "Jesus went to Church." Jesus is still going to "Church" or where
believers  are gathered for church services, and when He does He heals people. 

The Spirit  of Christ is present at every one of our church services and He is
working  through the pastor, elders and believers to heal other believers. This
is why I  say Church is a healing center. 

Make sure you attend a church that  believes and practices praying for the sick. Expect people to be healed. When  you're sick don't stay home unless you have something that is highly contagious,  go to church, if you are able and get healed. If you can't go because of the  nature of the malady, then call for the elders of the church and ask them to  come to your home and pray for you.  Believe that God will honor your faith and  submission to the local church leadership and heal you and I believe He will.  

7. Church is a  place of encouragement and edification.

Christianity was never meant to be  practiced alone. When we're walking in the Light of Christ we have fellowship  with one another.

But  if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one  another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  
(1John 1:7)

When we're walking in the light we  get together with other believers in a local church and worship and mutually  encourage each other. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love  and good works, not  forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the  more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
 
One of the reasons we attend church  is to exhort one another. I have often heard people testify that they were down,  depressed, and discouraged when they came to church and the Spirit of God  touched them and they left praising God, filled with joy. 

When you feel like staying home is  when you need to go to church the most. Never let the devil keep you out of  church. The church service you miss is the church service you probably need the  most. Each service builds wisdom and knowledge upon the teaching from the  service before it. It is like building a house. You place one brick upon the  other. Can you imagine a house with many of the bricks left out of the walls?  That is how some believers lives are because they miss church services. They are  leaving gaps and spaces in their training and development. There are missing  bricks of wisdom and impartation missing from their lives. Satan sees these gaps  and knows their vulnerable points. 
 
If a believer misses the teaching on  fear, the enemy attacks with fear. If they  miss the teaching on bad company  corrupting good morals, the enemy brings a scoundrel into their lives to get  them off course. 

Make sure you get every message the  Holy Spirit gives to your pastor and elders to feed you. Don't miss one vital  message. When you have to be out of church for vacation or business be sure to  get the CD and listen to it.

8. Church is  the place of Deliverance.

A lot of people don't believe in deliverance, but Jesus and His disciples did.
The  New Testament is full of instances where spirits of darkness were expelled from  people by Jesus Himself, and the apostles.  Whether people believe in it or not,  deliverance is real. The Spirit realm is real and even Christians can be  influenced by these bad spirits. When these spirits attack people need help in  getting rid of their oppression. I'm not saying a Christian can be possessed,  but they can certainly be oppressed, and in need of help getting these little  imps off their backs.

While this is not a teaching on the  subject of deliverance, we need to acknowledge the power of the corporate  anointing and the effectiveness of that anointing to lift burdens and destroy  yokes.

It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from 
your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed 
because of the anointing oil (Isaiah 10:27). 

We were ministering in our church in Las Vegas about 10 years ago, and a man who was about  6'6" tall and weighing over 300 pounds came forward for prayer. Then a spirit  began to manifest. He began to cry out and growl. I
commanded the spirit to  loose him and go. He acted like he was going to hit me. Everyone became very  quiet and focused on what the Lord was doing. Two large ushers came up and  grabbed the man's arms because they thought he was going to hit me. I wasn't  concerned. I knew the Holy Spirit would protect me. Nevertheless they restrained  him while I commanded the spirit to lose him. 
 
He was gloriously delivered that  day. Everyone knew the Lord was in that place and that He is real. 

Don't underestimate the power of a  good Holy Spirit-filled church to set captives free. Many people's lives are  changed.

A good Holy Spirit filled church can be of great worth in helping set people
free.  Prayer at the altar is one means of getting delivered. Other times,
meeting with  the pastors or elders in a more private setting and having them
pray for you and  take authority over the works of darkness can be very helpful. 

This is just another reason, people  need a good Spirit-filled church with pastors who know what they are doing. 

Bishop Darrell Ellis

Anointed  Word International Fellowship

I believe in the priesthood of the believer.

We are so blessed to be called out and sanctified for God's service in the earth, based on our blood covenant with Jesus Christ.

With that calling comes a serious responsibility which we will look at today.

Too many professing Christians today think they can scoff at Biblical standards as archaic or culturally irrevelant and still enjoy the endorsement and prosperity of God's favor. 

The Word of God says, "we're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation,  His own special people (I Pet. 2:9)." The Apostle Peter is referring to
true  born again believers in Christ, of course.  In order to better understand
our  New Testament Priesthood and the responsibilities that are connected with it, we  need to look at the Old Testament Levitical Priesthood. From the Old Testament  Levitical Priesthood we can determine the heartfelt attitude God is looking for  in a New Testament Priesthood.

1. Fear of the  Lord that transcends family ties.

We need a return to a deep reverence for the Lord. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood emerged from the Levitical Covenant God made with this tribe because of their reverence for God and their willingness to stand against wickedness even when they found it in their own families. When the tribes of Israel made a golden calf and worshipped it, notice God's instructions.

Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side--come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Let every  man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance  throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.' " 28 So the sons of Levi did according  to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said,  "Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a  blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother (Ex  32:26-29)." 

Phineas responded with a holy zeal  for the Lord when his fellow Israelites were committing heinous sins against God  with the idols and women of Moab at Peor. 
 
And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and  presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the  sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel , who were weeping at the door of the  tabernacle of meeting. 7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; 8 and he went after the man of Israel  into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman  through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel . 9 And those who died in  the plague were twenty-four thousand. 10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 11 "Phinehas the son of  Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children  of Israel , because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not  consume the children of Israel in My zeal. 12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to  him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.' " 

Aaron's own sons were burned up  because they offered strange fire to the Lord, and Aaron was not allowed to  grieve for his sons, but had to keep right on ministering in the tabernacle.  Aaron had to stand with God instead of his sons Nu 10:1-9.

