Gideon shared his battle plan with the army.  "Do as I do; do the same as me!  Come together under my leadership" Gideon’s men never said, "I’m not sure that is a good idea?" And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:  When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!' “Judges 7:17 -18The devil knows the churches key to victory is unity.  You never hear of devils splitting up and starting a new hell.   God is not asking for our opinion. We do as the leader does.  That is how you have a breakthrough in a city. This is demonstrated in our corporate worship times. Our task is not to score the worship leader on the job they do or decide whether we like their song choice.  No, our job is to follow their lead.   In the temple when they made one sound, the glory fell.    The Spirit of God will fall if there is one people, with one heart, in one accord, and in one place.  When we say whatever the leader is doing, I’m following it. It doesn’t matter what song is sung if people follow with faith and a good heart. If there is unity there can be a breakthrough.  The power of God didn’t fall because Paul and Silas could sing well but because there was unity in the prison. And every man stood in his place all around the camp, and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. Jdg 7:21 -22. When every man stood in his place or the place he should have been standing, God moved and the enemy ran. If we are not bringing our gift to the house and our strength to the army, we are not standing in our place.  One can put 1000 to flight and two can put 10,000 to flight.   If you have an enemy you can’t defeat by yourself,  find a friend to stand with you.  And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.   Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah.  Jdg 7:23-24Soon all the other tribes’ joined in the battle.  300 brave men armed with lamps, vessels and trumpets brought all the rest of Israel up to the battle.  Our actions can inspire others to rise up.  Don’t wait for your mate to decide to be a world changer. When you decide you will bring your friends with you. Be the first.  Your decision will change not only your destiny but maybe the future of those that know you. God has not changed his mind about you.  You may have had a call and you may have got off track but there a great verse in Amos for you.  "So says Jehovah: As the shepherd takes two legs out of the mouth of the lion, or a piece of an ear; so shall the sons of Israel be taken out... Amo 3:12 .  Here the lion had devoured the sheep.  All that was left was an ear and a leg but God was going to take them out of defeat.

Friend, whatever enemy has stolen and torn you to pieces – as long as you have an ear to hear His word and a leg to stand on, it’s not too late for you.   God will restore the years that the locust has eaten.  You can get back in the game and back in the battle under leadership.

Noah believed Gods warning about the coming rain, built his ark and survived the flood. Afterwards, he built an altar and offered burnt offerings upon it.   Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake” (Gen 8:20).  Noah is a picture of a “saved” man; a man delivered from judgment.  All flesh upon the earth apart from Noah, his family, and some clean animals were destroyed. Because Noah was delivered from the judgment of God he makes an altar because he had experienced God’s mercy. God revealed Himself to Abraham so he made an altar to God (Genesis 12.1). The Lord delivered Moses from the enemy so Moses built an altar in recognition of Gods help and mercy. (Exodus 17.1)Able, Gideon, Joshua and David all experienced the mercy of God and then built altars to the Lord.

Worship is a recognition that God has manifested His mercy to us; that we have been partakers of His love and delivered from our enemies.  Their worship and their sacrifices were acceptable to God because they were offered because of their experience of the mercy of God. Today the only acceptable altar on which we can offer our sacrifice is a revelation of the mercy of God.  I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom. 12:1).  The “therefore” is the conclusion of what preceded in Romans three to ten.  In Romans three it tells us God saves us and we are justified from sin as Able was.  Romans five tells us we have peace from God as Gideon had.   Romans six tells us we are told we are now alive to God like Noah was alive after the flood. In Romans eight, we are told there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus and Romans nine says that the Gentiles have received mercy and been grafted into God's purposes like Abraham. All these Old Testament men had received mercy and then worshipped God. Therefore in Romans twelve Paul says because you also have experienced God’s mercy like Able, Gideon, and Abraham, present a sacrifice!  Our body - a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable service or worship.

Friend, devoting ourselves entirely in worship that stems from a revelation of the mercy of God, will always be acceptable worship to our God and Saviour.

