Messages from Coworkers
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| Our Responsibilities as God's Workers in This Wolrd |
| Phil Grahn
[email] ( New Zealand )
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2009-06-24 Views
: 16 Touched : 5 |
>1 Corinthians 9:15-17<
“But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship”.
Yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
Are we able to say this to?
Now that we have been truly born again by the water and the Spirit and made into sinless and righteous saints, can we honestly say before God like the Apostle Paul that, “Woe is me if I do not preach this gospel, willingly and unwillingly?” God knows all things; if we are doing His righteous work or are only doing lip service but are in fact doing nothing.
What are we doing with the responsibilities God has bestowed upon us the righteous?
What are our responsibilities now that we have become born again? Do we just carry on with our daily lives as before as if nothing happened, or do we obey Jesus last command? “Go therefore in to all the world and preach My gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved from his or hers sins, but whoever refuses to believe even as they hear will be condemned (Mark 16: 16).”
Do we carry on attending churches that do not believe in and preach this heavenly gospel truth, or do we leave them immediately and do the righteous work of saving souls from certain death by preaching this gospel truth of the water and the Spirit to them?
Let’s take a brief look at the life of the early believers
The Apostle Paul was really in his unsaved days Saul of Tarsus, and persecuted the saints most severely, those who believed in this true gospel from heaven (Acts 9). He was like the Christians today thinking he was a true believer by trying to keep the law, but all the time seeking out and persecuting those who had the correct faith in God. But God had His finger on him even while he was breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He even went so far as to go to the high priest (the authorities) and asked them for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any saint there who belonged to The Way, irrespective of woman man or child, he might take them bound as prisoners to Jerusalem. Once there they would be stoned to death by these evil so called believers for having the correct faith in God, just like what happened to Stephen (Acts 7:59). Does this sound strange? No not at all! It’s the same today where the many so called Christians who do not have the correct faith in God seek out and want to stone the righteous. No different to these early times, for the devil is the same then as he is today.
One day a great persecution broke out against the early church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles were scattered, they ran for their very lives. But Godly men took their brother Stephen’s dead body and buried him mourning deeply for him.
And so, this Saul went from house to house, church to church dragging off men, woman and children and throwing them into cold, damp prisons like criminals. Can you imagine this today where current day Christians with authority seek out and drag the true Christians like dogs and throw them into prison? This is going to happen when the Antichrist is revealed where so called Christians will become his slaves carrying out his murderous threats. The fact that they hate us the righteous and call us with many evil names is evidence of this truth
But even as these saints were running for their lives, going from place to place in a desperate situation, they preached this gospel Word wherever they went. They did not complain or moan about their situation, but preached this gospel truth even under these adverse conditions. Many were truly born again by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and many signs and wonders happened as they preached this powerful gospel displaying the kingdom of God so that people could believe.
Then one day as Saul was on his way to Damascus on some road, a light from heaven flashed suddenly around him. He fell to the ground in absolute fear as if dead, and then he heard a voice speaking to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul then replied, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”, He then said. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Those persecutors that travelled with Saul stood there speechless and in absolute awe and fear, for they heard this sound but did not see anyone. But when Saul got up from the ground he found that his eyesight had gone, for he could not see. So his accomplishes led him into the city. So for three whole days he was blind and because of this he did not eat or drink anything. In this city of Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord called him in a vision saying, ‘Ananias!” He answered, “Yes Lord.” The Lord then told him to immediately go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, “for he is right now praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him in order to restore his sight.”
Then in absolute fear and anguish he replied, ‘Lord,” I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm and chaos he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.” Then the Lord said, “Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and also before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”
Then Ananias went as commanded even as he was still in much turmoil, and entered this house. Then he found Saul and placed his hands on him, saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road coming here-has sent me to you so that you may see again and be forgiven your sins and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Then immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was immediately baptised, and after taking some food to restore his energy, he regained his strength.