Eli neglected to discipline his sons  who profaned the tabernacle and God judged him and his sons. 

2. A Holy  Separation that transcends family ties. 

God has always called His people to  be separate from the World. This doesn't mean we don't love the people of the  world, but that we live distinctly different from them, thereby showing them a  better way. 

Therefore "Come out from among  them And be separate, says the Lord. Do
not touch what is unclean,And I will receive  you." 18 "I will be a Father to you, And  you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty." II Cor. 6:17,18. 

Mixture is contrary to  righteousness. Any time God's people compromise they lose.  Compromise leads to  more compromise. Tolerance is the first step to acceptance. Tolerance of  sin will lead to acceptance of sin, which will
eventually lead to dominance of sin. The enemy doesn't want simply to be
tolerated he wants  to totally dominate. The sexually immoral people are not
content with just  having adult bookstores and adult films, they want to expose our children to  explicit films and call it "sex education." They want to take over politically.  They want to flaunt their nudity at the beaches and in the parks. The devil just  uses "tolerance" as a way to get his foot in the door. He really wants tolerance  to gain acceptance which will give him a foothold to take over.  We see it in  the gay agenda. We see it in the drug world. We see it with Islam. 

Any time we open the door to sin,  the enemy will gain a hold on us that will take some serious prayer and  deliverance to get free.

I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You  come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set nothing wicked before
my  eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me
(Psalm  101:2,3). The NAS  version says "fasten it's grip". 
 
Backsliding ways can fasten their  grip on us and cling to us when we open the door to the enemy through sin.  The  church today is full of "professors" who don't really want to live according to  the Word of God. They hate preachers of righteousness and flock to "goat  gatherings" where they can do what they want to and live carnally without any  accountability. They have heaped up to themselves "teachers having itching  ears." They have become "lovers or pleasures more than lovers of God."  The Word  of God instructs us to stay away from people like this. Instead we are to dwell  with the faithful of the land, and only let those who walk in a perfect way  minister to us. 

My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that  they may dwell with me; 
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me (Ps 101:6 NASB). 

In our church we only want people in  ministry who do their best to live holy lives and this includes living free from  sexual immorality and tithing. We don't want an unholy altar. We want a powerful  anointing where people are healed, delivered, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  We want people to experience a deeper work of the Lord.  

If we are to be a holy priesthood  for the Lord we must live godly lives. Just
because we're in the dispensation of  grace doesn't mean God is going to wink at sin. God still judges sin. His  standards are still the same. The difference is,
that instead of trying to live  holy by will power, we have the Holy Spirit to
enable us to live holy lives  therefore we are more responsible.  I Peter 4:17,18 NASB "For it  is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not 
obey the gospel of God? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? "

God makes a distinction  between the holy and the profane. He separates the
wicked from the vile. He  divides the sheep and the goats. He will separate the wheat from the tares and  the virgins with oil from those without oil. Many
today look like sheep, but  they are as goat headed as they can be. Only by
their fruit will you know them.   Become fruit inspectors. Know those who you
labor among. Live Holy and separate  even if it means being at odds with your
family. Correct your children. Voice  your disagreement with your grown children if they are living ungodly lives. Let  your family know where you stand. Stand up for Jesus and you'll move in a  greater authority and power in the Lord.  Stand up for something. Be like the  tribe of Levi. Be a modern day Phinehas. Stand up for God, even if your brother  doesn't like it. Be a God pleaser not a man pleaser. 

3. A sincere  desire to live a life of consecration to the Lord. 

The Old Testament Priest was called  to a life of consecration. The New Testament believer who wants to live up to  his/her calling to be a royal priesthood will want to conform to the demand to  "present their bodies a living sacrifice" and live in full consecration so that  they can "serve the Lord acceptably" (Heb. 12:28).

The New Testament doctrine of  consecration as found in Romans 12 becomes a serious calling to the believer who  has revelation of the "priesthood of the believer." They will want to live a  life of righteous service unto the Lord. 

People who are truly born again want  to practice righteousness (I John 3:10) and minister in a spirit of righteousness. It  doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out if someone is a true believer or  not. I can usually discern if someone is of the same spirit of faith in about  five minutes of conversation. If a person wants to continually and habitually  practice sin, they are apparently not of God. For instance, if a "professor of  Christ" insists on living in sin with their "significant other" they are not of  God. If someone is a habitual liar, they are not of God. If someone practices a  lifestyle of rage and venom, they are not of God.    
 
In this the children of God and the children of the  devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his  brother (I Jn. 3:10).

According to this, the two fold acid  test of genuineness is whether a person has a sincere desire to walk in right  standing with God through a lifestyle
practicing righteousness and a sincere  love for fellow believers.  (I John 3:10).  If we love our brothers and sisters,  then we certainly won't have a
mean spirit toward them. The Apostle John goes on  to say:  For this is  the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one  and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil  and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the  world hates you. 14 We  know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He  who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him     (I Jn.3:11-15). 

In some churches today there is a  more subtle form of murder taking place. It's called character assassination. It  is simply the practice of "professors"
running down their brothers or sisters.  Those who live in bitterness are on
dangerous ground Heb. 12:15.  When we enter into the priesthood of the  believer we will keep a heart pure from offense and maintain a heart of  reconciliation and restoration toward others at all times. As we grow in the  Lord, the Lord's heart for others becomes our heart for others. We take on a  sincere desire to help people really live for Jesus, and love Jesus, not just  play religious Church games. 

