newsletter
Servant Ministries, Inc.
Issue No. 105 Ira & Judy Milligan Feb 1, 2007

Register now for 2007 United Ministers’ Fellowship Conference
 
If you haven’t already registered for our 2007 Branson United Ministers’ Fellowship conference, better do so now while you are thinking about it. The dates are the last three days of March. (March 29th – 31st). As always, it will be at the Honeysuckle Inn and Conference Center. The number to call to make your reservation is 1-800-942-3553.

This year we’ve invited Bryan Adams and Johnny Foote to minister  for us. Bryan has an awesome healing ministry and Johnny is a prolific prophet, so don’t miss it! As always, Lord willing, we’ll have healing and deliverance rooms set up and prophetic workshops so everyone can receive personal ministry, as needed.

For those who are unfamiliar with our conferences, let me fill you in on a few things to expect. First, our hearts desire is to see Christ’s Body develop true koinonia. John said, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship [koinonia] one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

My belief is that it’s not enough to just talk about things like unity of the brethren and liberty to obey the Spirit and equipping of the Saints for the work of the ministry, it’s time for us to put action to our words. Our goal is to introduce the Body of Christ to itself and help it minister to itself in love (see Eph. 4:15-16). See you in Branson!
 
  The Prophet’s  Perspective
 The Paradox of Blessedness
 
Last month we discussed the seventh beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (see Matt. 5:3-12), emphasizing the necessity of reconciliation between brethren and unity in the Body of Christ. This month, I want to point out a few points of interest in some of the others.

First, the beatitudes introduce us to Christ’s unique method of teaching. Jesus was anything but politically correct. He often shocked His listeners with paradoxes, perplexed them with parables and confounded them with questions that thwarted their purposes and revealed the hidden motives of their hearts. The beatitudes are a paradox that directly confronted the Hellenistic system of values and world view adopted by many of the Jews in Jesus’ time. Likewise, this same Hellenistic world view is warmly embraced by the west at present.

Christ started out pronouncing blessings upon the humble: “Blessed [fortunate, happy] are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In this introductory beatitude Jesus indicates that humility is the door to happiness and good fortune. Then He said, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” The obvious paradox here is blessedness is the exact opposite of mourning! How can this be? God promised His children that in spite of the way things appear, everything that happens to a Christian always works out for his or her good! (See Rom. 8:28).

The third beatitude, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” also contradicts our western values. The best biblical example of meekness is Moses. Although he boldly confronted Pharaoh in defense of his brethren, he refused to defend himself when he was accused by them (Num. 12:3). Likewise, Jesus pronounces a blessing upon all those who willingly “turn the other cheek”. To obtain God’s blessings, we must surrender our own rights and refuse to defend ourselves.

The forth is, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” Although fasting is a natural way of expressing “hunger” for righteousness, the hunger Jesus is referring to is spiritual. It must be heartfelt before He will respond.

Then Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” No doubt this simple beatitude holds the key to blessedness more than all the others combined. It requires humility of heart, faith in God, meekness in spirit and a divine hunger for righteousness before we can show mercy when everything in us cries out for revenge. But if we believe in God’s promises as we should, our faith is sufficient to overcome this world and its selfish, corrupt system of values. This beatitude of mercy rightly precedes the sixth (“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”) for one cannot honestly claim to have a pure heart while at the same time carrying a grudge against another.

 “Helping Hands”
 
Recently, someone said, “When God closes one door, He always opens another”, to which someone replied, “Yes, but it’s hell in the hallway!” And so it is! It is my hearts desire to reintroduce a school of ministry that I started way back in 1992-3, called “Team Ministry Concepts” Although I did not have it in correspondence form back then, I am thinking about going in that direction at this time. Interested?
 
       Prayer Partners’ Update
 
Pray with me for divine direction in planning and conducting the two 2007 conferences. Our hearts desire is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in all that we say and do. Remember to pray for all of the volunteers who work alongside of us in the conferences, also. There is no way that we could do this work without their help. The burden is far too great for any one man to carry.

Another request concerns the school of ministry that we hope to start. We need clear, divine directions and abundant provision before we can accomplish what God has put into our hearts. God bless you and thanks, friends!
 
Just Thinking
A Matter of Trust
 
Last month we quoted James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Although I applied it in a natural sense then, I would like to point out that it applies to all spiritual gifts, too.

The thing that continually  amazes me is this: God, Who knows all things, including all of our weaknesses and failures, entrusts us with the gift of His Holy Spirit and all of its potential manifestations, but many men in authority who are supposed to represent Him won’t trust us at all! They jealously guard their pulpits (power obtained by position) and their flocks (possessions) from all they deem as competitors. In fact, I am convinced that personal ambition and ministerial jealously is what caused the early church to shipwreck so soon after it lunched!

History shows that ambitious, politically minded men are motivated to be politically correct. They will compromise truth and defile their consciences to obtain the honor of man.

Recently, while I was listening to someone teach he mentioned that the root of all evil was the love of money. Suddenly I thought, the tree of knowledge was both a tree of good and evil, and God said that either one would kill you. I wonder what the root of (man’s) “good” is? The answer came instantly – the love of praise and the desire for honor. Jesus said, “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?” (John 5:44).