The
SPARK IN THE STREET
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are
taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®, NIV ®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version.
Copyright © 2014 Jean-Luc
All rights
reserved. We encourage the use of this material; however, in order to protect
the contents from changes, neither this book, nor any part thereof, may be
stored in a retrieval system,
reprinted, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means -
electronic, mechanical, digital, recording, photocopy, or any other - without
written permission from the publisher, except
for brief quotations in printed reviews.
Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of
this book without the
express written permission of the publisher provided that the text does
not exceed 500 words.
When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit:
“From The Spark in the
Street, authored and
published by Jean-Luc. Used by permission.”
ISBN: 1497444616
ISBN 13: 9781497444614
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014908537
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina
CHAPTER 1: You Were Born For A Purpose
Part 1
God Will
Use You
You have
yet greater things to do for the Lord God in your life than ever before. God
has a plan on how to do that. I am not speaking as such to established pastors
and leadership in denominational and independent churches. I am speaking to
YOU, on Main Street; you of humble heart. Hardly anyone knows you. Yet, you are
the ones God IS going to use powerfully when Jesus said, in John 14:12:
“I tell
you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He
will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
God has a
plan on how to use you powerfully. You were born for a purpose; you will do
great things! God knows you, and he knows exactly where you are. He loves you
and cares for you and He will use YOU mightily! You, the quiet ones, the ones
waiting in the wings; prepare to be called to duty in the service of the Lord. The
world will stand amazed at the mighty works of the Holy Spirit through you, as
you joyfully and lovingly minister to the “least of these” - the homeless, the
poor, those in need.
“But God
chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this
world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the
things that are...”
(I
Corinthians 1:27)
Also:
“Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5.)
Please
note that the Lord did not say, the “weak”, but the “meek;” the humble.
You,
saints of God, have felt the Lord Jesus Christ tugging at your heart concerning
serving Him and about revival in the land. Every saved person has a calling on
their life to exercise their God-given gifts to glorify God. Many of you know
the gifts of the spirit which are in you and you are longing to have them
manifested in your life and used for God’s glory. The Lord has put a longing
deep within your soul to preach or teach, prophesy, heal the sick, feed the
poor, write, do miracles and wonders, be a missionary, become a pastor, sing or
play a new music, evangelize, organize home meetings, or be an intercessor,
etc. Some of you haven’t told anyone of these powerful inner feelings. However,
God knows...He put them there!
For one
reason or another you have found it difficult, if not impossible, to start your
ministry in your life or release your gifts and calling. If you go to church,
you may quietly occupy a pew or seat and the church may hardly know you’re
there.
You might
even have come to a point where you wondered if these inner thoughts of being
used of the Lord were your own thoughts rather than God’s will for your life.
PLEASE, DO
NOT GIVE UP OR DOUBT ANY LONGER IF IT REALLY WAS THE LORD SPEAKING TO YOUR
HEART!
Some of you have heard His quiet voice within you for years.
Know that the Lord’s gifts (everyone has them) and calling are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). He HAS gifted you and
He WILL use YOU. Everyone who submits to Christ’s purpose in them will be used
mightily of the Lord. The Lord will release those gifts in you so that your
longing to serve Christ Jesus will be fulfilled. He is Lord of your life and He
is Lord of your gifts. Your gifts are God’s grace manifested through you.
“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ
apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he...gave gifts
to men.’” (Ephesians 4:7, 8)
Theologians,
educated religious leaders, pastors, evangelists and revivalist who think
highly of themselves have complicated the subject of revival and how to be used
of the Lord. The Lord, however, has made it so simple, a child can be used
powerfully of the Lord. Jesus loves to use the simple (you and me!) to confound
the wise.
“...I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to
little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” (Luke 10:21)
The
participants of this service to the Lord have no age limit. The very young to
the very old can and will be used by the Lord. A Bible College degree is not a
prerequisite (in fact, it could even be a hindrance). The Lord, through the
Holy Spirit, will be your teacher. This which the Lord will do in and through
you has biblical and spiritual integrity. It will not be chaotic or confusing. Every
word, work, miracle, healing – every one of your actions and words – will point
to Jesus Christ as Lord of all for the salvation of souls. God will joyfully
receive all the glory which you were created to joyfully give Him.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” (Revelation
19:7)
***
Part 2
Part 2
What Is In
Your Heart?
