MINSTRELS: 2016

Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Micah

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Micah
(Micah 1-5. Tune: “Now Thank We All Our God”)

1. Now came the Word of God; To Micah the Morasthite.

In the days of Jotham; Ahaz and Hezekiah.
Hear all ye people heed; O earth all therein is;
And let the Lord our God; Against thee witness be.

2. Woe to them that devise; Work iniquity, evil;

Upon their beds plan they; Practice it in the morning.
The pow'r is in their hand; To covet fields and lands.
With violence take away; Men's houses and oppress.

3. Unto the prophets cry; Who bite, defraud My people;

Night shall be unto thee; A vision thou shall not have.
It shall be dark to thee; And thou shall not divine.
The sun shall go down o'er; Such prophets shame shall come.

4. But in the last days shall; God's mountain be established.

Exalted it shall be; Above the hills, the nations
Shall come and say “Let us, Go up the mount of God...
For Jacob's God will come; To teach us all His ways.”

5. But thou O Bethlehem; Ephrathah land of Judah;

Little though thou has been; Among My people's thousands.
Yet out of thee shall come; Forth unto Me that is,
To rule Israel My house; Whose going forth's of old.

6. We are Your house today; Your Bethlehem, Your people.

Crucified to the world; The world crucified to us.
Made for Your glory now; To bear Your life on earth;
Despised though we may be; Much greater hope have we.

(UK Revival Labour (Scripture Lyrics)

The Book of Micah:

1.The lamentation of Micah (deep sorrow for sin in his days):

He called people's attention to their sins.
He made illustrations about their judgements.

I must be sensitive to God's sorrow over the sinful state of my generation.

Prayer:

Lord, please baptise me with Your sorrow over the pollution of my present world.
Sensitise my heart to the travail of Your heart over sin and help me to respond to it.

2. Micah's list of the sins of the people:

Their delight in false prophets (opposed and silenced true prophets).
Their covetousness, violence, fraud, oppression, etc.
Their high-mindedness against the judgement of God.

Making a list of my inadequacies will speed up the help I need to overcome them.

Prayer:

Lord, do a speedy check of any residue of deadworks in my life and rid me of it.
Lord, please deliver me from several ways that I have been silencing or opposing the message of the Cross of Jesus Christ in my life.
Grant me the grace that is attached to the humility of Jesus Christ.

3. Micah's boldness in confronting their sinful leaders:

“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgement, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. Hear this I pray you, ye heads and princes of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgement, and pervert all equity” - Micah 3:8-9 (KJV)

I need BOLDNESS to exercise my divine power over all unrighteousnesss.

Prayer:

Lord, grant me the courage to walk in the fulness of the Great Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Increase Your strength and might within me; let me be bold to declare Your Truth in all circumstances.

4. Micah's call to the Mountain of the Lord:

To build “Gospel-church” instead of “worldly-church.”
To silence the enemy and establish Christ's dominion.
A call to “arise and thresh”. (Micah 4:13)

I must yield to the call of raising consecrated lives unto God.

Prayer:

Lord, release Your purging power upon my life without measure.
Make me a thoroughly cleansed channel that can reproduce cleansed and consecrated lives unto You.
Establish me in the sanctification that the Cross of Jesus Christ has wrought in my life.

5. Micah's prophecy about the “Promised Deliverance”:

Divine support for the people amidst troubles.
JESUS as the Deliverer and Peace for the people.4
Micah 5:2 / Matthew 2:5-6 / Revelation 2:27)

I must walk in the reality of my 'Divine Backing'.

Prayer:

Lord open my eyes to the unlimited support that is available to me from above.
Lord, please establish me in the peace that surpasses troubles and challenges.
Let me not fall on the wrong side of prophecy.

6. Micah's declaration of God's requirement (Micah 6:8):

Conviction by 'The Gospel-Grace'.
God's people as reprover of sin.

I am a partaker of the abundant grace of the True Gospel.

Prayer:

Lord, let the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ collide with my heart afresh so I can obey divine instructions at all times.
Let me not be led away by the errors of my generation, please keep me standing and help me meet Your requirements at all times.

7. Micah's charge to the “Body of Christ” in his time (Micah 7:7-8):

To foresee its victory over the enemy.
Comforts available during overwhelming situations.
To solely trust in God at all times.

My triumph is in the mercy and the grace of God.

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to the comfort You have given me in Christ Jesus; let me step into it in every area of my life; increase my confidence in this comfort.
Lord, help me to overcome my flesh daily in Your mercy and grace.
Let me not despise the power of Your Gospel in my life.
Help me to lay hold on the precious faith through the righteousness of Jesus.
Lord, let me always seek Your knowledge that multiplies grace and mercy.