It is such a delight to pastor the  church I pastor because the people are
sincerely walking in genuine love. The  unity with diversity we enjoy by the
work of the Holy Spirit is truly amazing. A  few months ago our town made the headlines. Some members of a certain mainline denominational church were shown having a fist fight in the parking lot. It was a sad commentary to how Satan can infiltrate the hearts of people who don't maintain a consecrated walk with the Lord putting  His interests above their own selfish desires. Events like these highlight the  need for pastors to really teach people how to live a live of victory in Jesus.  Most believers are seldom taught how to bring their soulish nature under  subjection to their born again spirits. Whether we are baptized in the Holy  Spirit or not, unless we die daily (Luke 9:23) we will live a life vulnerable to the  manipulations of our own flesh or the infiltration of the enemy.  

I heard a story of a man who had  1000 acres. He sold every acre but one which was in the very middle of the plot  which he kept for himself. The new owner of the 999 acres later realized that  the one acre was a big problem for him. Legally he had to allow the man who kept  the one acre an access road. This meant giving up considerable more land for a  road way. Satan loves it when we keep one little piece of our heart for  ourselves. When we maintain one little "flesh acre" that we refuse to give up,  it gives him an access road to make inroads into this area where he has legal  ground. From that vantage point he gains access to other areas of our lives. That one little thing we hold back from the Lord will cost us far more than we realize. So it is with the believer who doesn't want to give up everything for Jesus Christ. 

God first makes a man before he ever  makes a ministry. We must first minister to the Lord before we are ready to  minister for the Lord. He called the 12 that they might first be with Him, and  then he sent them out. Their credentials were "these men have been with Jesus."  Let Him first mold you and shape you and then He will really use you.  About  sixteen years ago, the Holy Spirit knocked me down at a renewal meeting and held  me under the heavy "Kawbod" ( Kawbod is the Hebrew word for glory and means  "weight") weight of His presence. During the two hours I was being ministered to  by the Holy Spirit, the Lord spoke to me and said, "now I will make a real  minister out of you." I knew what He was saying. It wasn’t that I wasn't at all  a real minister, I had been pastoring for almost ten years at the time, but I  was a minister that was trying to do so many things in the power of my own abilities, rather than by His power. From this point forward there was a great  transformation in my ministry. 
 
4. Free and full  access to God's Favor. 

The big difference between the Old  Testament believer and the New Testament believes is the means by which the  covenant is lived. The Old Testament believer tried by sheer will power to live  according the revealed will of God. The New Testament believer has the Spirit of  God working within him to fulfill the Word by the Power of the Holy Spirit. We  are not under law but under grace. That Grace is not only the unmerited favor of  God, but the divine enablement to actually live in obedience to the Lord. God  Himself is working the Word in us, making us "living epistles." What a glorious  thing. He has put His law within us and has written it on our hearts (Eze  36:22-31). He is working in us both to will and do of His good pleasure. We have  the responsibility to simply cooperate with His grace. We can either cooperate  with His grace or we can insult His grace. God gives us the powerful helping  hand of the Holy Spirit. Shame on us if we bite that hand. Grace does not strip  us of our ability to choose or give us an excuse to blame our willful sin upon  an inadequate supply of God's enablement. His grace is always sufficient. If  there is a deficiency of character what is lacking is a full surrender of our  will at the throne of grace.   

Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be  thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace ( Heb  10:29)?  

It is interesting to observe that  the context of scriptures in which this verse is couched is talking  aboutour new privilege of entering the  Holy place toreceive the grace we need to live a life of love, good works, church attendance, and forsaking of willful sin (Heb. 10:19-28).  

The New Testament believer has a  greater responsibility to live for God than any Old Testament priest or  Pharisee. That's why Jesus said, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of  the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven  (Mt. 5:20).

Let's make the Throne of Grace our  continual abode, and avail ourselves of all
the power we need to live a holy  life. Let's cooperate with the Spirit of Grace.  What the world needs now is  people who have been with Jesus. 
 
Blessings, 
   
Bishop Darrell Ellis,  D.Min.
Anointed Word International Fellowship

Are You Convinced  of Your Father's Love? 

Lucy tells Charlie Brown, "You know  what I don't understand? I don't understand love." Charlie, replies, "Who does?"  Lucy says, "Explain love to me Charlie Brown." He says, "You can't explain love.  I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting but I can't explain  love." "Well try Charlie  Brown, try. "Says Lucy. "Well O.K." says Charlie, "Let's say I see this  beautiful, cute little girl walk by.." Lucy interrupts, Why does she have to be  cute? Huh? Why can't someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big  nose? Explain that."  "Well, O.K. says Charlie, suppose I see this girl walk by  with this great big nose…" "I didn't say great big nose…" says Lucy, Then  Charlie says, "You not only can't explain love, you can't even talk about it."  (taken from 1001 Humurous Illustrations.)

There is lots of confusion about  love, especially the God kind of love. Never has there been a greater need for  God's people to know without a shadow of a doubt that God really does love them.

WE have entered the "hour of testing" that has come upon the whole world. We are in  the Laodicean church age. We are dawning a time of great trial.  

'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance , I also will keep you from the hour of testing , that hour which is about to come upon  the whole world , to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast  what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (NASB Rev.  3:10,11)

People are hurting. Many Americans  have lost their jobs. The National Debt is soaring out of control. Washington is  overrun with tax and spend politicians that ignore our bankrupt state. The  global agenda of Satan's minions is being
advanced by evil and wicked people in  high places. The moral condition of our nation is worsening year by year.  Biblical illiteracy abounds. 49% of
"Christians" do not believe the Holy Spirit  is a real person (Barna.org).
Terrorism and unrest are at unprecedented levels.  Many of God's people are
going through the fires of persecution and attack.  We  are in a moral crisis.