In the
subsequent chapters, you will learn how to start, develop and take your
ministry to the front lines in the street. “In the street” means outside of the
confines of the church walls. You will find out what to do and what not to do,
what to say and what not to say, what to bring and what not to bring, what to
give and what not to give. All this will be shown to you according to God’s
plan. You will read clear and detailed information on how to minister to “the
least of these;” the homeless, the poor.
You
may have a desire to skip the introductory chapters and go directly to those
chapters that give you the distilled information you seek. However,
please do not skip these introductory chapters which will prepare you for this
powerful ministry. What is in your heart is just as important as what is in
your hand to give to the needy. These chapters are to prepare your heart to do
mighty things and give glory to God. You are not alone, as God does have a
plan.
Saints of
God, you must check your heart to see what is in it. If you have a problem
seeing your true heart, ask the Lord to reveal it to you - have him search your
heart. You must ask the Lord as the psalmist asked in Psalm 139:23-24:
“Search
me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if
there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
At one
point in this ministry I had to ask myself about “violence.” Being in the
street could be dangerous, I reasoned. What if I was attacked? Would I defend
myself with violence, in the same way that I would be attacked? Could I react
violently to physical provocation? There was a particular incident, at one
point, that could have turned bad.
A brother
and I were bringing some bean burritos to a camp where I ministered once a
week. There usually were anywhere from four to eight homeless men (and
sometimes women) in this camp near the heart of town. When I got there, there
seemed to be about twenty people who were suddenly rushing me to reach for the
limited available food. To further complicate the issue, the camp I normally
fed was white and the people rushing me were black! If I had said, “No,” to the
black homeless people and fed only the whites, I could have insulted some
people and maybe started a fight, as the black group was somewhat drunk and
belligerent.
The white
group was rather young and passive. However, the black homeless men were not
waiting any longer and reached in my bag themselves (I usually pass the food
out myself) and they started pushing me to get to the food. I had to sternly
tell them to get their hand out of the bag. I felt like slapping their hands
and yelling at them to back off, as they reached in my bag! For a split second,
I thought about bringing a baseball bat with me next time I came here! Just for
a split second. Appropriately, the white homeless men sternly admonished them
not to reach into the bag, and to wait their turn. The black group was so
forceful, they received all the bean burritos initially meant for the expectant
(white) group (as they waited for me every week, always at the same place and
time.)
When they
all saw that there was no more food left for me to give away, everyone walked
away to eat at their spot on the grass, under the trees or on a bench. However,
four men in the white group did not get food, as there was not enough left. We
had not planned on feeding this many people. At this point, I could have become
angry at this out-of-control situation. I am basically a non-violent person. However,
once in a while I did have dreams at night about beating up the bad guys! A
definite and final decision had to be made about non-violence.
I checked my heart. What was there? Lord, I prayed for you
to fill by heart with your love.
I felt
compassion for the blacks who were so hungry. I did not see this as feeding
hungry, aggressive men. I saw this as feeding Jesus. I do not feed the homeless
or the poor...I feed Jesus. You understand? I felt bad for the whites for whom
the food was meant in the first place, but who did not get fed. For the sake of
peace, they did not take any food. Only one white man got a bean burrito, and
he split it in half with someone else. I felt love for both the white and the
black camp.
I then
went to the remaining whites who had not eaten and praised them for their
patience and humbleness. I told them that if they could wait just a little
while, I would go get them some food. My brother in the Lord and I then went to
the closest hamburger place and bought each of them a big, delicious hamburger.
When we got back, I didn’t get out of my truck but waved them over and
discreetly gave them their food while blessing them in the name of Jesus. I say
“discreetly” because we did not want to be rushed again by a mob which was
still there. We found out later that a false rumor had been spread that free
fried chicken would be given out at this place and time. No wonder there were
so many hungry people waiting to be fed.
There must
be order and good management on your part. There cannot be any violence or hate
or even any thought of it – none of it in your heart whatsoever. In this age of
grace, violence does not give God glory. There can only be compassion and love
even when you are taken by surprise. Settle that in your heart before you start
this ministry. You cannot yell at them, grab them or call them names! You can’t
even frown at the “least of these!” No violence! Not even in your thoughts.
Trust God – He will watch over you.
“And the
Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to
teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope
that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil,
who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Understand
that we are all a work in progress and settling these issues in your heart and
soul may take more than one day. However, do it quickly with earnest prayers to
God, remaining sensitive to the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit.
“Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s
anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James
1:19-20)
“The good
man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart...For out of the
overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
During this incidence, I should have kept my eyes on Jesus
rather than the storm. I should have rebuked evil rather than rebuking men. At
this point, I decided in my heart that I would never show violence to anyone
and at any time. Neither would I raise my voice. If I was to be attacked while
in the performance of my ministry, they would have to do to me as they wanted. I
was feeding Jesus and Jesus would protect me. I trust my Lord. If it’s my time
to die, then so be it. I carry my cross with me every day. The more I do God’s
will in my life, the more likely the enemy will want to nail me to the cross! Glory
to God!
You
seriously have to ask yourself what is the desire of your heart. You must know
for a fact and accept deep down in your soul that the desire of your heart must
first be to please your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by your faith and to
glorify His Holy Name by your actions.
“Delight
yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm
37:4)
CHAPTER 2: Jesus Is The One Who Sends, Trains, Ordains And
Anoints You
Part 1
To The
Least Of These
A young
man wanted to be a pastor. He would speak of it continually but was not
financially or otherwise able to attend Bible College. He lamented
(expressed sorrow) because he thought he would never be able to be a pastor. The
church he attended would not use him in that capacity nor were they able to
train him. Still, in his heart he knew God wanted him to be a pastor. It was
his heart’s desire. But how?
If you have
a shepherd’s (a pastor’s) heart, go and pastor. If you have a yearning to
preach, go, as there are thousands of millions who need to hear you. You want
to teach, do it now. You can. Just teach what you know and have learned by
faith. Are there some now who are not getting healed because you are not
praying for them? Do not wait. Go and pray for the sick. God will meet you
there, where your heart meets His. Are there some who are being overcome with
evil? Go and intercede for them in the quiet of your prayer closet.
You do not
have to go to Africa or Asia or some other faraway place as a foreign
missionary to be used of the Lord. Just go in the street! That is, go outside
the church walls. Go first in your neighborhood, your city, your school, your
immediate environment. There are so many close to your home who are in such
great need.
You say
you cannot get your pastor or church leadership to “send” you? Saints of God,
listen to me - Jesus is the one who sends you, trains you, ordains and anoints
you. Stay in touch with The Master! As wonderful as your pastor may be, it is
not him who gives you spiritual gifts and sends you out. Jesus graces you with
gifts, anoints you and sends you out; and your pastor may acknowledge that
fact.
It’s funny
how we want the church establishment to recognize us. Yet, God is the first and
only one from whom we should seek to be called. We are not here to please man,
but to please God. I have nothing against the church except when it holds back
the saints of God from using their God-given gifts, and so preventing them from
serving the Lord Jesus Christ more fully and bringing glory to His Name. There
are many people, not just in the rest of the world, but in your very own
neighborhood or workplace who are in darkness and who need to be saved, healed,
comforted, fed and clothed, set free, encouraged...
“The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go!” (Luke 10:2-3)
A few
saints of God are sent by the Lord to minister to the wealthy, to kings,
leaders of countries and to the powerful and well-known. However, there are
only a limited number of these to whom one can minister and there are so many saints
who want to minister but don’t know where to start. There are so many more poor
people in this world to minister to than to the few wealthy. The Lord may send
you to the wealthy and powerful, but this book is about the rest of the hungry
people in the world who are begging for you to come and minister to them. They
are most often called “the least of these.”
You may
not be a spark in the high echelons (ranks) of Hollywood or Washington, D.C. Nevertheless,
you can be a spark in the streets of your neighborhood or city. This could very
well start a great spiritual fire and deeply impact more people’s eternity than
ministering in Washington, D.C., or Hollywood.
“Consider
what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” (James 3:5)
Who are “the least of these?” The expression appears in Matthew 25:40:
“...whatever
you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
“Brothers
of mine” has been defined by some bible scholars as just the apostles, or maybe
only the Jews, or it could be those who will be saved and belong to Jesus. It
is a crucial verse because it shows that what you do for the least of these,
you do it for Jesus. When you feed the poor, you feed Jesus. So, who are the “least
of these?”
After you
have been ministering in the street for a while, you may start to wonder what
you are doing there. The devil may try to make you lose your focus by telling
you the “least of these” are not important. That’s when you respond that you
are not doing it to the “least of these,” but to Jesus Christ!
“For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me.”
(Matthew
25:35, 36)
The
righteous answered, “When did we do all that to you, Lord?” That’s when Jesus
answered, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for me.” We
have the beginning of a list of who the least of these are; the hungry, the
thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, those in prison. Who are the “least
of these? There are more.
***
Part 2
Part 2
Your
Rewards, Blessings, Protection And Healing
“He who is
kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has
done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
There is a
reward for being kind to the poor and taking care of the “least of these!”