HELP THE BODY OF CHRIST TO OPERATE IN YOUR DIVINE POWER AND CAUSE THE TRUE GOSPEL TO FLOOD THE CHURCH IN MY GENERATION.

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Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Jonah

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(Jonah 1-3. Tune “Nearer My God To Thee”)

1. Now the Word of the LORD, To~ Jonah came.

The son of Amittai; Saying “Jonah rise!

Go thou to Nineveh; That great and mighty land.”

Thus the Word of the LORD;

To~ Jonah came.

2. “Cry against Nineveh; their wickedness

Up before me hath come; Rise Jonah cry.”

But Jonah rose to flee; From God's presence to go

Unto Tarshish to flee;

Jonah rose to flee.

3. But the Lord sent out a; Great wind to sea.

Mighty tempest there was; to- break the ship.

Fear came on every man; “Rise all call on your gods!”

Said the captains to all

“Call on your gods!”

4. But Jonah was gone down; Laid fast asleep.

So the shipmaster came; said unto him

“What meanest thou sleeper? Rise call upon your god!

Save us from peril might

Rise call your God.”

5. Come, let us all cast lots; That we may know,

Whose cause this evil's come; Upon us all.

On Jonah fell the lot; “Jonah tell us we pray

Whatever have you done?

What have you done?”

6. “Hear me now everyone; I am on the run.

From my LORD and my God; Who sent me out.”

“What shall we do to thee?” “Cast me into the sea.”

Jonah replied his friends;

“Cast me to the sea!”

7. Into the sea was thrown; Jonah God's own

Now the LORD has prepared; A great big fish.

To swallow Jonah up; The fish obeyed the LORD

Where Jonah failed the LORD;

The~ fish obeyed.

8. Cause me LORD to obey; Follow Thy heart.

Where many turn their backs; Flee from thy face.

Grant LORD my heart to cry; “Cause me LORD to obey!”

Cause me LORD to obey;

Follow Thy heart.

UK Revival Labour (Scripture Lyrics)

Jonah Chapter 1:

• Divine mission given to Jonah

• Jonah's disobedience to God's command

• Jonah's arrest due to disobedience

• Jonah's unpleasant experience in favour of the people

• Jonah's miraculous preservation for God's work

Lesson: A ready way may not necessarily be the right way.

Jonah Chapter 2 (Jonah's prayer of anguish):

• Encouragement

• Assurance of God's favour

• Warning/instructions for others

• Thanksgiving/praise

• Deliverance (soundness/safety)

Lesson: True passion for Christ comes out from the baptism of anguish.

Jonah Chapter 3:

• Renewal of Jonah's mission

• Jonah's faithfulness to the mission

• The outcome of Jonah's obedience

Lesson: Absolute obedience speeds up Revival.

Jonah Chapter 4:

• Jonah's anger at God's kindness to Nineveh

• Jonah's grief (when reproved by God)

• Jonah's repentance

(Note: there is no account of Jonah's recovery from his grief)!!!

Lesson: No eternal value on temporary provisions over perishing souls.

IN WHAT WAYS AM I THE JONAH OF MY GENERATION, AND GENERATIONS AFTER ME?

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Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Obadiah

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(Tune: "Christian Seek Not Yet Repose")

1. Of Edom thus saith the LORD

Behold I will make thee small.

'Mong the nations thou shall be -

Sore despised.

2. Thou who dwell in clefts of rocks
Whose habitation is high,
Saith thou in thy heart "Who can-
Bring me down?"

3. As the eagle mount thou high
'Mong the stars thou set thy nest
From thence I shall bring thee down-
Saith the LORD.

4. For thy violence 'gainst Jacob;
Edom shame shall cover thee;
And forever thou shalt be,
Cast away!

5. In the day thou stood and watched,
Strangers came thy brother took;
For Jerusalem cast lots;
Thou there stood.

6. Thou should not have gazed upon,
His captivity at all;
Nor should thou rejoice over,
Judah's fall.

7. Proudly thou should not have spoke,
In the day of his distress;
His calamity should not,
Make thee glad.

8. As thou hast sown thou shalt reap,
Thy reprisal shall return;
On thine own head O Edom;
Thou shall weep.

9. But on Zion there shall be,
Deliverance and holiness;
House of Jacob shall possess
And be blessed.

10. Though the enemies flood in
And in peril find thy life;
Christian be not thou distressed,
Help is near!

UK Revival Labour (ScriptureLyrics)

Obadiah 1: 1 - 21

The Coming Judgment on Edom

¹The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the Lord, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):

²“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. ³The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
⁴Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

⁵“If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night— Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, Would they not have left some gleanings?