Paul says that we have Gods treasure in earthen vessels.  The word for the vessel is “ostrakinos” meaning substandard and not fitting for an occasion.   This type of vessel was not usually seen in the better homes but used by the poor.  As time went by it come to mean, low grade and substandard.  What is important and interesting is that is the one time Peter refers to wives as vessels, he doesn't use that word meaning misfit or substandard.1Pe 3:7  Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. No, he uses the Greek word  “skeuo” which is the word for fine china, not an old pot.  Your wife is like fine china so treat her gently in honour and great carefulness in every situation.   To give honour really means treat as treasured and highly valued at all times.  The idea here about the vessel being weaker is not inferior, but rather it means fragile in the sense of an expensive piece of ceramic. She is not the pot in the garden shed; she is the vase of beauty that is protected from all the grandkids lest it is damaged!  It means to not put her down or make jokes about her in front of people. No pointing out her faults in front of others.  Or dishonouring in front of the children. Not comparing her to other vessels and remembering her special days.   Why? because that is an honour.  Honour is revealed by your seeking to bring pleasure to another. Honour is the best predictor of your marriages future success.

Sanctification or Christian maturity is a  process and is learning to live consistent with who we are in Christ.  For this reason, Paus letters teach us who we are and whose we are. Maturity is realising that anything but Jesus will not give life nor be life. Jn 14:6 Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life Therefore drawing from anything in order to find life in either things, people or places will leave you short of life! Whenever we feel angry, disappointed or fearful it is a sign that you are looking to the wrong thing to give you Life. Years ago I owned a green Austin car. Once a light came on the dash to warn of an impending mechanical failure. I wasn’t long before I had to replace some major parts of the car.  Anger or fear are just a warning light that we are doing the wrong things in order to find life. People, places and things may be a gift from the Life not the source of life! God allows us to have needs that only He can meet.  There are three things that only Jesus can give us. Jesus alone can give us unconditional love.   Jesus alone determines our worth for He alone outbid everyone for us and paid the highest price for us. He alone can be with us always. Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus that they would be strengthened in their inner man by Christ dwelling in their heart through faith, because when they were rooted and grounded in His love they would become mature.  Every time believers get together, it is so they can receive more of the love of God.  There are problems in our hearts that need to be exposed to His love. Love casts out fear and dissolves inferiority.  Maturity also means we must take responsibility rather than blame others.  By understanding the past and its effects we can then make better choices now.

Friends, maturity does not happen with the click of the finger; it takes time and it involves changing the way we respond to ourselves and others and ensuring that we are looking for Life in only one place.

In the middle ages, many sons of noblemen were apprenticed to existing knights. They learned to be knights by wielding weapons and fighting in armour until they were successful in war and were able to guard the house (castle). They became sons of the house through warfare. Spiritual sons know they are part of an army and they know who their enemy is. Sons understand that, when Jesus defeated the devil, He did it in their name. Jesus never came to earth to prove He was greater than the devil - He’s always been that! He came here to defeat him as a human being on our behalf.  The devil was a strong man who could only keep his goods until a stronger one came upon him. That stronger one is Jesus and His Church!  The enemy is still our foe but now in the presence of the enemy, Jesus provides victory. King David said “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;” (Psalm 23:5) There are some things God only puts on the table for us in the presence of our enemies. In other words, most of the times we receive something fresh from God are in the midst of a battle.  In an environment where we need nothing, we receive little. The Christian life is a life of being in need. We should get used to it! We need Jesus every day to live as a Christian. We can’t heal the sick or forgive constantly without Jesus; we can’t cast out devils or defeat our enemies each day, except through Him. Jesus said to one of the churches in Revelation, “...you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17) They had everything they wanted but nothing they truly needed. If we know our true need, God will be our garment, our life, and the anointing we need to see clearly. Sometimes our greatest challenge is to know what we truly need. Like this ancient church group, sometimes we need an enemy to fight!

Friend, to increase in authority there has to be an increase in the challenges we face. God works on the basis that His provision for us is not just sufficient but is more than sufficient for our need and the things we face. If our enemies are a two on the scale, then His grace can be a four. If our troubles are a five, then the strength and more than sufficient anointing that He gives us, will be a seven plus.

