All posts by AOCM

My name is Pastor Tony Catron I graduate from K.S.U. with a degree in electronic/electrical engineering. While doing that I became a Junior Deacon and also a musician in my dad's ministry in Cleveland, Ohio. Years later, my career took me to Michigan where I worked as a Electrical/Electronic Engineer. While in Michigan I became a Minister, then later went to Seminary training at Birmingham Bible Institute and became an Elder at a large Pentecostal church in Michigan called LLCC. I was called to the ministry by God. So I headed up an outreach ministry based on the End Times, dealing with restoration in people lives. Then my dad called me back to Ohio to help him Pastor his church. During that time, God changed my outreach ministry, turning it into a full-time restoration ministry. He gave me the name Ark of Covenant Ministries and the rest is history.
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Reaping an Unwanted Harvest

Galatians 5:25-26, 6:1-18

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

 

Galatians 5:7-8 Every man should bear his own burden.

If someone has a problem or burden and we take upon ourselves to listen to it or absorb it, then we will take on that process or that burden that individual is going through. When we do that, whatever results that individual gets from their burden, will also be given to you. When it says in the 8 verse, For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; If we allow ourselves to be affected by what someone says or acts or lives, then of those circumstances, we will reap the reward of those actions or circumstances, thereby reaping an unwanted harvest.

Galatians 6:7 God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. There is no question about it. If you allow yourself to be dragged into someones else’s mess, then their mess will be your mess. Whether family members, friends, working companions, business partners…we see it all the time. When people get together and start gossiping about someone else, whether it’s their marriage or living style, it usually winds up that they encounter the same thing in their own life and walk. Reaping from something that was not your business, will cause you to fail in God. The harvest that you received from someone else mess, you can’t deny it will be your mess; your harvest. So don’t get mad with God. The reaping that I’m saying is the reaping of sin.

If a brother or sister is going through growing pains of their Christian walk, we who are the Children of God should be more patient and understanding because we have been through. You can bear one another’s burden because you know what it takes to go through. Be there for them. But do not, do not take upon yourself, the sin burden of their walk.

We are not to judge the individual who is reaping the harvest from their mistake. It says in the book of Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

So often are we captivated by someone else’s misery that we tend to forget that anyone can be overtaken in a fault. So do not point your finger, do not criticize, do not ostracize those individuals who are reaping an unwanted harvest. Know this that where your treasure is there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21).

 

Don’t allow someone else’s bad crops to become your harvest. Don’t reap someone else’s mess.

 

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Thank God for the JOINT

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

 

How many of you remember when you use to run jump and climb bend and stretch? Sometimes your parents use to tell you don’t do that too much because Arthur (arthritis) is going to get you. You never really realize how much you needed your ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that make up your joints until you get older or they get damaged.

How many of you have been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, torn ligaments, tendonitis or even damaged cartilage?  It is because of these very joint related ailments, which have lead our bodies to its crippling demeanor.
Some of us can’t even walk the way we use to, others can’t even move their arms legs, elbows, fingers….etc. as we need.

A study was done by the CDC of the US in 2016, and their findings where these:

Improving the Quality of Life for People With Arthritis At A Glance 2016.

In the United States, 23% of all adults, or about 53 million people, have arthritis. It is a leading cause of disability.
The term arthritis refers to more than 100 diseases and conditions affecting the joints. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which affects more than 30 million US adults. Other forms of arthritis are gout, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of arthritis are pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in or around the joints. Some forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, can affect multiple organs and cause widespread symptoms.
Arthritis commonly occurs with other chronic diseases. About half of US adults with heart disease or diabetes and one-third of people who are obese also have arthritis. Having arthritis in addition to other chronic conditions can reduce quality of life and make disease management harder.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts research and supports programs for people with arthritis so they can work and do other daily activities, have less pain, manage their own care, and delay disability.