⁶“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! ⁷All the men in your confederacy Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap^[^a^] for you. No one is aware of it.

⁸“Will I not in that day,” says the Lord, “Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau? ⁹Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.

Edom Mistreated His Brother

¹⁰“For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.¹¹In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, When foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem— Even you were as one of them.
¹²“But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother In the day of his captivity;^[^b^]Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction; Nor should you have spoken proudly In the day of distress. ¹³You should not have entered the gate of My people In the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity, Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity. ¹⁴You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped; Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained In the day of distress. ¹⁵“For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. ¹⁶For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been.

Israel’s Final Triumph

¹⁷“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken. ¹⁹The South^[^c^] shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. ²⁰And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South.^[^d^]
²¹Then saviors^[^e^] shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Background to Obadiah

Obadiah, one of the Minor Prophets wrote this - the shortest Book in the Old Testament, pre Calvary.
Please note a Kingdom Labourer, pre Calvary. God will always find a remnant in every generation.
The Edomites were descendants of Esau and the Israelites were descendants of Jacob
Obadiah portrays the bitter attitude which had begun centuries earlier when Jacob and Esau went their separate ways.
Obadiah identifies Edom as a criminal vs 1 and lays out the crimes committed by Edom.
Edom’s selfishness, pride and violence against his brother Jacob angered God, Obadiah pronounces God’s judgement (sentence) on Edom
The Edomites trusted in their mountain fortress and we see full blown manifestation of the self-life, I see in the Edomites a people who have lost touch with God and His Word. Hard hearted people, stif-necked.
When God declares judgement on His people, by captivity, He judges the oppressor’s attitude, as well as those who stand and watch.

Lessons from Obadiah

There is no place on earth God cannot judge our pride.
We must not rely on human wisdom to face life, we need God’s wisdom.
God will always judge our wrong attitudes towards others.
Sinners will not go unpunished, unless they come to repentance.
We will always reap what we sow (Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease”).
We must not rejoice at the calamities of others, we must be people who reconcile and restore. We were called into ministry of reconciliation 2 Corinthians 5:18)
The Edomites showed no remorse nor repentance
Victory, triumph follows our calamity or challenges if we wait and trust on the Lord. God is faithful to see us through “ 2 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;………

MOUNT ZION - Our Place of Rest

Charles Elliott Newbold Jnr in his book “The Harlotry Church System “Come out of her, My People” said “ Zion is a symbolic place in the spirit where JESUS is the only thing there is. He alone takes pre-eminence”, he speaks of Zion as a historical place and it can also mirror the condition of our hearts.

Isaiah 28:16 Amplified

A Stone.
A tested Stone.
A precious Cornerstone of sure foundation.
He who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away (in sudden panic).

Obadiah 1: 17

Deliverance.
Holiness.
Possess our possession.

Hebrews 12:22

City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
To an innumerable company of angels.
The general assembly and church of the first born who are registered in heaven.
To God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.
To Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant.
To the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

PRAYER POINTS

Thank God for the way He has been coming to us since the beginning of the year, thank Him for the ministry of grace (abiding, abounding and abundant) He has made available to us.
Thank You Lord because a promise remains of entering Your rest, do not let me come short of it. Hebrews 4:1
Make me a correct Kingdom Labourer, a servant of God and a worshipper of God, worthy to be send forth as the “rod of Your strength out of Zion”. Psalm 110:2
In this day of Your power Lord, make me a willing daughter/son to do Your will and Your will alone. Psalm 110:3
Let my whole life, my whole being, be submerged in all the segments of the mystery of the gospel.
Let Your Word be sharp in my mouth like Obadiah.
Let Your Word, that I have heard, be mixed with faith, so that it can profit me Hebrews 4:2
Help me to see as You see, Jesus keep me near the Cross.
Do not let me escape Your chastening, let me endure Your chastening for You chasten whom You love and scourges every son You receive. Hebrews 12:6

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Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Amos

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Amos

(Tune: "The King Of Love My Shepherd Is")

1.Hear now the Word the LORD God spoke:

"Of all the families of the earth,

You only Israel have I known.

Punish then you will I for sins"

2.Can two together walk in life;

Unless they both live to agree?

Will a lion let out a roar,

When in the forest lies no prey?

3.Surely the LORD God nothing does;

Unless His secret He reveals,

Unto His servants His prophets;