How can we make it through and live in victory in the midst of troubling times? How can we stay strong enough in the Lord to not only insure our own salvation but help get others saved as well? Here are two things we must know deep within our spirits and souls in order to accomplish this goal:

1. We must be  totally convinced that God loves us.

When we're going through the fire.  We need to meditate on verses of scripture like 

What then shall we say to these things? If  God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare  His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also  freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against  God's elect? It is God who  justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and  furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes  intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the  love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are  more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither  death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor  things to come, 39 nor  height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from  the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro. 8:31-39) 

God loves us with a perfect and  personal love that will never fade away or fail us. He will always love us. If  we sin He will not like our behavior, but He will always love us. If we "make  our bed in hell" (Ps. 139), He will be with us. He will never leave us or  forsake us. Let's make sure we don't leave or forsake Him. 
 
Even if you have stumbled and  fallen. Never buy the lie that God does not love you. Get up. Repent and keep  seeking God and His Kingdom. When the enemy attacks you, refuse to doubt that  God loves you. God's love for you does not change. He hates sin, but He loves  sinners. He will never stop loving us. 

2. We must  continue to grow our faith in our very big, powerful, yet personal God. 
 
God is not some little created being  like Satan. God is the creator of the universe, and all things that exist. His  universe spans infinity. We have discovered galaxies hundreds of light years  away from us. He is the God that created them all.  WOW. When we sing, "What a  mighty God we serve" we are not kidding. When someone says, "God sure is  awesome" that is an understatement. Yet, He is a personal God who sent His only  begotten Son to save us. He cares enough about us to know how many hairs are on  our head and He loves us enough to give us His very best. He gave us Himself.   He has given us His Spirit and adopted us as His very own children (Ro. 8:15). 

God is not only the most powerful  person in the universe; He is the most personable person in the universe. He  really cares about us and has the power to rescue us and help us. In fact His  Holy Spirit is called the "helper" by Jesus.  
 
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send  in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all  things that I said to you (Jn. 14:26). 
 
Beloved, no matter  what happens in these end times in which we live. The Lord will help you make it  through. Just make Him your everything and He'll watch over you and keep you in  all of your ways. 

Jesus Himself said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord  is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" 

Take comfort to know that no matter what the devil  throws at you. God is greater than the devil and God is on your side. Stay in  the Word. Stay in prayer. "Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might."  (Eph. 6:10). 

Have a blessed week, Forward the Anointed Word to your  friends. Send us their e-mails, with their permission and we'll put them on our  list, or have them send us an e-mail and we'll put them on our e-mail list to  receive it. 
 
Bishop Darrell Ellis
Anointed  Word International Fellowship

How To Overcome Anger Part 1

We live in the age of rage. We have many different terms to describe anger. We have more phrases and words to describe the emotion of anger than any other emotion. Here are just a few: ticked off, blew up, blew his stack, blew her fuse, hot under the collar, mad as a hornet, madder than a wet hen, hot headed, she went ballistic, their blood was boiling, they lost their cool, and madder than a hatter, just to name a few. We have invented new terminology to describe angry behavior connected to modern phenomena, such as road rage, gang wars, and drive by shootings. Some people stay mad. One man said, "My wife has an even disposition – she's mad all the time."

In order to overcome anger we need to:

I.  Understand anger.

Anger is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:20). Rarely is human anger "righteous indignation" like Jesus manifested when he overthrew the money changers tables and drove them from the temple. Usually our anger is of the natural fleshly kind. This is why the Bible says to "put away anger" But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth (Col. 3:8). 

There can be many sources of anger. We get angry when our sense of justice is violated. When we think we're being wronged, we get angry. We usually get angry when we or those we love are threatened. But most people often get angry out of selfishness because they are in the flesh. When they want something and don'tget it they get angry. When their pride is insulted they get angry. When they are disrespected they get angry. When someone get in their way and hinders them from their goals or objectives they get angry.

Conversely, there are things that should make us angry as people of God. For instance when we see someone being hurt or mistreated our sense of justice should arouse our anger. When we see someone hurting others or teaching them false doctrine we should get angry. When we encounter a wolf in sheep's clothing leading new believers astray we should get angry. For instance when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments etched in stone by the hand of God, and found the whole nation of Israel worshipping a golden calf, his sense of justice stirred his outburst of anger.

II.  Overcome Anger

When we are angry we can do foolish things. "A man of wrath stirs up strife and a man given to anger commits and causes much transgression" (Prov. 29:22). Another version says, "A hot tempered man starts fights and gets into all kinds of trouble." Prisons are full of men and women who didn't control their anger. One outburst of rage can ruin a person's whole life. Here's how to overcome it. 

1.Admit you have an anger problem.

Many people live in denial that they have an anger problem, yet their attitude is often hostile and their mouth is like a snapping turtle. Admission of our anger is the first step to overcoming our anger problem.

2.Identify the source of your anger.

Pam and I recently watched a movie about a young 15 year old girl who had a
terrible attitude. Her parents had divorced when she was 10. As a result, her
sense of security was destroyed and the hopes and dreams she had for her family were shattered. This was the source of her anger. She was experiencing
emotional pain.

This step sometimes requires us to do some soul searching. Many people are unaware of their anger. Yet everyone around them notices it. We can be snappy at people and not even realize it when we're upset about something. There have been a few times when something was bothering me that I snapped at people and wasn't fully aware of it until my wife told me about it later.

We need to observe our own behavior and demeanor. If more than one person tells us that we are grouchy or irritable we need to listen. It is possible to think we're coming across in a friendly way when we are actually very testy.
Subconscious anger or hidden resentment has symptoms. 