So we see here God dramatically turning the life of a persecutor into a true believer like the ones he was once persecuting and stoning to death. He indeed suffered much for the name of Jesus Christ. And from this moment on he worked tirelessly preaching this gospel willingly and unwillingly because he had a responsibility towards God.
What a turn around! This is what this powerful gospel does to even the most wicked person, if we would just be faithful to our calling and our responsibilities towards the Lord Jesus.
This is why Saul who later became the Apostle Paul said, “But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:15-17)”.
When looking at this precious life after his dramatic conversion we see him indeed preaching to the Gentiles and to their kings, including to his own Jewish nation. Also establishing many churches along his way. And because of his responsibilities towards the Lord Jesus, many became truly born again. Also he was responsible for writing a large part of the New Testament. He suffered much all for the name of Jesus, and later was martyred for his faith. But he never stood aside complaining about his situation that he was unable to preach this powerful gospel that saves sinners completely from sins, but rather sought ways with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to preach this heavenly gospel to thirsty souls even in the face of harsh adversity.
But what about us the righteous who have this responsibility towards God? What are we doing to spread His gospel truth to every soul? Do we whinge and complain, and just sit on our chairs doing nothing, or are we seeking ways in our stations to spread the Lords gospel to every soul in our cities and towns? Are we being persecuted for the name of the Lord Jesus like the early church, or are we just not able to carry out our responsibilities towards God? If we face some small persecutions, do we just melt away and cry foul, or are we taking up our responsibility towards this gospel that saved us and towards God? Do we bury our gift like that evil servant in that parable Jesus told us about, and dig it up again and hand it over to the master when he returns? Or do we take his gift and turn it into much more?
Every true born again Christian must perform their responsibilities that God has entrusted them with. We must know about and fulfil our responsibilities properly before God.
Do we really understand what our duties towards God are? If not then we need to be born again by going back to the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Go back to the Jordan River and see what actually took place there, and go back to the Cross and see what actually happened there. Read more sermon books of the Rev. Paul C Jong, and become truly born again having nothing more to do with the old, but be renewed with the new wine and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Walk with others that have gone before and join with Gods church, and stay there.
God sees it as a great evil for us to not fulfil our duties before Him. And there is nothing as evil as those who believe in the righteousness of God to not proclaim His righteousness. It is a greater sin than any type of murder.
It is therefore the duty of every righteous saint to fulfil what has been entrusted to them. Those who do not fulfil this responsibility will not be able to avoid death. Unfortunately, even in Gods Church there will be found some saints who do not proclaim the gospel of the water and the Spirit. They do not serve the righteousness of God and they do not unite themselves with the Church of God. This should not happen, and when we see this we must come alongside such a saint and encourage them in their faith.
If we are not responsible towards the Lord by fulfilling our duties correctly, then we become a thorn in the side of our Lord Jesus.
We are truly living in evil times and it will not get any better. But despite this we must do the work of the Spirit with the Lord for the rest of our lives here on earth, and then after this go and meet the Lord. Even if we are lacking in many areas of our lives, we must do the works of the Spirit and spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit to every person. We must pray for them and share this new life with them, and make them workers of God’s righteousness also, even if its one small step at first.
If we are responsible towards the Lord and towards His precious gospel then God will commend us, saying, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). And also saying,
“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).”
We must live the rest of our lives as instruments of the Holy Spirit that allows many to return to Jesus Christ and to be clothed in His righteousness.
Can we say thus say like the Apostle Paul, “Yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship”?
We must never faint in the face of adversity, we must be strong in the Lord, for He goes before us, and He will always be with us.
May God bless us the righteous as we take up our responsibilities towards the precious gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Phil Grahn
NLM Evangelist
The New Life Mission: New Zealand Branch
www.bjnewlife.org
www.nlmnewzealand.com
www.nlmbookcafe.com/blog/philgrahn
Skype: fisherofallmen
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