Matthew 9:35-38
35 - Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
36- Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.
37- Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,
38- Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest."
Keith Green's newsletter (Last Day's Ministries) had a picture in one of the editions mailed out, and it was a picture of a long pier that extended out from the shore to the ocean.
There were all manner of umbrella's set up over tables that were on the pier. Chairs and benches of all types. In the picture it seem to be a party was being held. Men and women were milling about with food and drink. There were smiles and laughter on the faces of those present. But this all seemed out of place because if you looked closer, you could see that the ocean was rolling and the waving were crashing against the piling of the pier. There were dark clouds overhead and the wind seemed to be blowing extremely hard. Oh yeah, there was one other thing.....the ocean was filled with men and woman who were drowning....terror on the their faces....mouths opened in some sort of silent scream as if to say...."Help me, please!" But the party went on.
This would be a horrible situation if not for one thing.
Amidst all the party goers, there were a few people who were doing their best to rescue some of the people who were drowning. Very few....but there were some. To me, this is an incredible picture of the state of modern Christianity. More concerned with their own personal party than the fate of those walking past them every day. I don't want this to become a posting today where you think I'm trying to beat you over the head and say, "Wake up and get busy!" It's not. I just want to reinforce something that is dear to my heart. To me it is the heart of the Vineyard and why I am "doing" church and "being" church today. The idea that John Wimber gave to us that "Everyone gets to play" The idea that the God actually calls every person who is saved into an adventure of praying and loving on folks. Seeing people get healed. Seeing people have demonic spirits broken off or cast out to bring freedom as God's Holy Spirit fills the empty places inside that use to belong to the devil and his bunch.
I know that this may sound strange to some, simply because the model (Or way of doing church) that most of us grew up with was that only a select few get to do the "Stuff" of the Kingdom. Almost as if the church had an A-TEAM (comprised of pastors / assistant pastors / elders or deacons). These were the guys that you went to when you wanted you prayers answered, after all they were closer to God than you were. Then there was the B-TEAM ( Sunday school teachers / music directors / church staff). These good folk would do in a pinch if the A-TEAM was tied up and you really needed prayer. C-TEAM were those few bold folks who believed that God had called them to minister and they were going to do what God had told them to do. C-TEAM is kind of the team you go to when the other two are busy, but you actually go to them like some sort of super-spy clandestine meeting (Think Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3). The list goes on and on and somewhere along the way the rest of us find our place. We truly believe that our call in life is to support Teams A through C and beyond. That we are the go-fers and water boys (and girls) for the main team. Well, I don't read that in my Bible. The invitation if for all to come. All to be equipped.
Ephesians 4:11-12
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.
Now I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, but I don't read anywhere in these verses that our equipping is for the work of service....in the church. Nothing wrong with that. Things have to be don........toilets cleaned.......rooms vacuumed..etc....but that is not what the call is about. It is about all of us learning how to hear God....and then act on what we hear. Learning how to Pray and exercise the authority and Power God has granted each believer. In other words...it is just like Jesus said..."Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." I don't see any credentials needed to carry on this mission that Jesus has left to be fulfilled. I don't see any educational requirements before you can "Do the Stuff". All I see is that believing In Jesus...In who He is...believing in the Power of God through the Holy Spirit working and living inside every believer is all that is required.
You want to try something really cool? Do this.
Pray and ask God to give you one opportunity to pray for someone today.
I know...I know....it is kind of scary. But do it anyway....
Ask God to put one person in your path today that really needs to be prayed for and over.
Then go through you day and watch. See what happens.
Now here is where the scary part comes in. When you run into them....and the conversation moves along...you'll know that this is indeed the person you're suppose to pray over....Your heart will beat fast...everything inside of you will scream, "No! No! I can't do this!" But there will be another voice quietly saying..."Yes You can." You may not know what to pray...that's o.k. to....since God has set this whole arrangement up...why not simply pray..."Lord, you know I'm not sure about what going on here...I just know that you want me to pray for this person....so I know that you have a purpose at work here...so I'm going to bless what you are doing in this person's life...I bless it right now. In Jesus name, amen." Guess what? You just did the stuff. How cool was that.
It's a start..
It's a beginning...
Ask for more opportunities...
Now we're growing....
God on you...
mb
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