Work is meant to be profitable.  If the work you’re doing isn’t making you any money and there is no reason why you think it will turn around, stop doing it.  God wants you to make a profit.  God expects you to sow one seed and reap a harvest.   If what you’re doing and sowing is not bringing a return to you, that seed is dead. Everything God creates, He creates to have the power of multiplying in it. He expects you to be making money. If you can sow 10000 and reap 20000 God is delighted.  Surely you don’t need convincing of this. This is his law of sowing. The power to multiply is in the seed. We work also to make money for our daily necessities. Gods plan is for you have enough over after your living expenses, to be able to give to good works.   If you haven’t got enough to give to every good work,  your either not earning what God  wants you to earn  or you spending too much on other things.  Wesley said “Make all you can, save all you can and give all you can. Consumerism was unheard of till 70s.   Early middle class Christians were thrifty. They were not affected by consumerism. They believed enough is enough.  They knew how to live moderate and they saved. With the money the saved, they invested but Wesley never stopped there.    He also said “Give all you can”     Use what you have saved and invested, to help others to and to extend the kingdom of God.  God intended for you to put some of our money into the kingdom of God.  God is not expecting Bill gates and Helen Clark to fund the outreach to the nations or to reach our own city.  If His people are not going fund the work of God who is?  Make for your selves friends of unrighteous mammon.   It is His after all.

Friend, we were blessed to be a blessing.    After you paid your tithes, met all your expenses and blessed your family, then we are able  to give regular amounts into the kingdom of God.

Work is a blessing. It is blessed not cursed.  Sure there are elements of labor now because of sin, but Adam and God both worked before sin. The Greeks used to believe that work was a curse. So the leisure market sprung up - it is still in our psyche.  They got slaves thinking “why spend 50 hours plus at work.” We need to turn labor into work. We have labor unions because they saw no dignity in their work.  They felt they were just working for the boss; being forced to labor when they should have been out fishing and they got this begrudging attitude. If the hammer falls down we need someone else to pick it up for us because it’s not my task.  A labor mentality instead of a Christian mentality were work is an invitation to join with God in making a world! What is the difference between labor and work?  Labor tends to be faithless and cursed, without God and filled with worries and sleeplessness? When a man sees his life call in terms of work, it becomes faith filled and blessed by God without sorrow.

Friend, work is one of our ministries to God.  At work you’re in the ministry!   It provides necessities, it gives a stable society; it helps the poor and the needy. Mostly it offers worship to God.

Adam was connected to God and to his work, but since the fall, man has had trouble connecting work and God together.  The best many Christians have been able to do, was connect Sunday with God whereas all week as well as the day of rest, Adam and Eve were connected with God in their work. In fact, it seems from scripture, that eternity will be filled with creative fulfilling important work; not clouds and harps.   Work is our first mandate.  Our first calling is as regent under God (Earthly rulers representing heavenly king), is to rule over the earth and subdue it. We are commissioned to subdue the earth. Engineers, builders, dressmakers, and florists all make the earth, work for us.   We take the earth resources and use them we are to take the earths challenges and overcome them. Humans are world makers.  Agricultural, material, political, aesthetic work, musical, artistic work, relationship work, or technical work we are making our world. So when a man makes a tunnel under the sea from England and France bringing people together, God says yes!   God wanted to use man to release the potential of the planet. Gods potential in the plant is released when we work with God.  And that is what we all working to do. Release the potential of creation. So a teacher releases potential in their pupils. A mussel farmer releases the potential of the ocean.   And doctor releases the potential of healing in a person. God actually heals but the doctor assists the process of releasing the full potential of healing. A cook releases the potential of veggies. Parents, builders, everyone; if we aren’t releasing potential, then we aren’t working with God.   If you’re holding down, holding back, keeping something or someone under, then start working with God.  This is the reason why the 5 fold ministry is called the work; it’s all about releasing potential in people.

Friend, there are no easy jobs done by Christians. We all have time and abilities and we all use resources, machines and responsibilities. Your job is no harder than mine and no easier.  Every job is done faithfully and well is difficult whether a builder or an accountant.  It is no harder for me to do my job well that it is for you to do your job well.