Here is a partial list of root causes of an angry spirit: rebellion, rejection, inner emotional pain due to emotional wounds that have not been healed, a
personal agenda hindered, association with angry people, listening to angry
music, being trapped in a frustrating situation, abuse, personal assault, injustice whether perceived or imagined, irritating people, and problems. 

3.  Repent of our sin of anger.

Unless we have righteous indignation, or holy anger, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit, we better recognize our anger as sin and repent of it. Seldom is our anger righteous indignation such as when Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple. Usually our anger is motivated by our own selfishness. In this case we need to repent of it and get it under the blood of Jesus. 

4.  Walk in forgiveness.

Unforgiveness will leave you in a state of seething anger, especially toward the person that has offended or hurt you. There is only one way to be free from this kind of anger. We must forgive them completely. That means that we make a choice to forgive them. Then we walk in that choice. When thoughts of retaliation come back to us, we cast them down and remind ourselves that we have already forgiven them. True forgiveness means that we never bring the situation that offended or hurt us back up. We drop it and reckon it washed away by the blood of Jesus.

5.  Be angry and sin not. (Eph 4:26).

We can control our anger. We must rule over our anger. The Lord told Cain that sin crouched at the door, but God's desire was that Cain should rule over it (Gen. 4:7). Even in a state of anger, we can choose not to give in to that anger. We must determine that if we do get angry, we'll not let it rule our behavior. One way to do this is keep our mouth shut. When we sense the stirring and churning in our emotions and are ready to tell someone off, is the time to put a lid on it. Keep our mouth shut, wait, pray, calm down. And then only when we have prayed through should we discuss it. We will get angry, no doubt, but what we do with our anger is very important. We must not let
anger rule us. We must rule anger. Proverbs 19:19 says: A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again. And again " An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins (Pro 29:22).

How To Overcome Anger Part 2

In the last days, anger will be at dangerous levels. Even the nations will rage
and  plot a vain thing against the Lord and His anointed (Psalm 2). 

Lawlessness will  abound and result in the love (agape) of many growing cold (Matthew 24:12).

This agape love is the God kind of  love. Since only believers have agape love, this means that believers will grow  cold in their agape love because of the lawlessness that brings offenses (See  Matthew 24:10). Giving place to anger can wreck havoc in the life of a believer.  We all know it's difficult to contain our anger when we see someone undermining  our freedoms, or threatening to destroy the sovereignty of our nation. When we  think of all the soldiers who bled and died so that we can enjoy such a great  nation like this, it can be infuriating that someone is trying to destroy it.  Our temptation can be great to get into the flesh and take matters into our own  hands when we see injustice. We must remember, that "vengeance is mine, I will  repay says the Lord."  As much as we would sometimes like to have an outburst of  wrath, we just can't afford to. So much is at stake. Our very lives, families,  and ministries depend on us keeping a cool head at all times. It is imperative  that we walk in the Spirit day by day, moment by moment. Prisons are full of  people who just had one little outburst of uncontrolled wrath. It destroyed  their lives, reputations and severed them from their freedom and ability to be a  blessing to others.     
  
Don't let anger destroy your life.  Use the principles taught here to overcome anger and live in joy. 

Everyone is going to get angry. It  is an emotion that is impossible to avoid, at least occasionally. Anger in and  of itself isn't always sin. It usually is, unless it
is righteous indignation like Jesus manifested when He  drove the money changers out of the temple. Here are some more steps to  overcoming anger: 

6. Put off  Anger.

Col. 3:8 in the NKJV  says, "But now put off anger…" You can choose to put anger off. In other words  take off anger like you would take off a dirty shirt or stained pants. Get it  off and away from you. Throw anger in the dirty clothes hamper. It isn't a part  of your new nature. Refuse to wear it. If you choose in advance, that you are  not going to wear anger, you can literally put on your "happy face" and be a pretty happy person the majority of  the time. Our countenance is controlled by our spirit. What is within us comes  out in our demeanor. "As in water face reflects face, So a man's heart
reveals the man" (Prov. 27:19).

Col. 3:8 NCV says, "But now also put  these things out of your life: anger, bad
temper, doing or saying things to hurt  others, and using evil words when you
talk."

7. Be slow to  anger. 
 
This is another choice we can make.  We can say to ourselves, "I'm not going to get angry about this, I'm going to be  patient and understanding."  James tells us the behavior we should choose. "So  then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to her, slow to speak, slow  to wrath (James 1:19)."

We have to choose to control our temper in other words. One time I was in Wal-Mart and there was a lady who was  ever so slowly getting her pocket book out of her purse and then gradually counting out the pennies to give the checker the correct change, and then very slowly putting things she had removed from her pocket book back. But I passed the test. I said to myself, " Lord, you must want me to develop some more patience. This little lady is oblivious to me being here.  Maybe there is a reason you want my day delayed." Hallelujah. We can have the victory over the irritations  of life if we remember these principles. 
 
8. Stay filled  with the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is calm and always at peace. When you have spent sufficient time in worship and prayer you will have a calm spirit, dominated by the Holy Spirit, in  the midst of almost any aggravating circumstance. You'll be able to say with Jesus, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." God will work everything out. All we have to do is stay in the Spirit and pray in the Spirit and watch God move on our behalf. Sure there is a time to act. When someone is invading your home, get angry and take action.  This is a case where God called you to protect your family. There are times when it's appropriate to let anger stir you to action, but be cautious. These are rare times.

Have a blessed week, 

Bishop Darrell Ellis
Anointed Word International Fellowship

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and said, " To Timothy, a true son in the faith: (I Tim. 1:2)"

Of course when I speak of sons I also mean daughters in the Lord as well. If there are true sons, then there are also false sons. The Apostle Paul had both. In this article I want to identify some of the remarkable characteristics of the
father-son relationship that Christ ordained for ministry enhancement. 

