Your life can be summed up by what you know, and what you do with what you know. What you know is your faith, and what you do with what you know is your ministry.
The record we have of Jesus is just the beginning of His work. You are the continuation. The gospel according to your life can be the story of Jesus working in the 21st century!
Don’t mistake position for calling. We all have the same Savior and the same calling and mission. We’ve all been bought by the same blood and filled with the same Spirit. We have different functions which position us differently in the body, but all are on the same level in God’s eyes. He is the Great Equalizer!
No other religion has its scribes read their holy books then expects their god to confirm what was just read. When you preach with a confirmation of signs and wonders you will never have a problem getting a crowd to listen!
The Gospel comes in two forms: words and actions. I recall what Henry Ford, the great auto industrialist, said to the preacher after one Sunday morning at church. “Preacher, that was a great message, but if you worked for me I’d fire you.” “Why??” the preacher asked. Ford replied, “You prepared us all for action, but left us with nothing to do.”
God is dependent upon us to carry out His plans in the earth. Acts 13:6 says David fulfilled his purpose in his generation. I see two things in this passage. One, David knew his purpose; and two, he fulfilled his purpose! My prayer is that each one of us would discover our purpose, find our team, and then pull together for fulfillment in God’s plan!
Jesus was not ashamed of the fact that He needed miracles to validate His ministry. He said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him” (John 10:37-38). There is no stronger statement that He made concerning the need for miracles in ministry!
Miracles prove that the God we serve is not dead! He speaks from the hearts of His believers while confirming the words they speak. Jesus commissions those who believe in Him to do miracles, so evidently Jesus knew we would need miracles too!
When we receive Jesus in our hearts, He comes to live in us. His Spirit, His holiness, His righteousness lives in us. When we walk, He walks, and when we talk, it’s like Jesus is talking through us. When we lay our hands on someone, it’s like He is touching that person through us!
When I arrive in a new country and the plane lands, I walk out on to the ground with the full expectation that I will change that nation. People will find Christ. Leaders will discover a new inspiration for life and thousands will be physically and mentally healed. It does not matter how many witch doctors, thieves, or corrupt people want to stop me. I come with the Hope of the World in my heart. The Gospel we bring is the power of God that produces salvation in every single person who will receive it.
During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, “Sir, I am not a brave man…the truth is, I am an utterly craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.” Years later when Patton’s autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: “I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears.”
If you are to do anything in life you will face the risk of failure. There are healthy fears that protect you, like a fear of jumping off the garage roof. These type of fears protect you, but there are many unhealthy fears that paralyze you, like fear of tomorrow, fear of poverty, fear of sickness, fear of failure, etc. We have been given the weapons to live a fear-free life, but we must use those weapons to address the fears. Patton had it right, don’t take council of your fears!
