This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here:
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/
On this day and every day –
God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up
Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.
“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Ministering Spirits
Hebrews 1:14 includes information about the ministry of elect angels to believers: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Angels are spiritual beings involved in many different tasks, and part of the elect angel’s work is to serve, or minister to, believers in different ways.
The Greek word for “ministering” refers to being in service to others. Being servants, angels are said to “serve” believers, which in the original Greek has the idea of someone waiting a table. The author of Hebrews refers to angels as ministers or servants to those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation, and the context of Hebrews 1 specifically contrasts the service of angels with the greater work of Jesus, since He is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:5–14).
As “ministering spirits,” angels serve believers in several ways. At times, angels are sent by God to answer prayers. An example of this is when Peter was imprisoned shortly after the execution of James (Acts 12). As Peter was in his cell chained between two guards, “the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (verse 5). “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists” (verse 7). The arrival of an angel to rescue Peter was an obvious answer to the church’s prayer. God can use angels to answer our prayers just as He did in this instance, even if it is not in a visible manner.
Another way that angels are ministering spirits is that they are sometimes sent to encourage believers. In Scripture, angels encouraged and attended the Lord Jesus at least twice: after He was tempted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43). Paul was encouraged by an angel during a storm at sea (Acts 27:23–24).
Providing protection for believers is another service that angels do for the Lord (see Psalm 91:11). An army of angels surrounded Elisha in 2 Kings 6, protecting him from the Arameans. Daniel was protected in the lions’ den by an angel who “shut the mouths of the lions” (Daniel 6:22). Many people believe in personal “guardian angels”; it could be that every believer has an angel assigned to him for protection, but there is nothing specifically stated in the Bible about personal guardian angels.
Despite the ministries that angels carry out for believers, it is important to remember that the Lord of hosts is our Savior, and He is the one who ultimately sends them. Angels do not act on their own accord, nor are they omniscient or omnipresent (Psalm 148:5). The holy angels do God’s bidding. It is God alone who deserves the praise and glory for the answered prayers, encouragement, protection, and service that angels carry out for believers.
We are grateful for the “ministering spirits” that God has ordained, and we give God praise for His care for us. For all their power and glory, the elect angels know their role as servants of the Most High. Like the angel in Revelation emphatically said to John when the apostle tried to worship him, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9).
https://www.gotquestions.org/ministering-spirits.html