Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

The Body of Christ Pt.6

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms! Where would we be today without our mothers? Amen? We wouldn't be, that's the thing. We thank God for all of the moms and the commitment there is to raising up a holy seed. What higher calling could there be in this day than to raise up another generation in preparing lives for the coming of the Lord? You know, there's been the movement in the years past; moms want to go out and express themselves in the marketplace and all of these different things to have a full, meaningful life. That's all fine if it doesn't take away from the primary call on a mother's life, and that's making sure that these children are trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, with a role of submission to a godly husband and the infusion of that authority, that love, that grace into our children. Praise God! There is no greater calling than being able to serve in that way. What a privilege it is. We thank God for ladies who have sacrificed. We know that many of you have, from the world's perspective, sacrificed. From God's perspective you've obeyed and been humble and submissive in seeing the fruit of the spirit in that way and it is such a blessing, praise God.

Let's turn to Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. You might also pray, we have some problems going on in Africa with one of the pastors there who is trying to pull a Korah in the new church in Kwanjenga. Tony is in need of prayer right now as they're battling that spirit of Korah in that ministry. It's amazing the heart of man. You're talking seventy-five to one hundred people. What enters into the heart of men to bring destruction just for their own egos and their misunderstanding! We're going to talk about that a little bit today, about what their role is in the body of Christ. We're going to talk about those gifts, recognizing the gifts and giving the honor to whom honor is due. We'll be talking a little bit about that tonight as we look at the five fold ministry gifts and how they relate to the body of Christ.

As I woke up this morning the first thing that came to my mind--I woke up and I found a phrase going through my head so I jumped up and went to the computer and jotted down just a couple of words that were a blessing as I was thinking about Mother's Day and how it relates in my mind. I went back to Janet and the fruit, I think, ladies, you can produce if you can realize how it can go on for generations. Amen? When your work is done the ministry goes on. That's what the Body is all about. That's what it is. I wrote some words that just came to me quickly. I just want to share them with you. Some of you, I know, had mentioned that Janet was on your minds. She was like a mom to the fellowship. I might have trouble getting through this, so bear with me. (I have to get in my head and not my heart.)

 

I see your mom in you:

The way you care, the way you share,

I see your mom in you.

You give so freely, you love so deeply;

I see your mom in you.

Your loving hand, your smile, your touch;

I see your mom in you.

 

Your family at peace, you serve with joy;

I see your mom in you.

The kingdom is first, His glory, His name;

It's Jesus I see in you.

I love you, Sis;

You are now the best mom in the world.

What a privilege of finding our place in the body; laying our life down, voluntarily coming into that role of subordinating ourselves regardless of talent, of gifts to serve. As we're talking about in this Mother's Day the gifts--ladies, never shy away from or resent the subordinate role, that role of the weaker vessel, because the Scripture says it receives a greater honor. I just want to encourage you moms and cause you to see it's a great and high calling to serve in the role that you've been placed in.

1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 we'll be looking at, we said, finding what our place is in the Body of Christ. We were talking a little bit Wednesday night in the panel about the comely versus the uncomely parts of 1 Corinthians 12. We were talking about the awareness of chapter 12, verse18, that God has set members as it has pleased Him.

We said in the study the number one thing that we have to come to grips with is that our preferences, our perception of ourselves, Romans 12:3, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." It's nothing that's innate within us it's the gift of God. It's the glory of God alone that's being sought, but think soberly and discreetly. God is the source of every talent that we have. God is the source of our strength. He's the object of our worship. He's the reason that we live. So when we begin to see how all of that works our placement in the body, then, is for the edification of the whole and not for the satisfaction of the individual. So many of us want to emphasize what brings us the gratification, the satisfaction, the greatest fulfillment and the Scripture says, "God has set us in the body, (verse 18) as it pleased Him." Then he talks about the diversity aspect and he says, "And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you" (verses 19-21). You can't say to any other member in the body "I have no need of you. Jesus is sufficient. I can get along with just the Lord. I don't need the body ministry." The moment that enters the mind you are no longer receiving nurture from the Head. It would never be the spirit of God that would ever cause you to think you can stand alone. So, as we begin to see, we cannot discriminate and say, "I don't have need of that type of ministry." We've talked about different ministries that emphasize different calls. There are churches that we'll see like ourselves. We emphasize discipleship, we emphasize holiness, we emphasize the commitment to faithful men, but at the same time we're responsible in the areas of evangelism. We realize that we're not isolated. We realize that we are part of a greater whole even though we have not fallen into the fallacy of the ecumenical type approach. We do not quickly fellowship with others who just happen to name the name of Jesus, but at the same time there isn't exclusiveness. There's not an isolation mentality, but there is a consecration or a holiness that causes us to be set apart based upon doctrine and based upon obedience. We don't say to the rest of the Body, "We have no need of you." We are very much in need of others who may emphasize other parts of the kingdom ministry. Don't ever think that as an individual or as a fellowship we stand alone. We cannot say to any other part of the Body we have no need of you. We're mutually dependant. The whole body is and we're to seek other parts of the body that can speak into our life and bring edification. We don't have a corner on the market in revelation.