WARNING:
This message might not be for you. This is a message for people who have a level of maturity in the Lord and the Word to see what I'm talking about and not misconstrue it. If you don't get it, set it on the shelf and pray about it
and read it in a few years.

It takes revelation from the Holy Spirit to understand the role of a Spiritual father and a spiritual son. Not every one is a spiritual father. Not everyone is a true spiritual son or daughter in the Lord. A spiritual father is more than a teacher. He is one that has revelation and wisdom that can mentor you to a higher level of ministry. He can take you where you haven't been. He can teach you things you don't yet know. He has maturity far beyond some young
"whipper snapper." There is nothing wrong with being young in the Lord or
developing in ministry, but when we are at that stage we need to admit and find a spiritual father who can mentor us and counsel us and help us make wise choices. We can learn through mistakes or we can learn through mentorship. I choose the latter. I went through the school of "hard knocks" enough when I was in the world. A spiritual son/daughter needs the wisdom, guidance, counsel and anointing that comes from a spiritual father.

The Apostle Paul said, "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten
you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. (I Cor 4:15, 16).

Facts you need to know about Spiritual Fathers:

1.Spiritual Fathers are excellent examples.

They are examples of integrity, perseverance, faith and longevity. They are the kind of men that can say, "Imitate me" Do what I do. Fight like I fight. Preach like I preach. Persevere like I have persevered. Walk in the same integrity I walk in. They live lives beyond reproach. They are stalwart examples of faithful service, integrity and perseverance. No matter what kind of attack comes against them they just "take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. "They know how to stand. They don't respond to people pleasing or fads in order to draw crowds. They are more focused on pleasing Jesus than pleasing man. They are more concerned about their eternal rewards than their temporal rewards.

2.Spiritual Fathers have wisdom and maturity.

The Apostle Paul made the statement that though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, He was using the Greek Word, boy-leader, i.e. a servant whose office it was to take the children to school; (by implication
[figurative] a tutor [“pædagogue”]) :- instructor, schoolmaster.


*Schoolmasters can teach you about the Lord. But spiritual fathers know
the Lord.

*Teachers can give a good sermon, but spiritual fathers have been living the
sermon for years.

*There are many instructors who can impart knowledge but spiritual fathers impart wisdom.

*The school master may teach, but a spiritual father trains. Training is the oversight to make sure that what is taught is caught and developed.

*Instructors come and instructors go, but a spiritual father will never sever ties with a true son.

*Instructors are concerned about your knowledge, but fathers are concerned about your character.

3.Spiritual Fathers have an anointing to reproduce themselves.

*Just as mature adults can reproduce, mature ministers reproduce. 

*You cannot impart what you don't have.

*You cannot take people where you haven't been.

*You cannot reproduce what you are not. Every leader has an anointing. Every
leader has a spiritual DNA. Every leader has a focus and a calling. A person who has never planted a church is not the covering you want if you plan to
plant churches. A person who doesn't move and flow in the gifts of the spirit is not the one you want to sit under if you want to be used in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

*Spiritual fathers can mentor you into ministry.

*Spiritual fathers can impart a higher level of wisdom, and anointing to those
already in ministry.

4.The Father-Son relationship is divinely chosen.

The Holy Spirit orchestrates these divine relationships. Elijah was divinely led to throw his mantle on Elisha. Elisha had to respond and stick with Elijah in
order to receive his spiritual inheritance. Paul was divinely guided to select
Timothy to be his traveling companion and spiritual protégé. And Jesus was led by the Father to select the twelve men who would be his disciples. Both the spiritual father and the spiritual son will know by the Holy Spirit when the
relationship is of God.

5.The Father-Son relationship requires integrity.

It requires a devotion to integrity in relationships to qualify for this revelation. Some "wanna be" sons want the blessings and benefits of being a
spiritual son without the responsibility. A Spiritual Son must be willing to carry the mantle of his spiritual father. A spiritual son really cares about the work
the Lord has his spiritual dad doing. He wants to help the father fulfill the vision and take it to a higher level of excellence and influence. Spiritual sons bring increase.

There is a big difference between a true son and one who is only a son in pretense. I have had both.

6.Some truths about True Sons:

*True sons want what's in the spiritual father's heart. False sons just want what's in the spiritual father's hand.

In other words true sons want the spiritual wisdom the father has to share that can enhance their ministry and catapult them into a greater anointing and effectiveness for Jesus Christ. False sons just want money or the "connections" the spiritual father has.

*True sons will never sever ties with their spiritual fathers. False sons sever ties after they are through using the spiritual father. The true son continues to learn and grow through their spiritual father's ministry and receive their spiritual father's counsel even if they are sent out to plant another church in another city or country or do missions work. I stayed true to my first spiritual father and pastor from the time the Lord gave him to me until he went home to be with Jesus. 

*True sons enhance their father's ministry. False sons drain the spiritual father's ministry.

*True sons are teachable and correctable. False sons bow their necks at correction and often leave or sow discord when corrected.

*True sons can be trusted to carry out instructions even when their spiritual father is absent. False sons do their own thing when the spiritual father is not looking.

*True sons honor their spiritual fathers. False sons disrespect the spiritual father.

I hope this message has blessed you. I could write much more on this subject and will someday.

