CampfireTALK: August 21st, 2014
CHURCH 
... her primary purpose!
Who can tell me the purpose of the church, and the ministry? 

I have to ask this because recently I have become aware that in many denominations we have turned our churches away from "teaching and raising up the saints for ministry" and into more or less a "service center", or a "ministry of helps". 

Our mission trips and our retreats have become "work farms" where we take our youth and go out and build, and clean up, and work in the community.  While this is a worthy task, it is not at all the primary purpose of our churches!  Have we so quickly forgotten the command of Jesus? 

In Ephesians 4:11 Paul tells us of the 5-fold ministry offices and why they were put into place.  He says they are "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."  He goes on to tell us in verse 14 that we are to be "no more children" tossed to and fro by various teachings and doctrines, but we are to "grow up" into Him in all things! 

He teaches here that the Body of Christ (the Church) is to become fitly joined together, working well together.  He says we are to abandon the ways of the Gentiles (the non-Christians) and are to walk with a renewed spirit in the faith of God.  

We often think that because Jesus fed the hungry, and healed the sick, that this was why He was sent.  The fact is that healing the sick or feeding the hungry is a temporary fix, at best!  Jesus used these to meet the needs of the people so that He could "get their attention"!  If you heal a man, or feed him, or pay off his bills, YOU HAVE GOT HIS ATTENTION! 

Somewhere in the process, we have become so focused on the feeding and the healing and the caring for others that we forgot the whole purpose of those was to "get their attention" so that we can "teach them"!  In every event where you see Jesus healing the sick, He was also preaching and teaching to them!  And I assure you "THAT" was His primary goal!  For if you teach them and you get them saved, "they" can carry on the healing and the feeding and the caring for others ... so that they too can preach the word!

So, in your church plannings, and in your missions, don't get so focused on helping others that you forget your "primary purpose".  We, the "Church", are here to prepare the saints for the work of the ministry!  We are here to "preach the gospel ... to the World"!
IT'S AN AWESOME YEAR!
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CampfireTALK is our weekly e-newsletter, speaking life into your heart, with stories, a word from our affiliate ministries, and a devotion from pastor Rich.  It's a source for you to feed your spirit, to challenge your faith and to build you up! 


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WORD CHURCH Ministries
Word Church banner - the directors WORD CHURCH is a church, a ministry, and a fellowship, even an outreach, where like in the days of the Apostles and Acts, the people joined together! 

Our vision and our goal, is to bring churches together in the unity of the faith, to help them to begin to bring together the gifts and talents of each separate church, and to share those gifts and talents with each other, that we may be better and more effective in teaching and training the Body of Christ, for the word of the ministry, to tell the World about Jesus!    .... Learn More


DEVOTION
KINDNESS & CONSIDERATION

A man in his 50's, having felt the pain of a difficult job search, and finding nothing, decided that he was going to ask around the area and in his neighborhood, to see if there were any odd jobs that he could do for money.  One big home in his neighborhood produced an answer at the door.  Upon asking if there was anything his neighbor might have that needed to be done, the neighbor handed him a paint bucket and told him that he'd give him $50 bucks of he would paint his porch.  The man agreed, and went off to tell his wife.  He was so grateful that he did not at first consider the size of his neighbors porch, or the work that would be involved.  He was just "thankful" to have ANY work. 

When he told his wife what he had found, she reminded him that his neighbors porch was about the size of half of their house!  It was a very, very large porch!  At that moment, the neighbor realized that his neighbor had taken unfair advantage of his misfortune.  After some consideration, he decided he needed to "paint the porch" as the neighbor had requested. 

Upon finishing, he knocked on the front door of the neighbors home and handed the neighbor the empty bucket of paint, telling him he was through and had completed the task.  As the neighbor was deeply engrossed in what he was readying, he handed the man the $50 dollars he had promised.  Just before closing the front door, he asked the man (surprised at how quickly he was done) if he had any problems.  The man replied, "Not really.  There were a few tricky parts but overall it was easy."  Turning to leave the man paused and turned back to the neighbor who had been so uncaring and taken advantage of his needy situation, and he said in passing before he left, "Oh, by the way ... I think it's a Ferrari, not a Porsche". 



The next time you see your neighbor in need, or hurting, stretch out your hand to them.  Consider what it would be like, were you in their shoes, and dealing with the very same scenario.  You never know when your "lack of compassion" might come back at you in a way you would least expect it. 

Remember the parables ... reach out to your neighbors.  Make the effort.  When you say you're going to pray ... actually "pray", right then - not later!  You will forget.  NOW FAITH IS!   They need your prayers "right now", not later. 


Make me proud!
-pastor rich-  


Get ON-TRACK with HIS Plan ...
1.  Be holy - the Bible calls us a "Holy Temple", where the Spirit of GOD lives.  the Spirit of GOD lives in your heart!  And to keep it holy, we must confess our sin when we sin (1 John 1:9).  "
If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness."  In order to remain holy and clean, before GOD, we must avoid sin, and when we do sin, we must confess those sins before GOD, so that we can be made clean again.

2.  Study the Word - Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you continue in My word, then are you truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."  Folks, rare is the time you will ever see someone skip eating for the day, let alone days upon end.  But we do that all the time spiritually.  The Word of GOD is food for our spiritual bodies!  We need that spiritual food, for spiritual energy, and for the faith that we need ... to live the life that GOD has called us to live, here in the Earth.  When we study and meditate the Word of God, our spirit man grows strong, in much the same way as a battery is charged!  (Romans 10:17)  But when we do NOT study the Word, our spiritual battery begins to run down, and the natural man begins to surface.  We act more like our "old self" than like the renewed man that GOD created us to be.  In other words, the "flesh" wins out. 

3.  Pray in the Holy Spirit - Paul teaches us that we are to pray in the Holy Spirit.  "But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the spirit."  [Jude 1:20 - AMP]  Our supernatural energy, our faith, is charged and built up when we spend time in the presence of GOD, and when we "pray in the Holy Spirit".  We are told in Ephesians 6 to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS might", putting on the whole armor of GOD.  We cannot be strong if we do not spend time in GOD's presence, and in supernatural prayer! 

ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS: 
"This is YOUR day ... YOU control it, how it goes, how you deal with the obstacles that come, and how you finish it!   Master it!  And don't let the day, or the little bumps that come with it determine how "YOUR DAY" is going to be.
  This is "YOUR" day!
Master it!  Conquer it!  MAKE IT ... what your Father wants it to be!

-pastor rich-  



    

WORD CHURCH Ministries 
15612 Poynette Place, Austin TX 78717-5351  USA
 
 
Pastors: 
Rich Allcorn, sr. pastor    <[email protected]>     Skype:  richallcorn    
Jane Allcorn, co-pastor   <[email protected]>    Skype:  janeallcorn

Associate Pastors: 
Margarett Lunzmann     <[email protected]>   Skype:  margarettparker

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