“Blessed
is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The
lord will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and
not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The lord will sustain him on his
sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.” (Psalms 41:1-3)
These are
such loaded verses! If you regard the weak (the least of these), this is what
the Lord promises:
1. You are blessed
2. You will be delivered in times of trouble
3. You will be protected
4. Your life will be preserved
5. You will be blessed in the land
6. You will not be surrendered to your foes (enemies)
7. You will be sustained on your sick bed
8. You will be restored to health
“If there
is a poor man among your brothers...give generously to him and do so without a
grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all
your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor
people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your
brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7, 10,
11)
Can you
handle more blessings for taking care of the poor, the “least of these?”
9. You
will be blessed in your work
10. You will
be blessed in all you put your hand to
Give
freely to the poor and the needy and the Lord will bless you at your job or
business! Giving to the poor is a command. However, give out of the love which
is in your heart for “the least of these.” Let your heart be pure in this
matter.
“If anyone
has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17, 18)
Certainly,
there is a reward in this world for your ministry to the poor. However, your
true reward is when you see Jesus face to face on that day and He says to you, “Come,
you good and faithful servant.”
Do you
know who the “least of these” are?
“Has not
God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and
to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5)
So, what should you do? As James so well said, “Faith by
itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” You must get out of your
home and get out in the street. You must get out of the church and get in the
street. You want to get closer to Jesus, get in the street. You want to grow in
Christ and in His amazing love, get in the street. You want to see healing,
signs and wonders, get out in the street. In the “street” means outside of the
church walls. This book will show you how to get started and how to grow in
your ministry. Whatever you do, go!
“All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go...”
(Matthew
28:18)
I
understand that some of you may be home bound and getting out in the street may
not be feasible. There are ministries for all who want to serve the Lord. The
biggest need, of course, is the need for INTERCESSORS. You could also have a
ministry on the Internet or on the phone. I know someone who writes LETTERS to
servicemen overseas to encourage them and to let them know someone is praying
for them. In our town, we have a ninety-two year old woman who makes homemade
quilts and gives them away to the homeless in the wintertime! I will address
these and other ministries you can consider further in subsequent chapters.
CHAPTER 3: Be Like Jesus!
Part 1
You Are
Called Of The Lord
In this
book, I will give you the real world application of the written Word in the Bible
concerning your calling. If you wonder if you are called or not, rest assured...YOU
ARE called of the Lord to serve Him and to glorify His Holy Name. Since you are
reading this book, consider yourself called! If you have read the Bible and are
saved, consider yourself called of the Lord Jesus Christ to serve Him in some
capacity, according to the gifts He has given you. If you want to serve him
quietly and meekly, so be it. If you have it in your heart to serve him with
power, with signs and miracles, so be it. He wants to use YOU! He already has
put in your heart how he wants to use you. Not only does God want to use you,
but He searches the whole earth to find people through whom He can work.
“For the
eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself
strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (II Chronicles
16:9 KJV)
“Perfect”
in the above scripture means completely, fully, wholly. So, if you are
completely, fully, wholly given to God’s purpose in you, He WILL find you
because He IS looking. You might say, “But I’m not trained for the ministry,”
or, “I’m not able.” That does not matter. God does not call the “qualified;” He
qualifies the called! If it is in your heart to serve God, He will find you and
He will train you. What is in your heart? What is your heart’s desire?
“God looks
down from heaven on the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand,
and who seek God.” (Psalm 53:2)
Believe me, saints of God, you may understand much more
about the Word of God than many pastors, preachers and evangelists I have
known! You may have been through the pains of learning faith, as taught by the
Lord. There are many leaders in the church who have never been at the front
lines of spiritual warfare. You may be able to preach the Word, not because you
have a Bible College degree, but because you have learned the Word by faith, in
the street. You were so close to the enemy that you have seen the whites of his
eyes! And you came out victorious, covered by the blood of Jesus. You called on
the name of Jesus and He found you, and you have not been the same since.
You have been told that you cannot serve the Lord because
you were soul deep in drugs. Maybe, you stole, or sold, or injured or
killed...and you went to prison. Maybe you have simply been married more than
once and so are forever banned by the leaders of the church for service to our
Lord who, by the way, is looking for you to serve Him and glorify His Holy
Name! Maybe you lied, cheated or who knows what other sin drew you away from
the love of Jesus Christ. But the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you
broke away all shackles and chains that bound you to that past life. You are
now free in Christ Jesus to live the life He has for you, empowered by the Holy
Spirit which He has given you.
