Pastor Gail – Reading the Word
1. Amen, amen, amen. Remain standing for just a second. Every time I sing this song, I think of Martin Luther. I think about the day he was reading Romans 1, and he begins to read and understand, it’s not about rules. I can never obey the rules so as to be good enough, but Your grace, oh God is what gives us Your righteousness. Can you imagine, I was thinking about that this morning, he’s sitting down reading that and all of a sudden there’s a revelation; it’s never about me, it’s never about what I do, it’s never ever that. It’s the grace of God, that knows no bounds. Hallelujah.
2. We welcome You Holy Spirit. We thank You for today, that reminds us again, that it’s the grace of God, that is always there, even when we fail. We just ask and Your grace, once again covers us. All the riches of Jesus Christ, the price He paid, so that we may have the righteousness of God. We thank You Father.
3. You can remain standing. Evy you’re going to come up, and read the Word. Turn your Bibles to Romans 16:25-27, “Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith — to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
4. What a powerful Word. To him be the power and the honor, we are living in times of revelation of the gospel. I’m going to ask to greet one another and say how blessed we are. Greet one another now.
5. I want to introduce Marilena, many of you do not know her. How many years were you with us? 8 years. Marilena would often translate, but besides her beautiful smile, she always smiles, always, I don’t ever remember seeing you without a smile. But Marilena plays the violin very well and I miss her playing with our worship team. So, if Jesus ever tells you to come back, you have a home here. We are very blessed to have Marilena here today.
6. Aren’t you grateful for the goodness of the Lord. To be honest, every Sunday in July and August, because I don’t know whom I’m going to see. So, it’s always kind of a surprise. We are glad to have you here with us today. Amen, praise God. There’s a place with the Lord, that I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I’ve had a conversation with Anton, about the Sabath and rest. We may not all agree 100% what the Sabbath means in the New Testament, but it surely means, a place and a time, where it’s just you and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter if you are extremely outgoing, like I am, or Marilena or if you are very quiet like Eva-Lena or Cielo.
7. We all need to draw away like Jesus did. The Scripture says that it was late and Jesus was alone and went to pray. Sunday morning is wonderful for us to be together, we need one another, in a world that’s becoming more and more difficult to look at and wonder what’s going to happen next. We need to find that secret place. I stand challenged today, because of His grace, because of His faithfulness. Because He is always with us. I want to challenge you this week, this is the year of prayer, the Lord told us right before Christmas that this is the year of prayer, find the time to go to the Lord, no TV, no other noise, just you and Him. We need to hear from the Lord. Amen, isn’t that true?
8. In summer we have terrible traffic in Greece. We re-read the same Scripture today.
For the rest of that watch the video.
Pastor Gail – Prayer and Announcements
1. Rather than have the prayer teams come up this morning, I’m asking you to raise your hand, if you need prayer this morning. Evy is here, good. She will pray with you. Brian, Stavros, I need prayer. Stavros has something with his leg, and I have suddenly a pain in my back. We are believing for Mary, that she will be healed from cancer and total healing for Sunil from cancer. The Lord is more than able to do any healing. Let Leto or Evy pray for you, or just take someone else’s hand next to you to pray.
2. Lord if there is a barrier in my faith, in the name of Jesus, I move it aside, to receive the promises. Can we pray? We’ll pray right now.
For the rest of prayer and announcements please watch the video.
Pastor Brian – Main Message
1. Hallelujah Lord. We bless You. We honor You in this house today. And we honor You in these houses Lord (in us). Thank You Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your voice. Lord, we pray that You bless Your Word. Lord, that You help us to learn. Help us to grow. Lord, help us to mature, in the things of Your Spirit, and in the affairs of our lives Lord, we look to You. You are God alone, and we bless You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. I think we’re ready for the children to go this morning. Good morning, guys.
2. Turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians 2. You can put your finger in there or something. And then you van also look with me in Ephesians 4, which some of our text which is part of our series. We’re talking about being gifted. Everybody, say ‘Thank You for Your gifts, Lord.’ Every last one of you is gifted. There is something that God has invested in you, that is specifically you. That is specifically for you and for God to work through you. God invested that in you, because of His love for you. And, because of His love for the world around you. You are not gifted just for you. But you are gifted for the world around you. God loves you, and God loves everybody around you.
3. Now I know that pastor Gail says that God loves her best. Sometimes, people say, ‘No God loves us all equally.’ I kind of disagree with that. We chose another word, long ago. He doesn’t love us equally; He loves us uniquely. He loves you, fully as you. He loves me, fully as me. We are not the same. Billy, thank God, you and I are not the same (tongue in cheek). We’re unique, and Go deals with us uniquely.
4. Now, I’m not going to say that He loves me more than you. I don’t believe that either. I don’t think He loves you more than me. But I do believe that He loves you uniquely. And He gifts us uniquely.
5. We’ve been looking at this Scripture, Ephesians 4, that tells us that Christ gave to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Verse 12 is very key to this. So, if you are a person who underlines in your Bible like me, underline this, highlight this or whatever.
6. There’s a reason that Christ gave these to us. To equip His people, for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. We’ll come around to that at the end today. But the ultimate goal in Ephesians 4:13, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Become mature. Become mature. So that we can attain the full measure of Christ.
7. Now, we have already talked about apostles, and we talked about evangelists, and this is on Anton, that he left the prophets out. Because he put the order together. Obviously, he did not read the Scripture very carefully, because it clearly says, ‘Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists.’ But he was very keen to get to the Evangelists. So, he changed the order, and then he made fun of us for not catching it, as though he did it as a test. But he did not do it as a test. So, I’m putting him in his place this morning.
8. So, we’re backtracking to the Prophets today. I just thought that he wanted everybody to think about something that they are not. He told us last week that he is not an Evangelist, though he does evangelize. I’m not a prophet. But I have prophesied. And remember, the gifts we’re talking about here, the five gifts of the church, there is something more than just the practice of these gifts. But these are people that God has called out specifically in these areas, in order to bless the body of Christ. To be able to train and equip all of us. To be able to train and equip all of us.
9. In 1 Corinthians 12, we learn that there is a gift of prophecy, that when the Holy Spirit chooses in a time and a place, He will give somebody a Word of Prophecy. And you don’t have to be an Ephesians 4 prophet to prophesy. Every person in this room, who has a relationship with the Holy Spirit, can be used by God for any of these gifts, and in fact should be used. You should be making yourself open and available for the Holy Spirit to use you.
10. But what we call the Office of the Prophet, is something a little bit different. We van all be apostolic, meaning we can start ministries and help to be foundational, but that doesn’t mean that we’re all Apostles.
11. We can all have a prophetic voice, but that doesn’t mean that we occupy the Office of a Prophet. We should all evangelize, but that doesn’t make us all Evangelists in the Ephesians 4 context.
12. We can all be pastoral; we can all be teachers; but these offices are given to us, so that the church can be trained in all of these things, so that we can all grow up and be mature, and that together we can all express the fulness of Christ. That sounds like a good plan.
13. So, today we look at the Office of the Prophet. This is not human invention. The church is the body of Christ. It’s designed and built by Christ Himself. I want you to get that. The church is not founded on a Pastor or any other person. The foundation of the Glyfada Christian Center cannot be pastor Gail, or pastor Brian or anybody else. The foundation is, and must always be Jesus Christ.
14. Now, the Bible tells us that He laid the foundation for the church. He’s the cornerstone. That means that He was the first stone, and that everything else in every direction, is measured by that stone. Anything that does not line up with Jesus, must be cut away from us. Whether that’s functions of the church, or that’s actions or activities in our own lives, if it does not line up with the Cornerstone, it must be taken away. He is the Cornerstone.
15. After that, Ephesians 2:20, tells us that the church was, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” I’ve often wondered why these two get singled out from the five. Because all five, apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, all five are equally important. OK, everybody’s with me?