We don't know--as we sat the other day what a blessing it was--we sat back the other day. We have some videos by Dwight Pentecost the author of the book, Things to Come. You probably have not read it. If you have it you probably haven't read it. Reading that is like sitting down for light reading and reading Edersheim's, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. How many of you have that book? Yeah. How many of you have read it? These are books that not many people have read. They're study books and they're very edifying, but I have read Things to Come a couple of times. I have not read all the way through The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, though I've studied the different aspects of it. Here are men that are fundamentalists, non-spirit-filled individuals who would not agree with our doctrine. They think that we're in error as it pertains to the baptism in the Holy Spirit and yet to be able to sit down and be edified by their teachings and to study their writings and be built up. We have need of those that even have limited understanding of the full doctrine of Christ. Mutually dependent as we humble ourselves and we approach our relationship to others in that particular light it enables us to be built up into the full stature of Jesus that Ephesians speaks of. So we can never say, "I have no need of you." "Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary" (verse 22). Now, I'm not going to get into a prolonged statement on that because we talked about it on Wednesday night. There's been confusion over this over the years. The feeble members that we are so dependant upon, we think those that are less honorable we bestow more abundant honor on. We talked about the need of maturity in the members of the Body of Christ. How we need every member in its place and how we bestow honor upon them and that they take time and there's training that's going forth. That's the ministry that we'll talk about tonight of the five-fold ministry gifts who have been set to perfect the saints to do the work of the ministry; the abundant honor, all of the time that's spent in the training and the sending forth and administrating the daily care of the Body. It's necessary that every member is prepared and every member is monitored so that the doctrine remains pure in our midst. We recognize the need of each one of these members and we can never say, "There's no need of your gift or your call," but in fact, verse 24, God is tempering the body together.

A very interesting statement is made over in Colossians. Keep your finger here for just a moment. It's a powerful comment that the Spirit of God makes in Colossians 2, down in verse 19. Remember, Paul's dealing here with the fact that people want to go back into the judaizer mentality. They feel that their maturity and their spirituality are going to be observed in their legalism, in their asceticism. Paul's writing by the spirit and he says, "Don't let anybody beguile you." "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind" (verse 18). In other words, don't glory in your works, don't glory in your asceticism, and don't glory in your legalism, but glory rather in this, Paul says. The people that are doing that, the works mentality, legalism, holy days, Sabbaths, new moons, abstaining from meats which are to be received in thanksgiving, all of those things that people put merit in, he said that robs the glory of the Head. He said, "You want God glorified? It's not in your personal perspective of holiness, but it's rather in this those people do not honor, verse 19, or obey the Head." Watch. The Head. They don't look to the Head, they look to their works, they look to legalism. "And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment..." Their nourishment is ministered to them how? By the joints and the bands, that which they're united with; that which the Head has placed them in touch with, that has made them dependent upon. You're not dependent upon your own works, your own view of righteousness, legalism. What you are dependent upon is the relationships that the Head has put in your life, is what Paul is saying here. I'll read it again. "And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, [I love this phrase. Look at it! Increased. All of this stuff is increased. Say it with me.] increaseth with the increase of God." Now the increase of God is not you and God. The increase of God is the Head being experienced through the Body, the will of God, the expression of God, the anointing of God, the power of God, and the gifts of God through the body, the increase of God in our midst through the Body, the glory of God through the Body. How? By the joints and the bands by which we receive nourishment. "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances" (verse 20). In other words he says, "Don't go back to the world's standards. You were dead in Christ from before the foundations." This body, this purpose was formed. Man has come up with this other criteria. Man has come up with these other standards, but God has established an eternal, spiritual way, and it's the exact opposite of what natural man would pursue and put his trust in. I mentioned it in men's breakfast, I'll say it again: It takes faith to believe that perfection can come to us through imperfect vessels, absolute confidence in the Head. How can perfection come? You want to know how? The Scripture says it this way, Paul says, "The glory of God is in earthen vessels." Amen? So when a brother or sister is ministering to you it's the love of God. It's the anointing of God. If what they're speaking to you is the Word of God then it is the Spirit of God, it is the ministry of the Head, Jesus Christ, and we have to receive it as such.