Paul, the writer
of half of the New Testament was giving instruction to Timothy on how to serve
when he said:
“Even
though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown
mercy… But for that reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of
sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for
those who would believe...”
(1 Timothy
1: 13, 16)
Do not let
your past or even your present faults prevent you from serving the Lord in a
powerful ministry. You are NOT the sum of all your past mistakes. Your sins
were nailed to the cross with Jesus. Guilt is one of the biggest tools of the
devil. He tells you that you are not worth serving the Lord, and you just can’t
do it. He tells you even God doesn’t want you to serve Him. Just stay home. Don’t
go in the street. Don’t go outside the church walls. Stay safe in the church
and maybe people won’t ask too many questions about you and your past, and
embarrass you.
Nowhere in
the Bible does Jesus ever say to anyone, “Stay safe!”
You tell
that devil that you are forgiven by the blood of Jesus on the cross for past
sins, present sins and future sins. When the devil reminds you of your past,
you remind him of his future! The Lord loves you. There is nothing you can DO
to make Him love you. He already loves you and died for you. THERE IS NOTHING
YOU EVER NEED TO DO TO MAKE HIM LOVE YOU. God has always loved you
unconditionally and always will. In fact, “God
IS love!” (1 John 4:16).
You have been to the front lines. You have been where most
people have not gone. You are ready for the calling of the Lord to lead
captives (prisoners) out of the enemy’s camp. You have no qualms about riding
in the enemy’s camp at full speed, slaying the enemy and taking back what the
enemy has stolen from you. You now seek the Lord, your Commander in Chief, that
He may use you more fully. If you seek Him, He will find you and use you
mightily. You will glorify the Lord our God!
Nobody may
know how you truly feel in your heart about being a warrior for God. But God
knows! You have shared your heart about this subject with very few people
because you feared that most would just laugh at you (especially your family). However,
there is a time coming very soon, saints of God, when the Lord will call His
mighty army who is quietly waiting in the wings and YOU will boldly answer. The
church leadership and those that scoffed at your heart’s desire to serve the
Master will stand in amazement that your prayers are being answered, as the
sick are healed, the blind see, the deaf hear and the poor are fed and blessed!
“…Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
(1 Peter
2:21)
***
Part 2
Part 2
You Are
Like Jesus
“Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)
Actually,
saints are those who are saved and are faithful and devoted to God (Psalms 4:3, 31:23). The Hebrew word for
saints (or godly) appears twenty-six times in Psalms alone. In New Testament
sense, YOU are a saint of the God of Israel if you are saved!
To some
that would say, “Do you think you are perfect,” you would answer, “No, but I am
being continually perfected.” Thought God will meet you wherever you are, He
will not let you stay there long. He will teach you to be like His Son.
“Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
Your
present physical being may not be perfect, but that Holy Thing which is in you
is perfect and does things through you which are perfect. God has put in you
His divine nature so that you could be like His Son.
1. You have His DIVINE NATURE.
“He has
given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature...”
(2 Peter
1:4)
Also, from
the very beginning of creation, God made you to be life Himself.
2. You are created in THE IMAGE OF GOD.
“So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;”
(Genesis
1:27)
What does
it mean to be made in the image of God? It means God gave you His attributes. You,
also, want to love and be loved. You want others to be saved and be in the
family of God. You want to create. You do that not only through having
children, but also in art and science. You create music, dancing, paintings,
sculptures, etc. Humans create new plants and genetic engineer animals to serve
our purpose. You have that nature of God in you which wants to create. You have
a mind that searches for God, as He gently and lovingly calls for you, his sons
and daughters.
“For we
are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
3. You have THE MIND OF CHRIST.
“We have
the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
“Everything
that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)
You may
say, “I sure don’t feel like I have the mind of Christ. I do such stupid things
sometimes.” Is the Bible false, then? Let me tell you - YOU HAVE THE MIND OF
CHRIST! Believe the Word of God. Jesus has given you His Holy Spirit to dwell
in you and to teach you all things you need to know to serve the Lord in word
and in power. As He teaches you over a period of time, you come to realize more
and more the immense, wonderful presence of that Holy Thing which is within
you; the mind of God. If you did not have the mind of God, you would not be
able to be saved.
4. You have received THE HOLY SPIRIT
“We have
not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we
may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in
words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing
spiritual truths in spiritual words.”