May Christ's blessings abound to you,

Bishop Darrell Ellis
Anointed Word International Fellowship

Colossians 4:2  Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, Perhaps the greatest sin in the body of Christ is prayerlessness. A prayerless church is a powerless church. It is a shame that most Christians don't pray even 15 minutes a day especially in light of the fact that we all have a prayer ministry. None are exempt. In fact I believe that every believer is called to be an intercessor. The apostle Paul doesn't make a distinction here between those with an "Intercessory prayer" ministry and common ordinary saints. No, that's because all saints are called to intercessory prayer. Now where does the Bible talk about the "gift of intercession" Actually, the Holy Spirit Himself, is the intercessor on earth and Jesus is the intercessor in heaven. Every truly born again believer has the Holy Spirit living and abiding in them and is therefore called to let Him intercede through them.  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  (Romans 8:26)

What is intercessory prayer? It is praying diligently for others. It is a Holy Spirit guided, petition to the Judge of the universe for help on behalf of someone else.

I. Why Prayer?
 
1. Prayer is the most effective thing you can do.

Effective prayer is communion with the Lord Himself. Let's face it.  Most situations in life are beyond our control or ability. We need the Lord's help. The effective and fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Faith is built when we are placed in impossible situations that require us to totally trust God in order to survive. Communion with the Lord is what keeps us in faith. Faith is in the Spirit. True heartfelt prayer will keep you in faith. Many years ago, we had a lady in our church that was battling cancer. We'll call her Betty for sake of anonymity. We stood with Betty in prayer until the cancer went into remission.  Then six months later she seemed to be slipping into doubt and fear and began believing that the cancer would come back. She had not been praying much. Her excuse was she had so much to do with caring for her children. The cancer did come back. We counseled her and got her praying more and back in faith. We also battled diligently and the cancer went back into remission in about six months. Then she slacked off on her prayer. She got back into fear and doubt and began to believe that the cancer would come back. The cancer came back a third time. I went to the hospital to visit her. She was watching soap operas. I told her if she was going to beat this she needed to turn off the T.V. and pray and get into the Word. We had been "praying our guts out" for this woman and she was watching soap operas. She was in such a state that her kidneys stopped functioning and the doctors said she was going to die. We and the church interceded diligently and she recovered and got out of the hospital. Still she would not pray diligently and continued to have episodes of fear that the cancer would kill her. The day she decided to stop fighting she wrote us a letter and said she was tire of fighting and she just wanted to go home. That same day, she took a turn for the worse and had to be taken to the hospital.  Betty went home to be with the Lord that day. Prayer is so important. Lack of prayer can literally kill us. 

2.  Prayer is the doorway to divine guidance. 

In Acts 9:1-12, immediately following his heavenly encounter with our Lord Jesus on the Damascus road, Saul (later to be called Paul) started praying for direction. When he was knocked down by the power of God and spoken to by the Lord, his first question was, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" How many
Christians do you know today that have really never seriously asked the Lord that question. They ask the Lord to do what they want rather than asking the Lord to reveal His will for their lives.

Paul receives step by step instruction in this chapter. If we would surrender to the Lord and ask Him what He wants we would receive His direction. 

When I was a young Christian I was seeking the Lord to know His will for my life and He spoke to me by His Spirit and said, "Sell everything and become mobile" So, I told my wife, "The Lord has told me that we are to sell everything and become mobile. That was all the direction he gave me. Needless to say, she was not immediately excited about the idea. In fact, I think she thought I had gone off the deep end. We had just finished building our new Log Home on 11 acres in a beautiful little valley in Oregon.  Everything was paid for. I had an electrical contracting business. Pam had her own hair salon. We were pretty well set,  financially.

Although she was not too excited about the idea, she reluctantly agreed, and we put our house up for sale. We only put one two week ad in the L.A. times. We didn’t list it with a realtor. We didn't put a for sale by owner sign out. We didn't even tell our neighbors we were going to sell the house. Our area of Oregon was in a terrible economic downturn at that time. One realtor said that only 2% of the houses listed were selling in each month. The odds of our house selling were not good she said. Only one person called about our house from that L.A times ad. This man, who lived in Southern California asked some questions about the place and said, "This sounds exactly like what I'm looking for." The Lord  spoke to me again and said, "that man is going to buy your house." I told Pam and she said, "Are you sure you heard God." I said, "yes, I'm sure." The man came to look at the house about three weeks later. He vacillated back and forth between our house and this other one. He went back to California . I continued to stand on the Word the Lord gave me. Then in a few weeks after he went back home he called me. He asked me how much do you owe on the house?" I said, "nothing, its free and clear." He said, that's the way I like to do business. I'll pay you cash for your place and he did. I found out that God is in the real estate business. Actually he owns the whole earth.

Throughout the entire home sale ordeal, I was praying diligently. Step by step the Lord led us to Bible College at Christ for the Nations institute in Dallas , Texas to attend Bible College . Our ministry was launched with prayer. It is sustained by prayer and it will continue only with prayer. 

I''ll write more on prayer next week. For now, I want to encourage you to pray daily and pray diligently.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,  that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). 

Prayer works. It works when nothing else will. Start your prayer life today. 

Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?  41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mt. 26:40,41)." 

Set aside an hour or more daily to seek the Lord in fervent prayer.  If you have never prayed before start with even 30 minutes a day.  After you establish a habit of daily prayer, increase your prayer time 15 minutes.  Then after you are praying for 45 minutes a day for six weeks, increase 15 more minutes.  Now, your praying one hour.  You can increase it more and more as the years go by.  In fact you'll get to the point where you'll pray continually. 

Continue Earnestly In Prayer, Part II

Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains…" 

Genesis chapter one, verses twenty-six to twenty-eight says that God gave man dominion over planet earth. Man was called to rule over the planet and everything in it, including Satan, disguised in Genesis 3 as the "serpent." The reason Satan used the serpent because the serpent was at that time a crafty animal. Satan had no physical body and he needed a body to use to speak through. Before the fall, Satan did not have a human body he could inhabit. Mankind (Adam and Eve) were walking with God and Satan had no place in them. So also when we walk with God totally, Satan has no place in us.

