Loose Ends

I just arrived home to a coughing wife, who needs a little attention after my being gone over the weekend, so this will not be a long post. The Ohio meetings were, to use an overused adjective powerful, and I got to meet some of you who read this web log regularly. Fellowship strengthens me as does seeing hunger for the truth.
I have a problem. In fact I've had this problem since I was a small child. Whenever I would fall and scrape my knees or my elbows, I always picked at the scabs soon after. If my mother knitted me a sweater that happened to have a loose thread anywhere, I would find it, and proceed to disassemble the entire sweater before I was done.
To this day I don't like loose ends, and so I've decided to post a few thoughts before I go and attempt to make chicken soup, for a coughing wife.
The first subject has to do with public prayer, and having read through some of your comments, I would like to clarify something. I believe public prayer is Biblical, however my issue was with the fact that we give credence to, and endorse the idea of ecumenism by our very presence as children of God, in the Deity stew that was the public prayer in Georgia. With the rains having come, which god do we give credit to for answering the prayers of the multitudes? Each represented faith, will now point to their god, and say, 'it was due to us, and our supplications that the heavens opened, if only for a little while.' There is wisdom in God's command to be separate from the world.
I will be writing an article on prayer sometime this week, the basic idea of said article being the fact that very rarely are we told what Jesus prayed, the Bible simply stating that He went off on His own to pray. More on that later.
The second issue, is the fact that I mentioned the school of the prophets in one of my posts, and I was asked by a reader of this site how I reconciled talking about the school of the prophets, and then saying prophecy cannot be taught.
My answer to that is a simple one. The men who made up the school of the prophets during Elijah's and Elisha's time, were not men who just came off the street wanting to be prophets, paying their membership fees, receiving their workbooks, and giving each other words of knowledge that weren't so knowledgeable. These were men who had already been called, chosen and sanctified for this sacred duty. The school of the prophets was simply fellowship between those whom God had already chosen, and established as vessels for Himself.
The truth, is that a gift of God cannot be taught from one man to another. The only thing that we as human beings can do, is be viable candidates for the gifts, by having cleansed our wineskin, made it new, and desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When they come, and which gift comes, what sacred duty we are entrusted with, is wholly dependent upon God. The only thing we can do, is live in righteousness, and holiness, to sanctify ourselves, preparing our vessels for that which God will pour into them. Yes, we can desire the gift prophecy, but it doesn't mean that's what we will receive, all the nine gifts work within a body, to keep it strong, fruitful, obedient, and aware.
So, save the $495 that it will cost you to learn how to be a prophet, and bend the knees, lift your countenance, and ask God, if it be His will, when He finds you ready and acceptable in His eyes, to use you in the manner He sees fit.
Too often the pride, arrogance and vanity of our hearts hinder us from approaching God in humility, in letting Him choose the duty, and the office which we should occupy, and instead make foolish demands of Him, telling Him what we will accept, and what we won't accept. I have seen too many bodies of believers torn asunder by the absence of humility, wherein a finger thought it was a nose, and a nose thought it was an eye. Again, another article for another time. The point, is that God knows best, where we will be our best, where we will be useful in furthering His kingdom, and bringing glory to His name. He will call, He will equip, He will send, and He will anoint. All you must do is obey.
When we realize that it's not about us, our vainglory, or our pride, but it's all about Him, and His work here on earth, we will be content wherever He sends us, and whatever office He calls us to.
The water is boiling, I'm off to make soup. Thank you for your patience, since there has been no substantial post in over four days, and in your prayers tonight, please remember my wife.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.