Public Health Problem Arthritis Limits the US Workforce
Almost two-thirds of US adults with arthritis are of working age (18-64 years). Arthritis can limit the type of work these men and women are able to do or keep them from working at all. In fact, 8 million working-age adults report that their ability to work is limited because of their arthritis.
The most common limitations that adults with arthritis report are difficulty climbing a flight of stairs or walking the equivalent of three city blocks. This means that adults with arthritis could have trouble walking from a parking deck or subway stop to their worksite.
The impact of arthritis on the productivity of US businesses will continue to grow as the percentage of people with this condition increases in the coming decades. By 2040, more than 78 million people (26% of the projected adult population) will have arthritis.

Many People Do Not Know How to Manage Symptoms
People with arthritis can reduce their symptoms in several ways, but many don’t know how. For example, people with arthritis can:
Join a self-management education program, such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, that teaches the skills and confidence to live well with arthritis every day.
Be physically active. Physical activity—such as walking, bicycling, and swimming—decreases pain and improves function, mood, and quality of life. People with arthritis should try to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. This activity can be done for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, or for as little as 10 minutes at a time. CDC-recommended physical activity programs—like Walk With Ease and EnhanceFitness—are community interventions that improve health for participants with arthritis.
Maintain a healthy weight and protect their joints.

People can reduce their risk of knee osteoarthritis by controlling their weight and avoiding types of activities that are more likely to cause joint injuries.

Talk with a doctor. Recommendations from health care providers can motivate people to be physically active and join a self-management education program. People with inflammatory arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, have a better quality of life if they are diagnosed early, receive treatment, and learn how to manage their condition.

❊ key> People of God we are literally falling apart naturally!

Let’s talk about your spiritual Arthritis with regard to ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that make up your joints for your spiritual body and the ministry you’re in or over.

Ephesians 4:14 -17 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind…

I would like to ask some questions?
1) How many of you are in a ministry?
2) How many of you have joined and committed yourself to that ministry?
3) How many of you have joined an auxiliary or office?
4) How many of you are active at that ministry?
5) And last, but not least, how many are not satisfied where you are in ministry?

The natural body is sick due to your joints not functioning right and being taken care of the right way. When a saint doesn’t know if they’re loved, and the work they do, is not appreciated, when you’re overworked in the ministry, used and abused, lied on, set up for failure, no place to grow, looked down upon, talked about at the ministry and you feel that your voice is not being heard; This is where saints become torn, damaged, pulled, scarred, overtaxed; Then the body is not jointly fitted together, you’re literally coming a loose at the seams and there are other factors that compound this state that contributes to this equation as well. Then there is no growth in the church or in saints, then what you have is a dysfunctional entity going nowhere fast. You must understand as humans we tend to replicate people like ourselves or congregate around people like us. In other words, there is a commonality that they share. Abused people are drawn to abused people or abusers. You’ve heard the old term “birds of a feather flock together?”

 

Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

There are three main joints in the natural body, the neck, the spine, and hips. There are three main spiritual joints that need to be restored in your spiritual body: your faith, your commitment, and your action! How can the Holy Ghost move in you when your faith has been damaged or your commitment has been lost?  How can the Holy Ghost use you when you don’t know when to go or how to go?

It’s ok just to be ok. You don’t have to be the super-saint or the super well know Pastor!

 

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

It’s time to become a functional joint again so that the body can function as Jesus planned from the beginning. Won’t you recommit your heart back in the ministry be the joint Jesus is looking for?

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What you See is not what You Get

The following is from an article entitled “The Catholic Church Admits They Made the Change,” from www.sabbathtruth.com.

Was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day of the week to the first day? Well, yes and no. Let’s deal with the “no” first.

God, “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17), does not change (Malachi 3:6). The Israelites received two laws from Moses: the law of Moses, that of ordinances and ceremonies; and the Law of God, embodied in the Ten Commandments, which is an expression of God’s character. If God does not change, neither will His Law. “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34). “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it” (Ecclesiastes 3:14). “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness” (Psalm 111:7, 8).