So back to 1 Corinthians 12; as he's speaking here he says, "...but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; [no gaps, no break in the body] but that the members should have the same care one for another." Now, we're talking about how do I identify my gift. How do I identify where I am placed in the body of Christ? It's very simple. Identify a need and ask the question, "Can I meet that need?" The fact that it has been revealed to you and you've been gifted to affect it to edification is the call to do something about it. Is the measure of faith given to edify the body at that moment? Who has God brought into your life that you can see needs and you have the wherewithal to meet it? "Yeah, but you see, I really feel what I've been called to do is to sing. I feel that I've been given this outstanding voice and it's a gift from God." What is it that makes you think others have to hear that voice for it to be a gift from God? Maybe it's just to be used to sing to the Lord. Maybe what the rest of us need to see is someone who has a beautiful voice being content cleaning the bathrooms, performing obscure ministry to the body of Christ in caring for those among us that are hurting, cleaning someone else's home, volunteering time in the Discipleship Training. We misdirect what we perceive to be gifts because we think that somehow there has to be personal fulfillment in ministry. What you'll find most of the time is, it's sacrifice, not fulfillment. It's work, not fun. It's the laying down of our lives in 1 Corinthians 13 where he speaks to us and says, following the twelfth chapter, "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (verse 31). Is the act that you're involved in the expression of the love of God? You see, even the heathen love natural friends and family and those who have blessed them the Lord says; but to be able to love the unlovely, to be able to sacrifice and to lay our lives down for the unworthy is the expression of the measure of faith, the gift of God working in us the same way He loved us in our unloveliness. While we were sinners He died for us. I show you the more excellent way. Now that's in light of the fact that He says, "I want no schism." You're to have the same care one of another, verse 25.

So we ask ourselves, then, what am I called to? What is my gift? Your gift is to make sure there is no schism in the body of Christ, that every gap is filled, every need is met, that every member is cared for. Do not--you're going to miss God if you're looking for a specific gift that you can identify and say, "This is who I am, this is my gift to the body of Christ." Nowhere, nowhere in the Scriptures, are the gifts isolated that way. In every one of us there is the capacity to bring forth the multiple gifts necessary to minister to the body of Christ. You see that as you go over into chapter 14 when he talks about the gifts of the spirit. Now, this is different than our gifts of care for the body, but when he talks about this he talks about the diversities of the gifts but the same spirit. He talks about each one of us being given by the Spirit the capacity to prophesy, to speak in tongues, to interpret, to work miracles, to work the gifts of healings so that the body can be edified. What am I saying? Let me put it in a nutshell. You're the gift. You're the gift, not the talent that operates through you. Each one of us becomes the gift to the body as we fulfill this ministry of love, of edification, of care, of mending schisms in the body of Christ. All of the other talents that we might make reference to are just momentary graces, gifts for specific purposes. God will invest in you a talent that might be only used one time, one place, for one person, for eternity. Many of us try to replicate the visitations of God on our life to meet a need and thinking that's something that we can orchestrate whenever we feel like it. You can't prophesy when you feel like it. You can't work a miracle when you feel like it. You can't sing a song to the glory of God when you feel like it. You may have the best voice in the world but you're singing in your own strength until God has called you, placed you, and there's a purpose for your ministry. If you use it for anything else you might as well get involved in Hosanna and sing for the money. All of these "ministries" that are out there are about bucks; it's not about ministry. If it was about ministry and not bucks, guess what, they wouldn't copyright. "God gave me this song." Then why aren't you giving it? Amen? I believe that. I feel very strongly about that. That's why I don't go to concerts. You know, these concerts people have and they charge you to come in? If they can't live by faith, if they can't believe they can live off an offering, if this thing isn't free, then I'm not going if they call it ministry. If they call it "Hootenanny Night" or whatever and they invite you down and they just entertain you, I'll go to something like that, but don't call it ministry and not give it away, because it was given to you! Amen? Freely you have received, freely give.

