God wants us
to do the maximum we can as individuals: help in the local church as well as
fervently pray for and sacrificially support missions and international
evangelism and discipleship. We can give money, prayer, and physical support,
but most of all, we need to be available for the Lord to send us wherever He
wants. He has called many men and women to do great things, but some sit in
comfort, disobedient, simply because their local leaders are not preparing them
for the work of the ministry, challenging and sending them. If we equip all
members of a local congregation for ministry tasks, then send them, the local
church will soon see a big change. Volunteering does not mean everybody
planning their own work. Project leaders coordinate the volunteers to meet the
project’s needs under guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There must
also be urgency about it. Jesus said in John 9:4, 5: “‘As long as it is day, we must do the work
of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the
world, I am the light of the world.’” He also said in John 14:12: “‘I tell you
the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will
do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’”
Because He said we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), the words
in John 9:4, 5 above apply to us as well. The night is coming. We can’t live for ourselves
anymore. We need to realize that we don’t need all our things and comfort. If we downscale as
Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mark 10, we will see how much time and
energy we have to be the salt of the earth.
There is much to fight for, much to
teach. For example, the children in many countries are becoming a serious
problem to society, schools, and the government because of a lack of
discipline. We as Christians have learned from the Bible how to bring up our
children. The Lord has also risen up anointed authors on child rearing. If we
would get out of our comfort zones and make the world aware of the need to
train parents properly in child rearing, respect, and discipline, the world
would be a different place in the next generation.
As Peter said, “Through
these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through
them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the
world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to
your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge,
self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance,
godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep
you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has
forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins” (2 Peter 1:4-9). (To be continued)
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