God gave His Law to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Amid thunder and lightning, a thick cloud covered the mountain, and a trumpet blasted. Smoke billowed up as from a furnace and the whole mountain shook as the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses led the Israelites out of their camp to meet with God, and every one of them trembled. Then God spoke (Exodus 19:16-19, 20:1). If this Law were to be changed, it would be reasonable to expect God Himself to announce it, and give reasons for its alteration, amid the same amount of ceremony. Yet there is no indication in Scripture of such an announcement.

What About the New Testament?

In the New Testament, the seventh day of the week is called the Sabbath; it is mentioned 58 times. The first day of the week is mentioned eight times. It is simply called the first day of the week, and it is always differentiated from the Sabbath. This in itself is evidence for the continued validity of the seventh-day Sabbath.

The gospel writers record Jesus and the apostles going to the synagogue on Sabbath as their “custom” (Luke 4:16 ). Jesus said, “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10). The women who went to anoint His body after his death “rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Nearly all of the incidents reported of the apostles’ preaching occurred on the seventh-day Sabbath. Of all the accusations the Jews made against the apostles, never once did they accuse the apostles of breaking the Sabbath.

Some teach that after Christ’s death and resurrection, the Old Testament law was done away with and a new covenant took its place. But Jesus Himself said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17, 18). The law of Moses, which foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice, was indeed made irrelevant, but Paul maintains that the Law of God is to be kept, though we now be under grace. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

How It Happened…

Yet for nearly 2,000 years now, millions of Christians have worshiped on Sunday. So was the Sabbath changed from the seventh to the first day of the week? Let’s look at the “yes” now.

“The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). Here Jesus staked His claim and forbade anyone to meddle with the Sabbath. Yet He knew there would be those who would claim the power to change God’s Law. Through Daniel he warned of just such a man. Describing a “little horn power” (Daniel 7:8), Daniel says, “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws” (Daniel 7:25). Paul made a similar prediction: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God, or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7).

Paul warned that this blasphemy was already at work, and that it would come not from an outside influence, but from within the church (2 Thessalonians 2:7, Acts 20:28-30). Sure enough, not long after Paul’s day, apostasy appeared in the church.

About 100 years before Christianity, Egyptian Mithraists introduced the festival of Sunday, dedicated to worshiping the sun, into the Roman Empire. Later, as Christianity grew, church leaders wished to increase the numbers of the church. In order to make the gospel more attractive to non-Christians, pagan customs were incorporated into the church’s ceremonies. The custom of Sunday worship was welcomed by Christians who desired to differentiate themselves from the Jews, whom they hated because of the Jews’ rejection of the Savior. The first day of the week began to be recognized as both a religious and civil holiday. By the end of the second century, Christians considered it sinful to work on Sunday.

The Roman emperor Constantine, a former sun-worshiper, professed conversion to Christianity, though his subsequent actions suggest the “conversion” was more of a political move than a genuine heart change. Constantine named himself Bishop of the Catholic Church and enacted the first civil law regarding Sunday observance in A.D. 321.

On the venerable day of the sun let the magistrate and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however, persons engaged in agricultural work may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain growing or for vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. —Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, vol. III, chap. 75.

Note that Constantine’s law did not even mention Sabbath but referred to the mandated rest day as a “the venerable day of the sun.” And how kind he was to allow people to observe it as it was convenient. Contrast this with God’s command to observe the Sabbath “even during the plowing season and harvest” (Exodus 34:21)! Perhaps the church leaders noticed this laxity as well, for just four years later, in A.D. 325, Pope Sylvester officially named Sunday “the Lord’s Day,” and in A.D. 338, Eusebius, the court bishop of Constantine, wrote, “All things whatsoever that it was the duty to do on the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week) we (Constantine, Eusebius, and other bishops) have transferred to the Lord’s Day (the first day of the week) as more appropriately belonging to it.”

Instead of the humble lives of persecution and self-sacrifice led by the apostles, church leaders now exalted themselves to the place of God. “This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (1 John 4:3).

