Eph 4:11 (KJV) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12 (KJV) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13 (KJV) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Eph 4:14 (KJV) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Eph 4:15 (KJV) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Eph 4:16 (KJV) From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1 Pet 4:11 (KJV) If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Any privilege, power or benefit we have as Christians is granted only because we are in Christ ! We have no merit, in and of ourselves, which provides us any particular "special entrance" into the presence of God. Everything we possess as Christians, material and spiritual, is to be viewed and understood as a blessing concurrent with our abiding in Christ. Likewise, the entrance we enjoy into God’s promises has been created by our obedience to the Lord.

The Christian’s attention must be on spiritual realities and not merely human events. If we are to truly enjoy God’s richest blessings we must learn the value and necessity of focusing on the Lord’s will and striving to do it.

Col 3:1 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 (KJV) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:17 (KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

My message today deals with the importance of Christ centered and Christ honoring speech patterns in the life of the believer. As we live, move and have our very existence in Christ, we must speak truth!

NO DECEPTION. NO HYPOCRISY. NO PRETENSE. NO SHOWMANSHIP. NO GRANDSTANDING. NO THEATRICS. NO SELF-SERVING TESTIMONIES. NO EXAGGERATIONS. NO LYING WONDERS.

A. THE WEAKEST USE OF OUR WORDS IS WHEN WE:

1. PRAY WITH SELFISH MOTIVES.

James 4:3 (KJV) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

2. PRAY WITH UNBELIEF IN OUR HEARTS.

Heb 3:12 (KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

3. SPEAK EVIL OF OUR NEIGHBOR.

Eph 4:31 (KJV) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Titus 3:2 (KJV) To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.

 B. THE STRONGEST USE OF OUR WORDS IS WHEN WE:

1. PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD.

Psa 19:14 (KJV) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psa 51:15 (KJV) O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

2. PREACH AND TEACH GOD’S WORD

1 Cor 9:16 (KJV) For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

2 Tim 4:2 (KJV) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3. SPEAKING IN THE HOLY GHOST.

Rom 8:26 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

4. SHARE OUR PENTECOSTAL TESTIMONY.

1 Pet 3:15 (KJV) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

A great deal has been said in the past 10 or 15 years about the power of the believer’s speech. We have been told that a Christian can "speak things into existence" or may, if he chooses, "command things out of existence.

We have been told is we would pray louder, longer, or with more pathos we could get what we want. We’ve been instructed to command, to demand, to reprimand, to stand, to go, to wait, to see, to decree, to receive it -- all the while hoping we could hit upon that wonderful formula that brother so in so found that makes him such a powerful and rich man of God!!

We have been taught to vulgarize and demean scriptures through selfish application in order to achieve material possessions or to enhance our position in social circles and before our friends.

• WE ARE TOLD TO USE MATTHEW 17:17 (THE STORY OF THE DELIVERANCE OF THE DEMON POSSESSED SON) AS A PROOF TEXT FOR ASKING GOD FOR ANYTHING WE WANT WHEN THE PASSAGE CLEARLY DEALS WITH THE POWER TO CAST OUT DEVILS.

Mat 17:17 (KJV) Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

Mat 17:18 (KJV) And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Mat 17:19 (KJV) Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Mat 17:20 (KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Mat 17:21 (KJV) Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

• LIKEWISE, THE PASSAGE WHICH DEALS WITH GOD’S DESIRE TO GIVE US THE HOLY GHOST, IN LUKE 11, HAS BEEN RE-EMPHASIZED TO FOCUS ON THE SUPPOSED AVAILABILITY OF ANY AND ALL MATERIAL THINGS.

Luke 11:9 (KJV) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Luke 11:10 (KJV) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Luke 11:11 (KJV) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luke 11:12 (KJV) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

We have been led down a tragic path of self-indulgence and ego-centric motives, all the while misusing scripture to justify our behavior. We have been told to "confess what we want" and we shall have it.

Pretending that we are little "creative gods" we set out to "speak it into existence". Like Blackstone, the magician, we try to materialize our wants and desires into living reality.

THE WORDS OF JESUS IN MATTHEW 6, FLY IN THE FACE OF SUCH INDEPENDENT AND GODLESS ATTITUDES.

Mat 6:25 (KJV) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Mat 6:26 (KJV) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Mat 6:27 (KJV) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Mat 6:28 (KJV) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Mat 6:29 (KJV) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 Mat 6:30 (KJV) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Mat 6:31 (KJV) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32 (KJV) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33 (KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:34 (KJV) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We have also been taught the erroneous non-creative side of psychological negativism. By that, I mean, we have harnessed the potentially destructive power of a negative attitude, and what it can do to our mind, and have re-assigned that philosophy to spiritual truth.

Now, we fear if we speak a negative word, or think a negative thought, we somehow set in motion the powers of God and nature. And, of course, to make this idea work, we must believe they are waiting to punish us with sickness, disease, accident, or some other suitable catastrophic judgment. Therefore, instead of God being the protector and provider of his children, we become the controller of our life by simply saying so.

Both extremes, that of the "creative word’ theory (speak-declare into existence) and that of the "negative word" theory (negative words or thoughts controlling judgment) cannot be substantiated by scripture without wresting the scriptures from their context.

These theories mainly serve to establish a ranking among believers.

Those who have learned how to "make it work" are super Christians; those who haven’t learned are, unfortunately, ordinary Christians.

We must learn to speak the truth in Christ.

In our ignorance, we create big Christians and little Christians. We make idols (little gods) out of those who appear to be more proficient in the Word (local church as well as national ministry) They, in turn, in order to maintain our adulation, must somehow continue to display even greater and greater powers in their life so as to continue to amaze and astound us.

In addition, they must always be developing new insights and understandings of the hidden things of the scripture to demonstrate to us that they have an "inside track" to the wisdom of "creative Christianity".

I do not believe the Bible is a "mystery" book which only certain deep and profound thinkers can understand. I also do not believe that God established a caste system in the church making some of his children more important , and therefore more loved, than others.

Man has created the destructive "Christian ladder to success". Man has corrupted the beautiful and life giving Word of God by turning it into a self-help manual with himself being the center of attention.

I BELIEVE GOD HAS GIVEN ALL BELIEVERS THE SAME RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES IN JESUS CHRIST.

I. WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK IN THE POWER OF GOD (IN CHRIST)

A. IN PRAYER AND WORSHIP.

B. AGAINST DEMONS AND THEIR WORKS.

C. AGAINST DISEASE AND SICKNESS.

 II. WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT (IN CHRIST) TO KNOW HIS WILL.

A. FOR OUR LIFE.

B. IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

C. IN OUR DECISIONS.

III. WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (IN CHRIST).