We say these are gifts of God, talents that God has given us, a song that God has given me, a message that God has given me and then we take credit for it. We want to control it. The spirit behind it--we're getting ready to print a couple more books for Africa and different things, and we put a price on them and try and recover some of the expense if we can in these different areas, but can you imagine? And this is being done like in that music world that we were talking about. Can you imagine that somebody takes one of those books, somebody takes "Adam's Rib" and reproduces it; not for sale, but just reproduces it for distribution, they give it all over Africa or Asia and people's lives are being touched and people are getting saved and we sue them? I don't blame the guy if we were getting a Hosanna tape and we were to start reproducing it and selling for less than they are. I could understand getting upset about that because the law is for whom? The lawless. But what about ministry, what about people that are just ministering to other people that free gift that you were given? It's the spirit that we're talking about. We have to approach things in that same light. We can never claim anything as our own. What we have we've received from God that there be no schism, that we have the same care one for another. The emptying of ourselves that Paul is speaking of here is so vital.

The attitude, then, once we're moving in that spirit we can move into verse 26 with this attitude, "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it..." We're touched with the feelings of one another's infirmities. There's never a lack in our midst that's not met. "Oh, brother, I sympathize with you. Be warmed and filled, praise God." We have the wherewithal to meet that need. "How can we say that we love God whom we have not seen when we cannot love our brothers in His image whom we have seen," is what John says in the first epistle (verse 20). See, you don't love Jesus any more than you love the brethren. You don't love Jesus any more than you love your wife. You don't love Jesus any more than you submit to your husbands. You don't love Jesus any more than you obey your parents. You don't love Jesus any more than you bring sound doctrine to the flock. What is it that God and where has God placed you to edify the body? As we're looking at these particular responsibilities that God has given us, and that's what we're talking about, responsibilities, the call to affect the community. When one member suffers we all suffer, and so we corporately come together to meet that need. Now the needs aren't always met in the way that that member may think that they should be met. If it's a suffering based upon just the fact that we're living in a sin-dominated system; they're suffering physically, some type of a disease; we all suffer, we all pray, we believe God. There are times when we might go to special prayer, have times of fasting. If there's a disaster where material things are lost we all hurt and we all suffer. We come and rally to that need so that those of us that have abundance are able to bless those that don't, as we see the church in Jerusalem being ministered to from Macedonia. The same care one of another. We all suffer. You say, "Hey, man that's tough what they're going through there in Judea, but praise God, those of us in Macedonia the Lord has blessed. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Be warmed and filled." No. The reason God has given us abundance is to meet those needs.

I'm not going to get off on it in detail right now, but the care of the body also has to do with the orchestration of the Head and He's even limited ways that we can "minister" to the body. Some of us miss that and that's why there are other gifts that have been placed in the five-fold ministry gifts that we'll be talking about tonight. The authority of the church that says, "Hey, everybody who's a widow isn't able to be called in and ministered to and cared for by the flock, but those that are widows indeed." Amen? There are standards that have to be met before the whole community rallies around them. Need, in and of itself, doesn't orchestrate it. It's whether the need is legitimate. The meaning of the need is not for the care of the individual alone but for the glory of God. If the need is met and God isn't glorified, it wasn't administrated by the Head. The focus isn't on the members. The focus is on the body, and the glory goes to whom? The Head.

Now why are we taking so much time to emphasize this, this morning? Because of the strong influence of humanism that we're living in. Don't mistake these principles that I'm talking about. It's not about just making sure that everybody is taken care of. The world does that. It's taking care of people by the power of God for the glory of God. That's the body ministry that we're talking about. Even the world has their little systems. Mormonism has its systems. Ethnic groups have their care one of another. What makes us distinct is the source, God, the purpose, the glory of God. As we look and see, then, that when one member suffers we all suffer, we're suffering because we are one with them. We are feeling their infirmity. Listen. We're not feeling it because we're attached to them. We're feeling it because the Head is causing us to feel it through them, through our attachment. It doesn't come just because there's a need, it comes because the Head is touched with the need and then the impulse of the love of God is transferred to us for the edification of the body of Christ. So when one suffers we all suffer. How do I know then if this gift that I have, talent, or call, or placement is of God? Do you only feel for certain needs? Do you have a circle that you operate in and that's all? Is your compassion limited to your natural, intimate relationships or are you open to the impulse of love to the whole body of Christ equally? Even those that you are not intimate with, that you know, because if that's what it's limited to you're no different than the Gentiles. They'll happily care for people that have cared for them. We're looking for this body ministry, then, to be supernatural. It's not naturally motivated; it's supernaturally motivated.