The Catechism

Recall the ceremony with which God made known His Law, containing the blessing of the seventh-day Sabbath, by which all humanity is to be judged. Contrast this with the unannounced, unnoticed anticlimax with which the church gradually adopted Sunday at the command of “Christian” emperors and Roman bishops. And these freely admit that they made the change from Sabbath to Sunday.

In the Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, we read:

Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, (AD 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday….
Q. Why did the Catholic Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday, because Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on a Sunday.
Q. By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her!
—Rev. Peter Geiermann, C.SS.R., (1946), p. 50.

In Catholic Christian Instructed,

Q. Has the [Catholic] church power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?
A. …Instead of the seventh day, and other festivals appointed by the old law, the church has prescribed the Sundays and holy days to be set apart for God’s worship; and these we are now obliged to keep in consequence of God’s commandment, instead of the ancient Sabbath.
—The Catholic Christian Instructed in the Sacraments, Sacrifices, Ceremonies, and Observances of the Church By Way of Question and Answer, RT Rev. Dr. Challoner, p. 204.

In An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine,

Q. How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same church.
Q. How prove you that?
A. Because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin; and by not keeping the rest [of the feasts] by her commanded, they again deny, in fact, the same power.
–Rev. Henry Tuberville, D.D. (R.C.), (1833), page 58.

In A Doctrinal Catechism,

Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
A. Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her. She could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.
–Rev. Stephen Keenan, (1851), p. 174.

In the Catechism of the Council of Trent,

The Church of God has thought it well to transfer the celebration and observance of the Sabbath to Sunday!
–p 402, second revised edition (English), 1937.  (First published in 1566)

In the Augsburg Confession,

They [the Catholics] allege the Sabbath changed into Sunday, the Lord’s day, contrary to the decalogue, as it appears; neither is there any example more boasted of than the changing of the Sabbath day. Great, they say, is the power and authority of the church, since it dispensed with one of the ten commandments.
—Art. 28.

God warned that a blasphemous power would “seek to change times and laws,” and the Catholic Church openly admits doing it, even boasts about it. In a sermon at the Council of Trent in 1562, the Archbishop of Reggia, Caspar del Fossa, claimed that the Catholic Church’s whole authority is based upon the fact that they changed the Sabbath to Sunday. Does this not fulfill the prophecies of Daniel and Paul?

“For centuries millions of Christians have gathered to worship God on the first day of the week. Graciously He has accepted this worship. He has poured out His blessings upon Christian people as they have sought to serve Him. However, as one searches the Scriptures, he is forced to recognize that Sunday is not a day of God’s appointment… It has no foundation in Scripture, but has arisen entirely as a result of custom,” says Frank H. Yost, Ph.D. in The Early Christian Sabbath.

Let us ask the question again: Was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day of the week to the first? The Bible is clear: “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy” (Genesis 2:3).  “Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). If God intended for another day to become the Sabbath, He must have removed the blessing from the seventh day and placed it on the day which was to replace it. But when God bestows a blessing, it is forever. “…You, O Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever” (1 Chronicles 17:27). “I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it” (Numbers 23:20). Your birthday, a memorial of your birth, can’t be changed, though you may celebrate it on a different day. Neither can the Sabbath, a memorial of creation (Exodus 20:11), be changed, though some may celebrate it on a different day.

God instructed Moses to construct the earthly sanctuary, all its furniture, and the ark according to “the pattern” he was shown. (Exodus 25:9, 40) The ark was called the “ark of the covenant” (Numbers 10:33, Deuteronomy 10:8, Hebrews 9:4), and the “ark of the testimony” (Exodus 25:22), because in it Moses placed the tablets of stone on which God wrote His Law. (Exodus 25:16, 31:18) John, in Revelation 11:19, describes the scene before him when “the temple of God was opened in Heaven.” John saw the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary. David wrote, “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). It is safe to assume that God’s Law remains, contained within the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary.

When God says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10), that ends all controversy. We cannot change God’s Word for our own convenience. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).

