Keep Company With The Word - Listen

Another way to keep company with the Word is by listening to the Word being preached or taught. Listening to scriptural preaching and teachings, help you grow spiritually.

Luke 5:1 (NLT)

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

Emphasis Mine

The purpose of preaching and teaching is such that there will be listeners who can benefit from the Word of God. I want us to note that Jesus was preaching the Word of God. We are told that the crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the Word of God.

Another example;

Acts 2:42 (NIV)

 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Emphasis Mine

Peter had preached a message and three thousand had accepted the message, got baptized and were added to their number. So, this scripture is referring to the believers in that community at the time. After accepting the message, they had to grow spiritually by devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The apostles were teaching the Word of God.

Listening to preaching and teachings brought to you by men and women of God is good. Here is the Word of caution for you as you go about listening. Do your assignment of gaining some understanding about the life of the person you listen to. This is important because it will be most beneficial to listen to someone who does what they teach others.

This is what Luke tells us

Acts 1:1 (NKJV)

 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

Emphasis Mine

Doing and teaching are inseparable. And it must be noted that the doing comes first before the teaching. Amen! Listening to teachings about the Word, not storytelling, is one way of keeping company with the Word. Cultivate the atmosphere of your home, your car, your office, and any environment you find yourself through listening to the Word and songs that are Word-based.

Keep Company With The Word - Meditate

Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Emphasis Mine

It tells you what to do and how often you should do it. When you meditate on the Word day and night, it will help reshape your thought pattern. Your thought pattern will be that which Philippians 4:8 has to say;

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

How do you keep company with the Word through meditation? The Hebrew translation of the word meditation suggests that meditation requires that you utter words, you mutter words, you ponder on words, Amen!

It is not possible to meditate without studying because meditation requires that you ponder, mutter and utter on the words you have studied for yourself. So, as you study and begin meditating, you will be keeping company with the Word and subsequently, the results will be evident. Amen.

Keep Company With The Word - Study

When you choose to keep company with the Word, you are in other words keeping company with God Himself.

John 1:1 (NKJV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Emphasis Mine

Study the scriptures for yourself. Yes! It is necessary to listen to others, read from others, watch others, say what others say, and more. However, remember that you owe yourself and your generation the responsibility to study the word and establish a solid foundation based on your knowledge of the Word. No one else can do this for you, irrespective of how much they love you.

Challenge yourself this season to

-Invest in a hard copy of a study bible. Get a translation that you best understand.

It is okay to use digital bibles, however, be very careful not to abandon your spiritual mental exercises to technology. Amen! Commit Scriptures to memory.

-Get acquainted with your bible by at least knowing all 66 books of the bible and how they are divided between the Old and New Testaments.

-Do some background work in order to know why each book of the bible was written and whom it was written to.

-Get yourself a good notebook and pen.

-Then begin your journey of studying the Word as directed.

I thought it will be necessary to take care of the elementary aspects of getting prepared to study the word.

We will examine the lives of two outstanding biblical character leaders – Ezra and Daniel. They are great examples of people whom the Bible records as studying scriptures for themselves.

Ezra 7:10 (NIV)

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Emphasis Mine

One thing we must know about Ezra is that he was an outstanding leader in His time. Leading and teaching the children of Israel the Word. Ezra kept company with the Word. He devoted himself to the study of the Law of the Lord.

What about Daniel? A great leader in His time and served at least 4kings as a result of the wisdom of God in Him. He could do so because he kept company with the Word.

Daniel 9:2 (NIV)

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

Emphasis Mine

How else could he have known that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years? And that it had been revealed to the Prophet Jeremiah in the past? Until that time, God had been hiding that particular information for Daniel, in the scriptures.

Scripture is where the Lord hides things for us not from us. That is why Proverbs 25:2 (NKJV) states; It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

As you devote time to study just like Ezra and Daniel did, do some research alongside that will help give you a better understanding of the subject matter. In summary, studying is one way to keep company with the Word. Devote time to study the Word; gain understanding from scriptures so that you can know the things that the Lord is hiding for you. Amen.

Why Keep Company With The Word

Before we examine the various ways in which we can keep company with the Word; let’s begin by understanding why we should keep company with the Word. Amen.

In all our getting, let’s get understanding (Proverbs 4:7) because a person who understands what they do and why they do what they do or why they do what they are told to do will benefit most. Amen.

Why?

-It is a godly thing to do. Please do not keep company with the Word because it is a good thing to do. Let’s begin reshaping our mindsets. Start refraining from doing things just because they are good things. Do things or do something because it is a godly thing to do. Why? A good or bad thing done is based on your opinion while a godly thing is based on God’s opinion. Amen. Godly actions will eventually yield or lead to good actions. Good actions do not always yield/ or lead to godly actions. So let’s be very careful.

-It is an opportunity for you to understand your Father God and His expectations for you.

When you understand your Father better, you will relate with Him better, and you will benefit from the relationship more. When you understand Him through the Word, you will know firsthand what he expects from you and what you can expect from Him. There is no other way to get this information than through the Word.

