08/30/2024
I read a devotional message titled "The World Turned Upside-Down" and it spoke of those in the faith whose walk with God allowed them to change the world in a mighty way. Of course when I read those words I immediately thought of Jesus who changed the Jewish faith, and all of mankind forever through his fulfillment of prophesy and the law. He removed the stain and hopelessness of sin once and for all, conquered death, and provided an avenue by which all mankind could come before God... sin free, righteous and holy.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24 ESV
Men and women of Faith still make dramatic impacts on our religion and faith today. Their impact isn't as sweeping or nearly as world altering as that of Jesus, but it is dramatic none the less. Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote about such people in this way...
"God can work wonders if He has a suitable man. People can work wonders if they let God lead them. The full Spirit which turned the world upside-down would be useful in these days." – E.M. Bounds
And Pastor Bounds concludes with these words:
"The church has never been without these people. They are the standing miracles of the divinity of the church. Their example and history are an unfailing inspiration and blessing. We should pray that such people would increase in number and power." – E.M. Bounds
As we look back in time we find many saints like this, people whose lives changed the world, changed our faith, or brought many souls to God. I think of Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Johann Sebastian Bach, and William Wilberforce... the list is long and the work of the Holy Spirit continues today.
“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:38 KJV
None of us are without the capacity to change lives and bring souls to God. Sometimes we look to those figures whose impacts have been so great and feel inadequate, but each one of them began their journey of faith just as we did ours, by confessing their sins and asking Jesus to come into their hearts. Each one of them began saving souls by leading that first person to Christ. Each one of them was called to turn the world upside-down in the midst of a simple prayer when the Holy Spirit moved on them, and they said "Yes" when called to do His will.
We should never doubt the sanctity of our efforts on behalf of the kingdom. I was watching a mechanic work on my car and for the most part he worked quickly and accomplished much, but once the bulk of the routine work had been done he came to the intricate part of the job. He stepped back, thought for a few minutes, and then found a special tool that would allow him to accomplish this small but vital task that would ultimately repair my car.
We are the tool that, in God's hand, can perform that intricate task which finishes the job He has begun. Billy Graham might have done the bulk of the work as he addressed the crowded stadium, but then the prayer partners would step forward and do the all-important task that would ultimately fix the souls of the wayward. The individual prayers tightened those hard to reach bolts of faith, and completed the job with a prayer... We are each a special tool in God's hand, and when we obey Him lost souls are won... one at a time they are saved by Jesus Christ… through us.
Very often we don’t know what we accomplish in our lives. One night I dreamed that I was sitting in a totally white room with what I somehow knew was a group of students. The teacher stood up from behind his oak colored desk and told us to take a break. I walked to his desk and as I stood there a choir entered the room dressed in green robes with gold collars and stood before me singing. It was beautiful, but they suddenly parted and an aged black man shuffled towards me from their midst. His eyes were fixed on me and the look on his face was full of love and peace. I stood still and watched as he walked straight up to me and quietly embraced me in a hug that was warm and loving… I hugged him back and felt as though I had known him all my life. Later, after waking, I asked a pastor friend if that dream meant anything to him, and he said that he felt that this man was someone my writing or teaching had saved. Tears filled my eyes as I thought “If only that were true.” Was this a prophetic moment that told of what awaited me? One day I will know. One day we will all know the importance of what we have done for the kingdom, and see the lives we have touched.
This morning I pray for God to call men and women to turn the world upside-down. I ask Him to fill them with His Holy Spirit and allow them to reach millions upon millions. But, I also thank Him for those unsung saints that He uses every day to perform the intricate work of winning the hard to reach souls. I ask Him to lift up the John and Jane Doe who may only save one soul in their entire life. I ask the Lord to give these specialized saints His joy in that moment of salvation, and that they have knowledge of it so that they, who might feel the least, will most certainly become the greatest. Jesus was born generations after His coming was prophesied, and in that day, who would have guessed that He would be born into the linage of King David? You see, only God knows what the future holds; even for that unseemly sinner we have prayed to salvation, or spoke the gospel to. We may never know who the grandfather of Billy Graham was, or who the great grandson of a young person with whom we prayed will become. We might never really know any of these things in our life on the world… but one day we will see how important they were, and how great we were used by God in our unawares.
God Bless you as you harvest souls… whether it be one, or thousands, in your lifetime. God bless you for building great cathedrals, or for picking up trash from the church lawn. All the work we do for our Father, and the kingdom of heaven, is valuable, and greater than we suspect.
“The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us to whatever great accomplishment you have prepared for us. Thank you for the one lost soul you sent our way, who might one day become the father of the next King David without our knowing. Thank you for humbling us in your service only to show us the wonder of our faith, and how great we have been as we simply obeyed you. Help us to be satisfied in everything we do for you Lord, and help us to find our faith in you, and our service to you, sufficient for us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who sees the world with every life, and deed within it. You see us through holy eyes that bore deep into our hearts, and with the full understanding and knowledge of your will you love us. Merciful are you who sent your only begotten Son Jesus to humbly serve us, redeem us, and to offer himself as a living sacrifice for us. You are full of grace Holy Father, and we praise and worship you for redeeming us, inviting us into your eternal presence, and for finding glory in all that you have asked of us… the great and the small. We lift up our prayers to you Abba; sometimes they are the prayers of a scholar, other times those of a child, or perhaps the prayers of the physically or mentally handicapped who can barely speak, but they are always the prayers of those who love you, and seek you… They are guided by your Spirit, and a longing to be in your presence always. Thank you for hearing each of our prayers, great and least, and being pleased with us as we humble ourselves before you. Hear us as we utter them in adoration, expectation, your will, and in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
“So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Matthew 20:16 ESV
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”
Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV
Rich Forbes