– Emily Thomsen

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Judge Not My Walk as a Child of God

Often times when we’re confronted with a life changing situation, we tend to respond back with an emotional response based upon our carnal mind. So the result we’re looking for is not according to the response we gave. Thereby leading us to doubt the validity of our salvation and walk in Christ. Every situation that comes up in our lives should be met with prayer so that the results will be what God wants for the situation and not what we want. Then, we will not be allowing our situation to dictate our salvation, and it will be done because of the Spirit and not of the flesh. So in the following scriptures, hear what Paul’s response is in certain situations; he’s letting you know that these situations can not and will not determine his salvation and understanding of the Word of God. So his boasting that you will see is not of his flesh, but his confidence in his walk in God.

2 Corinthians 6

Paul is talking about its supernatural characteristics and also the appeal for separation and understanding of Paul.

11, 12, 13 chapters

 

2 Corinthians 6:1-9

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;  By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

2 Corinthians 11:3-33

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.  For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.  But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.  Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?  I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.  And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.  As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.  I say again, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.  That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.  Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.  For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.  For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.  I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.  Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.  Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.  Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.  Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?  If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.  In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:  And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

 

Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians, “I come not boasting about myself, but let me boast a little bit about myself to let you know what I’ve done to get to you, so that you are hearing the true word of God and understanding the structure of God. I’ve people who want to kill me and even want to arrest me, but I’m telling you now, there lie among you false apostles and teachers.” The Corinthians had gotten comfortable and thought they had it all. In other words “I had God, so I don’t have to worry about anything else. My salvation is secure and I don’t have to worry about anything else.” So Paul was trying to let them know that no matter what, you’re going to go through trials and things, but not to be comfortable and satisfied in that state. You get locked into your Christiandom that you don’t help anyone but yourself. You don’t even help your fellow man, you don’t give anything of the knowledge you’ve gained from the struggles it took for you to get through to teach you. You’re locked in your own self. Now, look at this, I’m trying to tell you, I got caught. I was stoned, I was beaten, they let me down in a basket to get away from the trouble that was pursuing me. You see the king of so and so, he had a garrison waiting to arrest me at any time if they could catch me. But you all go and listen to false apostles who haven’t done anything for you, or kept the word true to you, and now your satisfied because you figure you have the word that you want. I’m here to tell you right now that you don’t have anything. You don’t listen; you have your own form of salvation. Your locked into who you are; what you think, feel and believe. It isn’t about you, its about God and the Holy Ghost operating in you. Many of you have shut the Holy Ghost, and operated on you own by another spirit, but I’ll tell you right now, that spirit is not of God. That is the same old deceitful spirit that deceived Eve, and you all are walking and operating in the same craftiness of that spirit.

Paul was trying to warn those folks that they had gotten comfortable in their salvation. They’d fallen prey to wolves coming in sheep’s clothing. That is why he made reference to other men coming as other Apostles. But Satan can also appear as an angel of light. Paul was trying to warn them, don’t get comfortable in your seat, don’t get comfortable in your salvation that you can’t go out and do what you were originally assigned to do, to spread the Gospel and bring more sheep into the fold. They were looking at Paul, saying “who are you to say this?” Paul said let me explain to you who I am. You say you’re a Jew, I’m a Jew too. You’re a Hebrew, well I am too. I’m everything that you are, I’m an educated man, and you know where it comes from. I went around killing folks too until I came to the understanding of what I was to do in God.

 

2 Corinthians 12:1-6

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

 

Paul was trying to let them know right there that “I’m real.” Don’t add to me don’t take away from me. I am one of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have not left Him, and He has not left me. I’m in touch with the Holy Ghost, the presence of God at all times. And though I have infirmities in my flesh and weaknesses in my flesh, don’t use my weakness as an excuse not to hear the word of God coming out of my mouth. Don’t take my weaknesses as though they are failures in God’s dealing with me.