16. All five are equally important. But the Scripture says that two of them, the Apostle and the Prophet, are the creators of the foundation with Jesus. Why is that? Well, the Apostle, that’s a fairly simple explanation. Because, essentially, that’s what Apostles are, they are foundational people. They go out, they start, they build, they train, they get things steady and stable, and then they tend to move to the next.
17. That’s why you see Paul in the Scripture, moving from place to place to place. Because he’s not really a caretaker, he’s a starter. He’s a motivator, he gets things going. And if he is the person I read about in Scripture and what I think, this is just me, I kind of think that if Paul stayed in any place too long, he probably would kill everybody or they’d kill him. But something bad would happen. Because Paul had to move, to go. So, Apostles are foundational in that way.
18. Prophets are foundational, because they hold a unique role in the church, that if exercised properly in the Holy Spirit, they stabilize, they guide, and they reveal what the Spirit is saying to the church. So, let’s think about this. The foundation of any structure, determines its strength. The good news is, that we could not have a stronger, more stable foundation than what we have, because it’s Jesus. We sang the song, ‘He’s the unshakable One.’ And everything is measured by Him.
19. But then in God’s design, He gives us the Apostles and the Prophets. These are not self-appointed voices. No person can stand up and say, ‘This is who I am, and it just be so.’ But these are roles that God has ordained and that the church recognizes. And Prophets in this context are given to us so that there is the hearing of God’s clear voice. How many of you ever hear a voice and wonder, ‘Is that God? Or is that me? Or is it the people, etc.’ And sometimes we struggle and wander through stuff because there hasn’t been a clear voice.
20. But the Prophets are given to us so that the voice is clear and it can be spoken clearly. They help us establish the identity and the direction and the spiritual integrity of the church. We live in a time where the prophetic voice is one of the most important and necessary gifts. But the problem is that we have a lot of self-proclaimed prophets and they’re just muddying the water.
21. And what we need today in this church and around the world, is we need the clear voice of the voice of God heard and declared. The Old Testament prophets, they confronted idolatry; they called back God’s people to faithfulness and their covenant. And it’s not so different for the New Testament prophet. They bring correction to the body of Christ. Sometimes they bring encouragement, when God says that, ‘My people need to hear a pleasant voice.’ And sometimes they bring vision. But they lay this foundation.
22. So, what does it mean for Prophets to be foundational? It doesn’t mean that they just sit back and get a revelation. But they prayerfully align the church with God’s purposes. I’ve listed what I think are three key questions for the Prophets today:
a. Who really is Jesus Christ? Because he has been given a whole bunch of robes, that I don’t think he wants to wear. But who is the real Jesus Christ of the Bible? The Son of God sent to earth, to live, die and be resurrected, to ascend to heaven, to perform His heavenly mission, His heavenly purpose. The church today, needs a clear picture again, of who Jesus really is.
b. Secondly, what is He saying to this generation? There are a lot of voices out there. But what is Jesus truly saying to His church? Somebody has to discern that. I believe, that the clearest voice I’ve heard, at least in the last couple of years, and I believe it’s true, because everywhere you go, the voice is the same. You can put the voice of God right now in one simple word – Pray. Pray. Pray. Pray. Every conference I’ve been to, every church I have visited, It doesn’t matter what part of the world, it seems like they have been hearing this voice – pray. And when that happens, ‘Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit has to say to the church.’ Pray. Pray. And when you’re done praying, start again. Pray, because God, is trying to align His people with His voice.
c. Thirdly, if we know who Christ is, and we hear what He’s saying to the church, then we need the prophetic voice, how should the church respond? And by the church, that doesn’t mean, the office upstairs on Tuesday morning. It means the people in this room, sitting here and all those who aren’t here today. We are the church. And if we are, and we are, how do we respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit? We need that prophetic voice, and we need truth and revelation.
