Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Throughout the Biblical narrative, we see a pattern of God choosing to work through human instruments to accomplish His purposes on earth. From the very beginning, God created human beings in His image and gave them the mandate to ‘rule over’ and ‘subdue’ the earth as His representatives. Though all-powerful, God has chosen to limit Himself by working in partnership with human beings rather than unilaterally imposing His will. From the patriarchs like Abraham to the prophets, judges, and ultimately Jesus Christ and the apostles, the scriptures provide numerous examples of God enacting His will through people. The Apostle Paul captured this beautifully, describing the church as ‘God’s co-workers’ charged with the high calling of spreading the good news of Christ. We’ve been given this unfathomable privilege as the Body of Christ. I encourage you to recognise and embrace the ways God is calling you to participate in His work. Be blessed as you read.
Don’t ever believe the lie of the enemy by thinking that you’re only human. That’s a lie, you aren’t only human if you’re born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You have the same power that raised Christ from the dead. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11).
But people will approach God and say, “Oh God, I am nothing. I have nothing. I can do nothing. The doctor says the disease is incurable, but I believe you can do all things.” Did you know that’s all lies? Somebody might say well, don’t you believe God can do all things? And the answer is no, God says he will only do exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think according to the power that works in you. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).
God has chosen to work through people, and believers receive, but doubters receive nothing from the Lord. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-7).
It’s wrong to say, “Oh God, you could do anything if you wanted to. You could just heal me.” That’s not true, you have believed a lie. God has to have a person to flow through. You have to believe in order to receive. The Bible states in Mark 16:15-20; the words of Jesus, known as the Great Commission, calling on believers to let God work through them, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
" Don’t ever believe the lie of the enemy by thinking that you’re only human. "
If we’re going to be involved in the Great Commission mandate, then we’re supposed to go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to everyone. The Bible teaches not only to preach the gospel to everyone but also emphasizes that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, while those who refuse to believe will be condemned. God has to have a person to flow through. He wants to work through you to present the good news of the gospel and he wants to flow through your hearers. They have to believe in order to be saved.
It’s not your job to save anybody. You’re just to present the gospel and then they choose to believe or not. That’s one of the unique things. Somebody might say that if I had a magical ministry wand, I could just wave it over people so they would understand, live, and do it. But that goes against the nature of God because He’s about our free will. The gospel is the power of God onto salvation. The Lion of Judah will speak for Himself. So, it’s up to the individual hearers to decide whether to believe it because God has limited himself to working through people. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is condemned or doomed.
As a believer, you must share the gospel and live by it; whether others choose to believe is between them and God. God is looking for people to work through. People are born again through the incorruptible seed or the power of the Word of God. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23). 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-17)
Somebody might say, they may not listen to me, but God is saying ‘go and proclaim the truth to them because you have no right to reject the truth for them.’ If God has asked you to speak to somebody, just go ahead and do it. Who are you to say they are not going to listen to me when the master has commanded you to speak out? Who are you to reject the truth for somebody when God has chosen you to go and bear fruits that will remain? You didn’t choose yourself; God chose you (John 15:16). Bring every thought and argument to the obedience of Christ. Our own shyness, insecurities, and logical contemplative thought process may lead us to think, ‘they hate church so I won’t say anything.’ The question is, who are you to determine where people are in their walk with the Lord? Remember that you’re placed in the world for the world and for such a time as this. God wants to work through you to reach out to this dark, lost, and dying world.
Therefore, go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to each and every one. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is condemned. You have to keep your heart focused and your relationship with God intentional, because there are thousands of distractions, and there are constant things, even good things, that can distract you. That’s why the enemy loves to distract us. If we are distracted, we won’t see the people in front of us and reach out to them. We don’t let the overflow of our relationship touch them because we’re so depleted, busy and preoccupied with our own insecurities. Sometimes the enemy of God’s best may distract you with seemingly good things, causing you to say yes to everything and leaving you with no time for the Lord.