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-8

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

 

Every true man, woman or child of God has a weakness. Satan tends to exhort that weakness. Satan has taunted me, the people, the children of God with their weakness. My weakness kills me on a daily basis. You can’t allow it to cause you to falter in your mission and calling to God, you can’t allow it to take over your Holy Ghost. I preached a sermon some time back called “Don’t let your situation dictate your salvation.” Sometimes it causes you to have a situation, and it will dictate your salvation. It will cause you to think negative about yourself or someone. It will cause you to make a move out of God that you should not have made. In the process of that happening, you are delayed, directed or misguided out of the will of God for that moment. Then you can’t do the work and because of that, there is a soul that needs to be touched by you verbally or physically who needs to hear a word from you that you had the ability to deliver. They will not hear that word at the time and fall to the wayside because you weren’t doing what you were supposed to do. Paul said he sought the Lord about the thorn in his side, but a lot of times a thorn in your side will constantly cause you to seek God, to have faith in God, and constantly keep you in your knees in prayer. The Corinthians couldn’t understand that. You need to constantly pursue God, not God pursuing you, because He won’t. God loves you and you know that.  What was God’s response?

 

2 Corinthians 2:9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

How can you get strength out of weakness? His grace, caring and love are all we need. He will not put any more on us than we can bear. We have that confidence in Him. He is not trying to break us, He’s trying to make us. He is allowing weakness to keep us on our knees and to seek Him more. “If you are My child, you will not like that part of you.” You will say, Lord deliver me, and you’ll be on your knees the next day or week. But if that thing wasn’t there, you’ll get comfortable and be complacent in your salvation. It’s like water land locked with no well feeding it, becoming stagnant. What happens to stagnant things, they begin to smell. That is exactly what a child of God who lacks tests experiences. They become self-righteous becoming a stink in God’s nostrils. But if you’re constantly going through something, all the saints and apostles in the Bible, were all going through something. Even Christ, he was always praying, his disciples always praying, the prophets always praying. Look at Daniel, constantly going through stress because of the people around him. A child of God without a test going through in their lives, cannot be a child of God. They will never grow or mature. They will become stagnant and die. A lot of people in church today aren’t  going through tests; they feel it isn’t necessary, that their salvation is secure, their good to go, no problems or issues. And they never see themselves situated in a place where there is a test upon them, they never go through an issue, people bothering them, a flesh issue. People delivered from smoking have a tendency to go back and smoke. And then a saint sees them and says they aren’t saved. They are saved, the Lord doesn’t deliver out of all your symptoms totally. It keeps you on your knees and constantly crying out to the Lord, to keep a constant relationship with Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9

..for my strength is made perfect in weakness…

 

You are being perfected in your trials, you are being perfected. Lord don’t take my weakness away, but give me strength to go through.

 

2 Corinthians 12:10

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

Isn’t this what saints go through now? But sometimes they let their weakness take control of them, and use their weakness as an excuse to leave the church. We know that we have a weakness, a thorn in our side that Satan has placed there. He knows that your weakness keeps you from your destiny. But he now knows it makes you draw closer to God. He can only delay you. That is what Satan wants to do.

In my conclusion, being a Child of God is not an easy thing, as some of the people from the ’60s and ’70s portrayed it to be. Going around with a smile of joy on your face, handing out pamphlets of love and no worries. Telling people to be born again and all your trials will be over. That is not true. It’s just the beginning of your walk. Like anything else you do in life, if you are going to succeed in a goal, you’ll encounter pitfalls, snares, trials, headaches, and sometimes it seems like all the above, just to make it through as a Child of God in this life. But the Word of God says the suffering in this world is only temporary because it does not yet appear what we shall be.

 

Romans 8:18-19

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

 

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

So just like Paul said, to live is for Christ and to die is to gain. As Paul was caught in a betwixt to go and get his reward or stay here and win more souls, we should not allow the sufferings we go through to slow down our work and walk for Christ. We should endure as good soldiers, so that He can say well done good and faithful servanat, enter into the house of the Lord.