He goes on to say then when one suffers we all suffer, and then the Scripture says, "or one member be honoured, all the members [what?] rejoice with it." Can you rejoice when others around us are being honored, they're being blessed; you're not getting the attention? Is this call of God? Is this gift of God? Are you jealous for it? Do you get jealous when somebody else outshines your gift? When your gift is overlooked and another's is used in its place do you get jealous? Then it's not God's. Can you rejoice when others among us who may be more feeble, more carnal--"how come they're getting that attention? I'm the good kid and I don't seem to get that attention." That's the older brother's heart in the prodigal son. "I've served you all of these years." The father says, "Yes you have, but I would prefer that you love me rather than serve me. I prefer that you understand our relationship." Even though the younger son was carnal and overcome in his flesh he understood the relationship. The other son was receiving his glory through that Colossians principle that we talked about earlier, through keeping rules and through performance and he didn't really love or receive love from the father. Can you rejoice when other members among us are honored and exalted? That's what shows whether we're in the body, whether we're being a gift to the mutual edification. When other people get blessed I've always--it's an exciting thing when other people are blessed. I love to--do you know how many young ladies in the fellowship here as they've gotten blessed or wives on their tenth anniversary or whatever God blessed? Their husbands have blessed them or given them a bigger diamond or others get engaged and they'll come up and show us and, "Let's see your ring," and we'll look and say, "Oh, praise God" and you're just excited. I mean genuinely excited and rejoice with them. It's not a thing of, "Oh, you're so blessed. Look what I have. That's pretty...look!" Not many of you are wearing a three-carat solitaire. Some of you might have a little larger diamond than this. Do you always have to show what you have and emphasize what you have? "Oh, that's nice...look!" They're the focal point. They're the ones that have gotten blessed. It's about them! It's not about you in how gifted you are and how blessed you are. Can you rejoice when those around you are honored? Can you focus on other people? Or do you always have to be one-upmanship? Do you always have to be the center of attention? That's how you know whether you're a gift to the body of Christ or not, when you're able to truly rejoice when the spotlight is on somebody else.

This servant's heart, the ability to empty ourselves out for the good of the community, coveting earnestly the best gifts. We shared with you as we started this. What is the best gift? The gift that meets the immediate need, that's the best gift. When somebody needs healing, don't prophesy over them. Lay your hands on them and pray the prayer of faith. Amen? We realize, then, that it's whatever meets the need. We're to seek the gifts. When you speak in tongues, pray that you might what? Interpret. Why? That the body might be edified. What are you doing in your prayer life to pray, "Lord where can You use me? Where can I be used?" You see, we misunderstand when the gifts come. We think that's it, and I'll say it again, it's something that's permanent, it stays with me. God may only give you one song that'll edify the body of Christ for your whole life. We get one hit and write an album. Maybe once you had your hit song your next ministry could be nursery and after your great hit the real need now is dirty diapers. The "we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed" ministry of the nursery.

Chris Ashley just gave me a birthday card that had to do with being old. I'm going to save it for him. It was a play on different songs; "Blessed Insurance." I was trying to remember what some of these were. I was going to bring the card but it was--there were some great ones. "Just a Slower Walk with Thee." "Guide Me Great Jehovah, I forgot where I parked the car." "It's Well with My Soul, but my back is killing me." Anyway, a number of the top ten hits for old people. I needed that ministry.

The talent, the opportunity to minister; we focus on the gift or the talent and not the purpose. That's where we get into trouble in identifying our gifts. When we said the other day we're going to share with you what your gift is and how to find your place in the body, some of you went, "Praise God, I want to get a label on this thing." Now you're disappointed. We'd like to walk around with the label, "prophet." It's not nearly as impressive with the label, "prophesied once." The Body was edified, amen? That's what it's about. We find that placement of ourselves for the good of the Body and we covet earnestly the best gifts and he said, "I'll show you the more excellent way," verse 31. Then he gets into the motive being love and he says you know it doesn't matter. "Though you give your body to be burned, you bestow all your goods upon the poor, it profits you nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). The motivation is the expression of the love of God. There abides, verse 13 of 13, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

We see, then, that this body ministry is the method by which God has chosen to administrate His love to each one of us individually. Now the selfish man, the natural man, wants to be loved directly of the Head and it doesn't work that way. The natural man, the selfish man, wants the focus to be upon self and the spirit has to write these chapters 12-14 to get the emphasis off of self, onto the church, onto the body of Christ. We begin to pray and ask the Lord, "Help me to present my body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, the spiritual service. Not being conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of my mind, proving the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Let the focus be the body of Christ so that I'm not thinking of myself more highly than I ought to think. To humbly open myself to the needs of the Body and not dictate what I prefer but to say, 'Lord, wherever there's a need here am I send me,' and You will give me the measure of faith to affect the good of the Body."