23. Prophets are guardians of truth. And we live in a world that is full of falseness, compromise, spiritual confusion, the true prophetic voice cuts through the noise. It reminds us of our true identity and our mission. It exposes deception, and yes it warns us of judgement.
24. This has always been my problem with prophets. They don’t pray enough; they get too negative. Always pointing out something bad. Telling something wrong. That’s not the prophetic voice; that’s the pathetic voice.
25. But we have to hear the truth. Sometimes we need deep encouragement. That’s also a prophetic voice. Hope, when things seem kind of hopeless. None of this is right. Prophetic voice. But you know Who you have believed in. Are you persuaded? Do you know that He can keep that? That’s a prophetic voice.
26. Healing, when we’re weary and wounded. Hey, the Lord your God is with you. It’s a sacred trust, to be called of God to be a prophet. I have known and do know some real prophets. They scare me. Number one, I’m always afraid what they’re going to expose when I’m around. I’m kidding. But they tend to have a nature, that sometimes to me seems too confident. But it takes a lot to know in your spirit, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’
27. I am more of a, ‘Well, I think I hear the Lord saying.’ But this is the true test of a prophet. A true prophet, is willing to have their voice tested. They’re not afraid for someone else to say, ‘I don’t think that’s quite right.’ And the Bible tells us that the prophets have to be tested by the prophets.
28. But it is humbling, and I’ve been there, I know, it’s a humbling place, to stand up and say something, and have somebody say, ‘Not sure. Not sure about that.’ That’s hard. But if I’m trying to discern the voice of God, on behalf of God’s people, then I have to have the humility, to let God correct my voice. Because we’re just people. Gifted people, but people.
29. And believe or not, sometimes my own ideas, get in my head. In fact, more often than God ideas, are my ideas. So, it has to be tested. And that’s why God gives us each other. But without the voice of the prophets, guaranteed God’s people will wonder. They will stray; they will go their own way. And I know that because the Bible told me so. So, we need the voice of the prophets. So, it can prepare the church for matureness.
30. You see the apostles do the work of an apostle, and the prophets do the work of a prophet. Evangelists do evangelism, the work of an evangelist. Pastors and teachers; we do that work, but beyond that, and perhaps more important than that, is that we are given to equip the saints. Because, we’re all supposed to be apostolic and prophetic, and evangelistic and pastoral and sometimes we’ve got to teach each other. And the Holy Spirit comes among us and He does all of that.
31. But the goal is not to have these five ministries, that a bunch of us can be called that. The goal is for me and you to be mature, all grown up in Christ. Or where I grew up in the States, we say, ‘All growed up.’ The Lord wants to see you flourish. He wants to see you strong, confident, capable, empowered, living a fruitful, fantastic life. Because, He is in you. And when we all start doing that, I would encourage you, pray this prayer.
32. Lord, teach me to be apostolic. Teach me what it means to be prophetic. Holy Spirit make me an evangelist, even if that’s not my office. Give me a pastoral heart, so that I can love and care for people. Give me wisdom, so that when someone needs to hear a voice of teaching, I can give it. So that we can all be mature and to be able to measure up to the full measure of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Gail – Holy Communion
1. Praise God. Father, we pray right now, for everyone of us that is here in this room, that today, even if we have some doubts in our hearts that can happen. Even if we’re a little afraid of what might happen, that we will say to You, ‘I’m available, Father, God. Use me as You will, in Your way, in Your time. I’m here oh Lord.’
2. And Lord if there is somebody here today that doesn’t know Me, I pray today, that they will say, ‘Be my God; be my Savior; I want You in my life more than anything else. I repent of those things that don’t please You, the sins in my life.’ And Lord, for each one of us today right now as we prepare for communion, each one of us will say once again, ‘Create in me a clean heart oh God. Renew a right spirit within me, I want to be completely Yours. Thank You Jesus, for Your gift of Your life, that I can know eternal life. Thank You. Thank You Lord. In the name of Jesus.’

The rest of the communion watch the video.