-It is your manual for living. If you want to know how you were designed to function and why you are here on earth, there is no better place to consult but the word of God (bible). In it, you will receive step by step information and instructions.

-It will help you resolve confusion (s) by guiding you in the right direction as concerns decision making. Are you experiencing any form of confusion? I have a solution for you. The Word of God.

-You will experience growth and increase in all applicable areas of life.

-You will be better Christ representer here on earth. You will become knowledgeable about how to establish the kingdom of heaven.

-Above all, it is the best companion you can keep and be guaranteed that you will reap a good harvest.

When next we meet, we will talk about the various ways in which we can keep company with the Word. Amen!

Companionship - Introduction

Companionship is a topic that is relevant in the life of every person and in every season. We are grateful for the opportunity to delve deeper into this topic of interest and learn the biblical perspectives of companionship. As you listen to the messages this season, I encourage you to begin making changes, adjustments by applying the word that comes your way.

For the purpose of the study, a companion is a person or thing with whom one spends more time with. Therefore, companionship refers to company.

This sounds like a very easy and familiar topic, however, this is where most people get it wrong even in the Christian circle. Do not get complacent. Listen, every one of us can benefit from a companionship restructuring or overhaul. Whatever season you find yourself, if you examine your life very closely, you will find an area in which you can do better, talk better, act better, think better, read better, write better and more. As the messages come to us this season, please do yourself a favor not to exempt yourself from the life-changing encounters as a result of the transformation that comes from the Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand even beyond the words spoken through these recordings. Let your minds be receptive, be open to learn and grow.

So much will be addressed in this series – we will learn who and what to keep company with, how to purposefully choose our companions, consequences of wrong companionships and more. All of these will be learned from the Word of God.

Companionship is a topic of interest that the Word of God addresses in every book of the Bible in different ways. The reason is simple; it is all about relationship. Relating with skill. Did you know that we can all benefit from any and every relationship if we do so skillfully? Very true.

Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB)

 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

The Words in scripture are inspired. They are not regular words. It is a risk at your expense to undermine what the bible has to say for whatever reason. You must have heard Proverbs 13:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:33, and just maybe you did not take them seriously and as result, justified why you had to keep the wrong company. Guess what? There are consequences to disobeying the Word of God. So next time, when you quote these sentences, remember no one is exempted (you are not too holy to become a victim of circumstance, you are not too strong to not be influenced by negativity). Proverbs 13:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:33 are without any exemption. Now is not the time to make excuses or give benefit of doubts. No! Seek counsel if you must because, the truth, remains the truth.

Let your testimony be that of the Psalmist as quoted in Psalm 119:63

I am a companion of all who fear you, all who keep your precepts.

Join us, as we get practical in our spiritual walk. Amen!

The Holy Spirit Upon You

The Holy Spirit upon will do the following;

·       The Holy Spirit upon is the same Holy Spirit within. Our walk with the Holy Spirit leads us to a place where our lives are greatly/positively affected and we begin to overflow.

Acts 1:24 (NKJV)

And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen.

Acts 2:4 (NKJV)

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

·       The baptism and refilling of the Holy Spirit is an ongoing process (Luke 8:18-19).

·       The Holy Spirit upon is for service, not personal use. It is important to focus on the Spirit within and upon for complete growth purposes.
         
              The Spirit "Upon"  is available to the believer and can be transferred;

·       Through service to God. As you serve God and continue in your service to Him, He sees your heart and directs you just as in the case of Cornelius in in Acts.

·       Through tithes and offering

·       Through the Word – spend time studying the Word day and Night.

·       Through prayers – invest time in prayers

·       By serving the anointed man or woman of God.

·       By the laying of the mantle.

·       By looking into the eyes of the anointed man or woman of God with whom you have a relationship with.

·       By being of service to them.

It should be noted that, although the anointing can be transferred as mentioned above, the person receiving the transfer must remain in prayers and follow Paul’s example as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV) - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Holy Spirit Within You

The Holy Spirit Within You will do the following;

·       For our healing and health of our bodies. The Holy Spirit within vitalizes our mortal bodies.

Romans 8:11 (NKJV)

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Emphasis Mine

·       The Holy Spirit will lead us to walk with Him such that the life we live does not bring shame (condemnation). Therefore we ought to walk by His leadership, not by the flesh

Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Emphasis Mine

·       Children of God ought to abide by some roles – a life lived in the Word that leads to freedom.

Romans 8:4 (NKJV)

that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

·       When you walk with the Holy Spirit, you enjoy peace

Romans 8:6 (NKJV)

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

·       We enjoy freedom as well.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV)

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Emphasis Mine

Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

·       The Holy Spirit helps us in our infirmity.

Romans 8:26-27 (NKJV)

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

·       The Holy Spirit is able to lead us and teach us from within.

·       The Holy Spirit is able to comfort us from inside.

·       The Holy Spirit helps us to live from one level of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)…Christ in you, the hope of glory.

·       The Holy Spirit exposes the Word to us.