Father, that's our heart's prayer. It's our desire to become one with You, to be touched with Your heart, to care that there would be no schism, to care that there would be no lack; to let our love to be without dissimulation; to become the greatest by being servant. It is, Father, our heart's desire in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord this morning.

We have the opportunity this morning to pray with German and Erin and Jeff and Jan as they bring their little blessings. It's an exciting time in being able to offer up our lives in the community. What we do here has become to many of us something that we've done a lot. We want to re-emphasize the fact that what we're doing here and what we say in these dedication services is fairly unique to our body. What we're doing, we're not just agreeing that parents are going to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We as a community are saying, "We, Father, are recognizing the offering up of this child in our midst to You to be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I will speak into that child's life. I will speak into those parent's lives. I commit to living a life before them that these kids some day can set their eyes on me and know that they can be followers of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises of God." That's a pretty awesome commitment isn't it? That's what we're doing here this morning. It's not just these parents going "Oh, praise God, they're committing themselves to teaching their children." No, we as a community are offering our lives up to see that these children are raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Kristen Renee Cornwell and German Isaac Rojas; little gifts given to these households. Yes, but more than that given to us as a community. These children don't belong to those parents, they belong to Jesus. They don't just belong to those parents they belong to this community as God has placed them in our midst. You're missing the point if you think your kids are yours. If you think you have to protect your children from the rest of us then you've missed the whole point of the body of Christ. You can't raise your kids alone. The secular world has picked up on that haven't they? They don't' know how to affect it because they're insane. Community is a biblical principle. The knowledge that a child can affect the whole is a biblical principle that's why parents kill them at the gates. Your children, left to themselves, can kill all of us. When we pray and offer these children up and you parents come and you offer these children up, that's what you're saying. You're saying, "Look, I'm not living to myself. I'm not saying these kids are mine. These children belong to the Lord and we're dedicating our lives to seeing them raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and that means not only to submitting of them but of ourselves to the oversight and care of the body of Christ." If you can't do that don't come, but if you mean it then we stand with you to offer these children up. Those of you who have dedicated your children in the past, if you don't want to live that way tell us. We'll mark you off the list and make it publicly known that you're standing alone. If you're not, then you expect the care of the whole body for the glory of God.

What an exciting time, praise God! Bring the babies and we want to pray. If the pastors will come, we want to lay hands on mom and dad and on the babies, and just rejoice in the opportunity to lift up German Isaac and Kristen Renee to the Lord and speak the peace of God on these households. Praise God. What a blessing to be part of the body of Christ, should Jesus tarry, to have a holy seed continue on another generation trained up in the nurture and admonition of Lord.

Let's pray together. Hallelujah, amen! Hallelujah! Oh, Jesus! Father, we just come and speak peace upon these children, the gift and the heritage of the Lord. They're not ours, Lord, they're Yours and we're stewards. You've entrusted these precious gifts into our hands. We look to You, Father. We don't know how to do it, but You give us the grace, You give us the faith. You, Father, give us the power to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and because of that we speak upon these children the blessings of the Lord in Jesus' name. Hallelujah! Father, on the parents, on these men we ask that they would be godly heads. That they would stand as Your representatives, Father, and that Your anointing would abide strong in them, Father, that they would love their children and love their wives. We pray for these women as they come to serve, Father, as the vessels that you've called them to be to love these children, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; to serve as helpmeets and to be examples that these children could look and know the love of God, as they've been loved. For that, Father, we're going to give You all the praise and all of the glory in Jesus' name, amen. Amen, praise God!

Exciting! Bring the babies up here and let's look at them, praise God! Amen! We don't ever want the people deprived of seeing the prettiest baby in our midst, and I'm not going to tell you which one it is. Look at this, praise God! Isn't that a blessing? Hallelujah! Oh, glory to God! I love--we're getting a few boys now! Hallelujah, good job! I like girls, though. Look at that sweetie. We are so blessed! We are so blessed to have entrusted into our hands the next generation that'll proclaim the glory of God and the goodness of the free gift, the unspeakable gift, the blood of Jesus Christ!

Father, again we just say, "Thank You," and we speak peace upon these, Your children, in Jesus' name, amen.

Be sure to greet the families before you go. Speak to the person next to you and say, "We're members one of another."

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