(1
Corinthians 2:12, 13)
You are
one with God. When I say “you are” or “you have,” please understand that there
is a process by which you learn these spiritual precepts. It is like saying to
you before the fact, “You are a doctor.” It may take you twelve years of
education after high school to realize it. It is in you, but it took twelve
years to realize it and eventually to do the things that doctors do and bring
healing to a hurting population.
However,
as the end is at hand, know that the Lord will speed things up. As we say in my
neck of the woods, “It ain’t gonna be as long as it has been!” So, buckle up,
saints of God, and keep your eyes on Jesus!
“For the
Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.” (Romans
9:28)
“I am the
Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” (Isaiah 60:22)
So far we can see that you are not only made in the image of
God, but you also have the mind of Jesus, the nature of God, and the glory that
God gave Jesus. You see, you are not only a physical being but also a spiritual
being. You are one with Jesus and the Father.
5. You have THE GLORY OF GOD.
6. You have JESUS IN YOU.
“...Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world
may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave
me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.” (John
17:21-23)
The word “glory”
here is the Greek word doxa which
means; awesome light and splendor that radiates from God’s presence and is
associated with his acts of power and speaking of words of excellence. That is
in you! Because God’s glory has been given to you, you are able to show it to
the world. That is accomplished by you loving others, ministering to the “least
of these,” bringing souls to salvation and in Holy Spirit signs, miracles and
wonders.
More and
more, others will see in you a reflection of Jesus as you grow in the love of
Jesus Christ. There are places, such as public schools, your place of work and,
increasingly, our military forces, where you may not be able to openly mention
the name of Jesus Christ. However, as you minister with the love of Jesus
(without even mentioning the name of Jesus), people will come to YOU and tell
you, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” They will know because they will see the
“glory” of God which is IN you, and manifested (shown, evident, obvious)
THROUGH you.
“Live such
good lives among the pagans that...they may see your good deeds and glorify
God...” (1 Peter 2:12)
If that
was not enough:
7. You are THE SALT OF THE WORLD.
You can
give the world that Holy flavor!
“You are
the salt of the world.” (Matthew 5:13)
8. You are THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
“You are
the light of the world...So, let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14, 16)
Do you
still have a problem accepting who you are in Christ and all the benefits that
come with being an adopted son or daughter of the Most High God? I haven’t even
mentioned, yet, that Satan was defeated at the resurrection of Jesus and that
monkey is off your back. What is holding you back from serving the Lord with
mighty Holy Spirit power? Nothing! Is it easy? No! Can you do it? Yes! You are
more than conquerors. Yes, you CAN do all things in Christ Jesus. Nothing is impossible
with God!
Take Paul,
for example, that amazing, most educated disciple of Jesus who contended in the
name of Jesus with the greatest minds of his time and preached the word with
signs and wonders following. This is the man who also wrote half of the New
Testament. It was not as easy for him as you may think. He was still in a man.
“I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
(Romans
7:15)
Yes, you
will still goof up, from time to time. You will have urges you wished you didn’t
have. You will say or feel things you shouldn’t. You will fall. And you will
pick yourself back up and keep on going. You will continue to allow the Holy
Spirit to keep on perfecting you.
Don’t
listen to the “naysayer” and “Aim for
perfection” (2 Corinthians 13:11), and seek to be like Jesus. Believe me,
you wanting to be like Jesus flatters His Father! What father would not want to
bless the one who not only says good things about his child, but wants to be
like him?
Jesus
wants you to be like Him and do the things He did.
“Anyone
who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater
things than these, because I am going to the father.” (John 14:12)
9. Jesus is IN YOU.
I know
that it is hard to fathom how you can do greater things than Jesus did. Jesus
tells you this because He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. That is, Jesus
is IN you. God is IN you. So, let Him work in and through you. Jesus said in John 17:11;
“Holy
Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that
they may be one as we are one.”
“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make
you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I
myself may be in them.” (v. 26)
10. You are also SENT BY JESUS.
“As you
sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)
Jesus
tells us, as He was sent by His Father; we are sent also. The things He did, we
are to do, also...and greater things! You don’t want to be like Paul. You don’t
want to be like Abraham, or Moses, or Gideon, though they were great men of God
and are great examples to us. You want to be like Jesus! Jesus dying on the
cross and sending you the indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes that possible. Don’t
let ignorant men talk you out of that. Now, don’t back up; don’t be ashamed,
and complete the work God gave you to do. Go, be like Jesus and glorify the
Father as Jesus glorified Him when He said in John 17:4;
“I have
brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”
No comments:
Post a Comment