If you are a christian, you are a minister... I thought this was interesting.....

If you are a Christian, you are a minister
by Rick Warren

It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2:10 (LB)
"You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back."

God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on earth to make a contribution.

You weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back.

The Bible says, "God . . . has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10 TEV) These "good deeds" are your service to the world. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. (Colossians 3:23-24; Matthew 25:34-45; Ephesians 6:7)

What God told Jeremiah is also true for you: "Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work." (Jeremiah 1:5 NCV)

When most people think of this "special work," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of his family is to minister. In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonyms, as are service and ministry. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you're serving, you're ministering.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn't just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept his grace? Why does he leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill his purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for his goals. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world.

Is there anything holding you back from accepting God's call to serve him?



Pastor Rick Warren, Saddleback Church

Thank you.

I would like to say a big thank you to all the members of BethElRuach for taking the time to join, participate and invite others to join the group(which I know that every member has done whether I see it or know about it or not).

BethElRuach is truly of God; As I know that with looking forward to it being a year since this group was formed, I know that everything (though little) that has been accomplished, and what everyone has been able to contribute, that it could not have been anything but....

I am actually amazed when I look at the the varied locations of the members from The UK, to Africa to Australia and I just thank God that even though I do not know everyone personally, we are still bonded together in the unity of the Spirit...

I appreciate those of us that have gotten people on board, and would ask that we all continue to spread the word and encourage your friends, family and acquaintances, anybody, to join BethElRuach both on and outside of FB, as it cannot become what it's meant to be, and grow into the fullness of itself without you and I, and all the members to be....

I pray that everyone will continue to look for ways to be more involved... and wish y'all would just lose the shyness or somethin' and just jump right in partcipatin'..... I am still waiting......

As we approach Mother's day....I honor and appreciate all mothers... and Thank God for His ability that He has given us to be able to reproduce after our likeness.... we are all truly miracles of His Glory...

Thank you all once again, and hope to bump into you at BethElRuach....



Mettabel.

What is your real name ?

Still speaking of names, quite an illuminating response I got there with my last note...BUT like one of the commentators said, it's not the changing or not changing, or adding or not adding of names that's the point...It is who the Word reveals us to be by His Word.


When He calls us, we change….. Mark my words however; whatever the Lord calls you will not go unchallenged. It may actually become one of the greatest 'thorns' in our flesh that will cause us to cry out to God continually, and depend on Him more than we would have……. but when we hold fast to what He has told us, it is certain that we WILL live out and live up to the name He has called us by…


Take my name Mettabel for instance - It is the only Hebrew female name that means - 'Favored of God'.... It was not a name I was christened by at the time of my birth, but now I consider it the name that embodies all that is my destiny, and encompasses all that I have been blessed with….. The Lord christened me with this name by speaking these words to my heart...."call yourself favored for 'I' have called you favored" and that's exactly what I did.... I called myself Mettabel.


Now one would think that with this name in my armamentarium it would be smooth sailing all around and favor everywhere I go….. Yes it has been that way sometimes in almost hair-raisingly phenomenal proportions.... BUT... I also have never been challenged as much in this area by life events as I have over to the past few months…. It has almost been enough to make me wonder if I had heard the ‘little people’ in my head rather than God speaking to me...but ALWAYS just before I go over the edge He speaks that name again to me and whispers it in my ear, speaks it to me through the many beautiful and gracious people around me, or roars it out by causing something absolutely gasp-worthy to happen to me….. or He quickens His Word in my heart so that I am the one slinging the pebbles… and down he goes…. How many of us are identifying here? ...... He IS good….

The first time God ever opened my eyes to this truth of Him calling us a name or names according our destiny and purpose by His Spirit waaayyyyy before it manifests, I just went into ‘paroxysms of elation’ or as they would have called it in Victorian times …. ‘The flutters’….. oooooohhhhh….


It was where Jesus asked his disciples who men thought He was …. They all had varied answers (If you want the details, you know where to go ☺)….. Then He asked them in particular…. This time only Peter answered and said, “ You are the Christ, Son of the living God”. Jesus then answered “ Simon Bar Jonah, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father which is in heaven”……


All my Christian life this is where I would stop, the train of speech and then I would jump to the carriage of “And upon this rock ….” etc….. BUT at this point, Jesus made a statement pivotal to his destiny, to Peter …. He said - “And I say ALSO unto you that you are PETER”….. Simon Bar Jonah’s REAL IDENTITY was PETER! …. Not the impulsive boaster, or whatever PEOPLE called him, but Peter - solid, dependable, unmovable….


We see that by the self-same Spirit of Revelation that Peter called Jesus by His ‘real’ name, Jesus too called Simon by his ‘real’ name….. Then He said upon this ROCK not the stone - Peter, but the on Rock solid platform of DIVINE REVELATION He the Lord would build His Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it ……

From then on I note that the Lord NEVER did call Simon Peter again……


We cannot receive from Him the revelation of who we are, until His spirit reveals Him, that is Jesus to us, THEN our eyes are opened to see ourselves as we really are…. But it is He who opens our eyes……


Ephesians 1:18… Note Paul’s prayer:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints….


Stay with me a bit there’s more…. Now Jesus knew who he was and knew His purpose and was so fully persuaded of it that when a little while later, when the devil attempted to use Peter to derail Jesus from His destiny by trying to inveigle the idea that someone else might die in his place….. He would have none of it, because the name he was attempting to call Jesus – ‘ Unsavior’ was diametrically opposed to who he really was !!! and what His destiny dictated that He must do…. Hence the almost violent “Get thee behind me Satan!!” Noting that He did not say get the behind me Peter… HHe was not calling Peter the devil, but he was dealing with the SOURCE…..


Much in the same way, when the devil starts using circumstances, people or just ‘stuff’ to ‘un-seat’ or ‘un-name’ us, (like I was alluding to earlier with regards to my name), we don’t attack the people or the circumstances, we attack the real enemy…. And when we tell him where to get off, WITH AUTHORITY, FULL KNOWLEDGE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHO IS BACKING US, he has no choice but to GO TO HELL (pardon the pun)…..


So let’s begin to see some name-calling – good, bad and ugly.... the latter two, for the ones who deserve it...... Let us pray that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened….. That we may see Him and in Him see who we really are


…… And JUST WHO IS HE???



WHY HE IS THE LIVING WORD OF GOD!!!……. In HIM we have life….. Let there be light…. And there was ……AND THAT'S THE DIVINE NAME REGISTRY..... that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints….


What is your real name? ……