trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor to Pastor

The Lord’s Agents

In this issue:
Christ in the Psalms (7)
The Lord’s Agents

Opportunities
What’s the state of your Christian worldview?
How are things going in the time of your life?
Summer reading suggestions from The Fellowship of Ailbe

Pastor to Pastor Monthly Resource
Augustine on studying and teaching the Word of God.

Christ in the Psalms (7)
The Lord’s Agents

He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.Psalm 104.3, 4

No idle Kin
It would be easy to get the impression that Jesus Christ, exalted in glory, has nothing else to do but bask in the admiring love of those who populate His throne room and temple.

That would only be half the story, however.

We have seen that heaven – the present dwelling place of the Lord – is a place of unimaginable beauty and glory, bustling with departed saints and holy angels who sing, praise, testify, and simply admire the Lord of glory as He sits on His eternal throne.

But the Lord is busy on earth, and to carry out the work He is doing there, He engages three primary agents: the Spirit of God, the angels, and the people of God on earth.

The work of the Spirit
The Psalms do not have much to say about the Spirit. We get a glimpse of His work here and there, and, joining what we see there with some other passages, we can get a sense of how the Spirit serves as the primary Agent for the progress of Christ’s rule.

Jesus is said to ride or walk forth from His throne to carry out His work (Pss. 45.4; 104.3). John envisioned this as His riding a white horse, which would be an apt symbol of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 6.1). The Spirit is the Lord’s means of conveyance for “getting around” amid the tumble and tumult of human history. He roams throughout the earth as the “eyes of the Lord,” doing the Lord’s bidding and carrying forward the victory He has attained (Deut. 11.12; 2 Chron. 16.9; Ps. 34.15). In Psalm 104 the Spirit is likened to a chariot in serving the Lord as the means of conveyance by which the Lord is present on the earth.

The Spirit works in the souls of God’s people, watching over them, convicting and teaching them, granting them understanding and strength to do the work of Christ (Pss. 139, 51). The Spirit of God, poured out by the Father and the Son, is the operative Agent and effective Power of the Kingdom of God, the Means by which the Kingdom increases on earth as in heaven.

The work of the angels and the saints
Angels are spiritual beings of great power. They number in the myriads of myriads, according to Daniel 7, and are available at the Lord’s behest to serve the interests of His Kingdom. Here is not the place to outline in detail the work of angels. Suffice it to say that angels can be called into service to help the people of God with spiritual struggles, to exert power over the creation, and to thwart the designs of the Lord’s enemies. They are real, and they are really, really powerful.

In Psalm 45 the people of God are likened to the weapons by which the Lord conducts His ongoing conquest of the earth. This martial imagery was appropriate for David’s day, but now we are encouraged, by the Apostle Paul, for example (Eph. 6.10ff), to think of our warfare in spiritual terms. The Lord is able, by His Word and Spirit, to teach, equip, send, and use His people to extend His throne of righteousness and justice to all the nations of the earth. For their part, the people of God must earnestly seek the Lord and learn everything they can from Him, so that they might walk in His ways and do His bidding (Ps. 25).

So the Lord Jesus is very active from His throne in heaven. All around us spiritual powers move and strive and work, according to Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1.11), to enable us who know the Lord to carry out the purposes for which He has made us His own people.

Our responsibility is to understand our calling and to embrace it readily, knowing Whom we serve and being committed to doing His work, on earth as it is done in heaven, as our highest priority.

Opportunities
What’s the state of your Christian worldview? Is your vision of Christ and His Kingdom clear, expansive, and growing? Are you practicing all the essential disciplines to make progress toward that vision? And what about the outcomes you see in your daily life? Do they indicate growth in your walk with and work for the Lord?

Watch the brief video introducing the Personal Discipleship Inventory. Then download the Inventory and work through the statements and exercises provided. You’ll have a better sense of where you are in the Lord, as well as of where you need to grow from here.

And what about the time of your life? Are you making the most of it? Well, you won’t know unless you have a clear sense of where your time goes each week. Download the free worksheet, “The Time of Your Life,” and spend a week examining yourself in the light of your calling to love God and your neighbors.

Summer Reading Suggestions from The Fellowship of Ailbe
Work on your vision of Christ with our book, Be Thou My Vision. These 28 meditations from Scripture and our Celtic Christian forebears can expand your vision of Christ and His Kingdom. Order your copy by clicking here.

The Kingdom Turn is our newest book, and describes what it means to be a citizen and ambassador in that glorious realm. Click here.

The Poetry of Prayer walks you through George Herbert’s poem, “Prayer (1),” to help you understand and improve your prayer life with the Lord. Click here. This is an excellent book to read with a prayer partner.

Pastor to Pastor Monthly Resource
We reach back into our archives this month to retrieve 28 days of meditations based on Scripture and Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine. These meditations can help you examine your approach to reading and teaching the Word of God, and lead you more consistently into the kind of ministry of God’s Word that helps others grow in love for God and neighbors. And it’s free, in a PDF download, simply by clicking here.

We’re happy to provide Pastor to Pastor and other online resources at no charge. If this ministry is helpful to you, please consider joining those who support our work financially. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.