Keeping The Body Under

Ministry Wednesday: Keeping the Body Under

1 Corinthians 9
27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

I actually love how the version quoted puts it... 'I keep under my body...' It sounds to me like a perpetual pinning down so that it's tendencies are caged and restricted.

It's quite amazing that Apostle Paul would go that length for the reason he expressed there, so that after preaching to others, he won't be a cast away.

That's a message for every preacher. It has been argued that being a castaway doesn't mean what it sounds to mean, that it doesn't mean a preacher going to hell fire or eternal damnation, but whatever it means isn't alright. It sounds to me as if apostle Paul was referring to what Christ said, "Get thee away from me, I know you not, you workers of iniquity"

And it has also been argued that all the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly on hell fire were for the Jews and not us... I just feel I should let you know.

But I believe the teachings of Christ are for us, starting from His fundamental message of the Kingdom and how we must be born again of the Spirit and the Word to enter therein. The essence of the Spirit and the opportunity to partake of the Holy Spirit all by the works of faith and not of the law. Which formed the basis of the doctrines of the apostles and even of Apostle Paul.

God declared Jesus Christ as the word of God to the apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, when having withdrawn Moses and Elijah, who represented the law and the prophets, announced Jesus Christ as His beloved Son who must be heard. And so declared Him to the Son and the Word of God by power as Paul put it, having being told, I believe, of what happened at that mount and how He told them not to tell anyone about what happened on the mount until after His resurrection. Using that to tell them of the importance of His resurrection to His being declared the Son and the Word of God.

Now, He isn't a dispensational Word of God, No! He is eternal Word for all ages, past, present and future. Anything said before and after Him are to be judged as God's Word with Him, His teachings, His works and His lifestyle being standard. He is the one we are told to hear...

A reason why no one who came after to preach a tribal version of what Moses was given can't be telling the truth. According to Apostle Paul, such a person is accursed

So we see how not being a castaway should be interpreted by the teaching of Christ and not by modern human right advocacy. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Almighty God and knowing the terror of God, we persuade men, according to Paul, the Apostle.

So as ministers of God, of which Apostle Paul was chief, we must learn those areas where we can easily fall into the traps of the enemy and avoid them.

We must keep our bodies, emotions, and desires down so that they don't take us to the edge of being castaway after preaching to others.

The lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life are issues every minister must watch out against. We aren't keeping ourselves away so that we won't be caught, create scandals and lose our ministries, that'll be a wrong reason, and such reasons can be circumvented. We can get to a position where whatever we do is approved by men...whatever we do will always have people to defend...

But we must do what we have to do if truly we believe in God and in His justice system that cant be compromised. He is no respecter of persons.

It's therefore important that we take decisive steps to check on what the book of Hebrews call 'weights and the sin that do easily beset us'. We must check on the areas of our job hazards to preserve ourselves.

The good news is, if we thirst and hunger for righteousness, we shall be filled. If we desire to keep the body under and to be crucified, the Spirit of God will activate and work it out in us but we have to take steps first.

We must put away lusts, pride, anger, covetousness and put on Christ in humility, love, contentment, honesty and discipline.

This is the way by which we can preserve our own Salvation in endurance to the end. We must not be careless with our lives. Pride and arrogance are subtle in ministry as we seek position above others to look down on them, love of money often disguise as prosperity and lusts of the flesh disguise as bringing people of the opposite sex into intimacy. We must be careful as we preach to others.

And as we desire to keep our bodies down...the power of grace will step in to help and to achieve divine desires and consequent divine approval.

Remain blessed servants of God. It's a great day!