09/10/2021
Whether in the Old Testament or the New, we are told to go out into the world and declare the glory of God, and of Jesus Christ. We are sent to the Gentiles, the heathens, and to every soul that walks the earth but doesn’t yet know Them. Are we doing this today? Are we speaking of faith to our families, searching our communities for the lost, our country for the wayward, and the world for those who have never heard of God, Jesus Christ, and their glory that is contained in the Bible, and the gospel story of Jesus? Are we walking in our homes, and abroad, exercising the power of the Holy Spirit in us to do as we have been commanded?
“Declare his glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.”
Psalm 96:3 KJV
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
We are told to “go”, and to “declare”… these are verbs that call us to action, and the mission seems so straightforward, and simple, yet how often do we listen to them, and obey? When we look back from right now at our past lives of faith can we see in them only as a failure to act, or do we see how God has been preparing us for this present moment of action?
All the apostles were sent into the world, or were they? Peter returned to Jerusalem and the Eastern Church was born from this. In the same way, perhaps our mission is to deliver the message of glory to one soul; to have one gospel conversation that saves a man like Stephen, who then spoke to the generations by being stoned. Maybe our mission is in leading a Billy Graham, or Mother Theresa, to a faith that will one day influence millions, or our own child that is destined to touch others in a way we were never able to. You see, not every one of us is meant to travel the world using our own feet… sometimes it is one conversation, one sermon at a tiny country church, or a bowl of soup, a kind word, or a pat on the hand of a suffering person that delivers the message, and changes that soul, and subsequently the world. In this way we are hearing the small still voice like Elijah.
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV
Maybe your calling will send you forth like a strong gospel wind, perhaps you will shake the earth with your preaching like an earthquake of salvation, or some of us might light the world on fire with the flaming Word of God’s glory, but there will always be those who answer the call to “go”, and to “deliver” using that “still small voice”.
I was miraculously saved from drowning as a young man, and I always wondered why God chose to save me that day. I thought that perhaps it was to save a single soul, and in that thought I took great solace, but in retrospect i don’t think it was that at all.
When I was in college I started to write, and it was as if a fire had been ignited in me. I would write all manner of things, stories, sonnets, poetry, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and research papers that had nothing to do with my studies. Yet, I never once related this to my faith… that is, until as a grown man the Lord changed me in a mighty way. At that moment of great suffering and trial He used my writing like a salve, a prayer, a sermon, and a gospel conversation. He eased my mind, but then He used me to touch others. Suddenly everything I wrote became a message of faith. I would begin to write a love poem to my wife, and it became a poem of faith, and God’s love. Over and over this happened, until one day He sent a man to me with a small leather bound devotional book on prayer, and all the preparation of the past years suddenly became clear. I wrote a simple text message to this man regarding that first day’s devotion, that became two, then three, then emails, then blogs, and social media posts, as the Lord shared Himself, and Jesus, with the world through them. You see, there are many ways we are called to answer the great commission, and not all of them involve ground shaking, wind, or fire… sometimes they are one small voice. What did Peter think his calling actually was when Jesus told him that He would build His church on him?
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:18-19 KJV
For years I took comfort in waiting to know definitively that I had been saved from death to save “this person”, but I never felt that assurance. Any one of us might be feeling this same way today as we search for our calling, or that “one person” in our lives who we will touch with the message of salvation, but God doesn’t always work according to our timetable. I waited many years, you might be waiting too, and quite possibly we will take our final breath thinking that we never received our answer, but I think not… if you are obedient in delivering the message, and seeking to plant the seed of faith, then, even though you might feel you have been ineffective, I believe you will find a host of souls waiting to thank you as you face your final judgement.
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.”
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 KJV
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for the multitude of ways, and the many places, that you send us as we deliver the Word of your glory, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Help us Lord to be obedient, and to serve you to the best of our ability as we go out to plant the seeds of faith among all people; even those within arm’s reach. Help us to be patient, and wait on you as we are prepared, and receive the gifts we need, to do as you command. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is glorious beyond all description, and whose Son Jesus is perfect and pure as He sends us to win souls for you. Praised be your name for every day in which we live our lives testifying by them of you; living as Jesus did, and speaking of you as He spoke of you. You are merciful Lord, and even in our suffering you work good, by teaching us how to touch others in their misery. You shake the earth by our testimony, blow away the chaff of sin with the breath of your Word from our mouths, kindle a fire of salvation in hopeless souls by our unrelenting desire to serve you, and reawaken faith in the hearts of those who hear your still small voice as we whisper in their ears. Encourage us Father, and even in those times when we wonder how it is that you desire for us to serve you, give us patience and perseverance, as we wait upon you. Wash us clean of every sin with the blood of Christ, and following our final judgement reunite us with all the souls won for you by our humble obedience to your call. Reward us in this… the realized evidence of your glory.
Rich Forbes