When mankind (Eve first then Adam followed) listened to Satan and obeyed his word in the garden, mankind gave his dominion of the earth to Satan. At that point Satan became known as the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4). The way man takes dominion back is by repenting of sin, receiving Christ, and then going over Satan's head to the God of the Universe. This is done through prayer.
 
I  want to encourage you to continually pray. 
 
This is how we take back dominion. As you may know our nation is in a moral crisis. I say "moral crisis" because the root problem of America today is not the
economy, or the political situation, as dire as it may be, but the root problem of this nation is immorality.

We can trace the economic situation to sinful and greedy practices of mortgage bankers, corporate executives, and corrupt politicians. The political candidates we choose reflect the moral values of our society. The majority have become immoral. Even those who profess to be Christians, no longer stand for Biblical values. Many Christians do not adhere to sound doctrine.

Religious deception is everywhere. There are fewer churches that really preach the pure Word of God. 

The prophet Hosea said of his generation: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And there shall be, likepeople, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. 10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. 11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away (enslave) the heart  (Hosea 4:6-11 KJV). 

The leaders we elect are a reflection of the morality of the people. We have immoral leaders because the people want it that way. "Like people like priest."

It is not God's best that we have political leaders that sanction the murder of the unborn and embrace the homosexual lifestyle. That is man's will. God doesn't strip man of his free will, and make him a mindless robot. Some people think that everything that happens is "God's will."

They are deceived. God is not the author of evil - Satan is. 

Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. 

Here are some more good reasons to pray: (I gave you two the week before last – was out of town ministering this past week)

3.  The Kingdom of God is brought forth in your life. 

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers
violence, and the violent take it by force (Mt. 11:12).

This is why it is so vital that we pray, like we have never prayed before and pray continually. Your prayers cannot force others to do your will, but your prayers will accomplish a great deal. God will move on your behalf and the Kingdom of God is asserted. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman avails much. James 5: 16. 

4.  Prayer is the greatest privilege of the saint. 

Prayer gives us an audience with the God of the Universe. It connects us with heaven. It brings us into communion with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords our Lord Jesus Christ. What a great privilege. The world would consider it an honor to meet with the president, or prince Charles, but we have one far greater than some national dignitary. We need to appreciate the great honor it is to stand before the God of all creation. 

5.  Prayer is the master key to the impossible. 

Every miracle in the Bible was the result of Prayer. In each case someone had been in communion with God. The 10 plagues would never have been poured out on Egypt if the Israelites had not cried out to God for deliverance. The Red Sea would not have parted had Moses not been the strong man of prayer that he was. The walls of Jericho would never have fallen down without Joshua's prayer life being what it was. The apostle Paul could never have done the mighty miracles he did had he not prayed. 
 
I will write more on this important subject later. For now, I have to get to prayer myself.

Nothing is impossible with God when we pray diligently and fervently.

Continue Earnestly In Prayer III ( Col. 4:2)

Greetings once again; I hope you had a great Mother's Day. Prayer is the most neglected Christian Discipline, yet the most vital. The enemy opposes prayer more vehemently than any other activity of the believer. This is proof positive that it is the most effective thing you can do. Here is a brief review on the
reasons we need to pray as the Word admonishes us: 

1.Prayer is the most effective thing we can do.
2.Prayer is the doorway to divine guidance.
3.Prayer brings the kingdom of God into your life.
4.Prayer is the greatest privilege of the saint.
5.Prayer is the master key to the impossible.

Now let's move on in our study of prayer.

6.  Prayer provides us access to the throne of Grace. 

We definitely need grace. Grace is not only God's unmerited favor, but His divine enablement. Grace is the Lord's help in time of need.

Heb. 4:16 states: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Prayer is how we boldly access that grace. Unfortunately many people only pray when they need help, and usually as a "last resort." If we have revelation of our need for continual revelation, divine guidance, and wisdom, we'll pray all the time.

Now when the Children of Israel complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched" (Numbers 11:1,2).

The moral of the story is, don't make the Lord angry at you. If you do, call an intercessor. Intercession saved the lives of many in Israel that day. Moses often prayed on behalf of Israel and stopped the hand of God. 
 
7.  Prayer keeps you from temptation. 
 
Our Lord Jesus said, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak" (Mt. 26:41). 

After almost 22 years as a Sr. Pastor, and counseling hundreds of people, I can assure you, only those who pray diligently and daily ever get the victory in their area of weakness. Prayerless people are powerless people. Those who don't pray will not have the Spiritual fruit of self control necessary to resist the repeated temptations of the enemy. When someone drops their guard against the enemy, through a lax prayer life, it is only a matter of time until they fall back into the same old sins.

8.  Prayer inspires confidence.

When a wife sees her husband praying it builds her confidence in her husband's leadership in the home. When a church knows they have a praying pastor, they are more secure in his leadership. Even the ungodly respect a praying church more than one that doesn't. 

9.  Prayer draws the attention of heaven.

In Acts 9:11, The Lord spoke to Ananias and told him to go seek out the Apostle Peter. The reason the reason the Lord spoke to Ananias is because Peter was praying. The Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold he is praying (Acts 9:11 God's wake up call). Prayer gets God's attention. The prayers and Alms of Cornelius ascended up to heaven and moved God to send Peter to preach to the gentiles ( Acts 10:4).

When we pray God moves and answers our prayers. There is no greater force in the universe than prayers offered unto God in faith. Prayer can change the destiny of a nation, city, or family. It can bring forth the impossible. 

I trust you have been blessed with this teaching. I want to encourage you fresh and anew to pray and believe. Your prayers do have power. 
 
In Christ

Bishop Darrell Ellis
Anointed Word International Fellowship