BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given
me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare
it fearlessly, as I should.”
(Ephesians 6:19-20)
MEDITATION:
When we receive salvation from God, we also receive a spiritual gift.
Why does He give us this gift? Because He has plans for us to become
part of His earthly ministry effort. It is important for each believer to
identify the spiritual gift God has given them, and once discovered,
start using that gift to contribute to His ministry.
Have you ever wondered why God hasn’t called you to be a preacher
or teacher? We know that He is a God of dispensation, which means
He dispenses what He chooses to each person based on His knowledge
of them and their potential, and the plans He has for them.
Each spiritual gift is important, however some may impact more people.
The gift of prophecy (preaching and teaching) is one of those that impacts
many people. It carries a huge responsibility too, and Paul knew he would
need the support, prayers, and encouragement of other believers, if he was
to do what God called him to do, and staying within His boundaries.
Paul knew the challenges for him so he asked the Ephesians to support him
through their prayers. Paul was aware that everything he said should be in
accordance with God’s will. It is the same with the ones God has called to be
preachers and teachers today. Ask any of them about their main concern,
and if they are sincerely following God’s will, they will tell you…
“I want to accurately communicate what God gives me to share,
and to never attempt to take credit for what He has provided”
God called me to teach a bible class when I was in my thirties.
At the same time, He made me aware that I should never try to
take credit for what He would give me to share. It makes sense,
doesn’t it?
If we take any credit that belongs to Him, then we will most likely
begin to develop an unhealthy pride that fuels our egotism. If that
happens, then what we do to serve Him will become more about us
than all about Him, and that’s never a good thing.
Later, when He called me to start distributing ‘His’ devotionals
around the world, He again reminded me that He is the owner
and author of the devotionals, and I have been called to format
and distribute them. The content and scriptures would be from
Him and my reward for serving would be: I would get to read
them first before sharing them with others.
Being a part of His ministry has increased my desire to see others
be saved and I can only imagine the lives He is changing with ‘His’
devotionals (even though I may never know about it). To remind
me that God is the source of anything I do when serving where He
has called me (and that He should receive the credit and praise),
He led me to this scripture:
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat
on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God,
an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten
by worms and died.
(Acts 12:21-23)
Paul was concerned about accurately sharing what the Lord provided
without interjecting any of his own ideas, which could corrupt God’s
messages. Even if some of the things God provided for Paul to share
were controversial, Paul’s desire was to bravely share whatever God
provided and let Him handle any issues it might cause.
When he mentioned the “mystery of the gospel”, he was probably
talking about the things that could be beyond the knowledge or
understanding of some people. God’s mysteries can confuse and
baffle the unbelievers but will bless those who are following Jesus.
We may not fully comprehend all the mysteries of God, but we do
know they will impact everyone in a positive way.
It is astounding how the ‘gospel mystery’ enables God to change the
human hearts, habits, attitudes, desires, and overall nature of people.
For generations He has been applying His mysteries to the hearts of
people and God wants to change men and women through the mystery
of righteousness.
We might not fully understand how it works, but when God replaces
the unrighteousness in our lives with righteousness, we will be blessed
with a new and closer relationship with Him.
We can see why Paul was so concerned about his responsibility
of carefully sharing the gospel with others and staying within
the will of God. Even while he was in chains, Paul knew God’s
purpose for his life, and he wanted to fulfill that purpose in the
best way possible, regardless of his circumstances.
He knew the importance of soliciting the support of those
God had blessed with other spiritual gifts (such as serving,
giving, encouraging, leading, organizing, and being merciful,
just to name a few).
ACTION:
If you don’t have the gift of teaching or preaching, you still
have an equally important role in the overall ministry of God.
You need to use your gift to reach the lost, and to support any
of those God has called to share the mystery of the gospel.
Praying is one of the greatest ways of supporting preachers
and teachers. When you pray for them to share God’s Word
accurately, it will have a positive impact on them, on you, on
other believers, and on the lost.
If Satan has caused you to think a preacher is not fulfilling your
expectations and the type of presentation that you prefer, you
should pray for the pastor. Why? So that God will either change
what the preacher is sharing and how he presents it, or He will
change your heart, so you can hear what God wants you to hear
(even if the preacher continues with the same delivery style).
We need to remember that if a pastor does not preach in a way
that pleases us, his style might be exactly what many others do
prefer. Satan loves to do anything he can to cause believers to
disobey God’s command of praising and worshiping Him, and
to hear the messages He sends to us through others. If we aren’t
careful, Satan will use our selfish desires to cause disturbances
within the church body.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the mysteries of Your
gospel of righteousness. Thank You for those You have
called to share Your Word with all who need to hear and
understand Your gospel. Forgive me if I have ever allowed
Satan to cause me to avoid hearing the message you want
me to hear through others. Teach me how to listen for You
to speak to me, even if I would prefer a different style of
presentation. Show me how to use the spiritual gift You
have given me to not only reach the lost, but to also support
those called to share the mysteries of Your Word. Give me
the boldness I need to tell others the secret of eternal joy in
Jesus Christ and never let me forget that in everything I do,
You get the praise because You have provided it all.”
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