New Life Vision
Good to see you again here. I pray that the Lord bring His living word, and break it and give it to us. Because unless the Lord gives us a revelation of His word, we may go back from this place just the way we came or maybe sometimes, worse …Jesus said, “…The word that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).
I have been serving the Lord for the past 53 years and it is a great joy to me. At the age of 25 yrs Jesus met me and revealed Himself personally. We, my wife and I, used to be part of the brethren assembly when we started to minister and we did according to what the leaders asked us to do. I remember that I was afraid-to-death to speak in front of an audience; my knees would shake, my ears would ring and my voice cracked… when I was involved in the cottage prayer meetings and Sunday school. [For who has despised the day of small things {beginnings}? (Zech 4:10).] Then the Lord sent me on crusades and meetings here in India
Why am I saying all this is because, the Lord is impressing upon my heart that Jesus is coming soon… There is a great need to hear His voice and obey. Jesus is coming – the Bridegroom, for the Bride, a great and glorious church without a spot or wrinkle; holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:23). How is this possible? - Through the Holy Spirit’s cleansing AND our own obedience.
Many times we would like to hear God’s voice just to weigh the options of whether to do His will or not; leaving the choice to ourselves. This should not be! If we are proud in this way, and do not want to allow God’s work through us, a crisis is bound to come! But, two things become clear in a crisis: one, it reveals your character and secondly, it reveals your purpose.
His Grace, His Gift and His Glory
Yes, in a time of crisis your will and your willingness are revealed. What are you really looking for in your life-your will or His will; your glory or His? But His promises to the sons of obedience are these – His grace, His gift and His glory!
Why do many of us find it difficult to surrender ourselves and embrace the cross? Paul declares “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20). If this is your confession too, the Lord will take you to the next level. No leader can lead you farther than the vision that he himself sees!
We are in this place because of the grace of God. “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8). If we walk in faith and obedience, grace and the gift of God are ours! And so we must continue with those who are willing to go all the way. In this verse Eph. 2:8, the ‘saving’ grace is just the beginning to enter the kingdom of God ; but, once you enter, it requires faithful obedience on your part to walk day by day in the kingdom of God
Jesus Himself has made away for us. ‘…we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18). As we gaze upon His face, we are changed… therefore do not sit at the gate, but go in to the place where the Father is. We belong to His Kingdom…we are the ‘Kingdom’ people filled with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. This is what makes us different from others!
Four Questions To You
I ask you four simple questions – answer me! Who are you? Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Where are you going? I asked these same questions to a hotel manager from West Bengal who came to meet me last week. I handed him a Gideon’s Bible and he left. After 3 or 4 days later, I received a call from him; he said ‘Pray for me, I am in problems...’. Once you have come to know Jesus Christ, I challenge you to know yourself and the purpose of your life here and then fulfill it.
There are four things that a man will seek after. (i) Security (ii) Significance (iii) Self-worth and (iv) Success. If you have come to the cross, I can assure you that you will get all these four things, provided you walk with the Lord.
In Matthew 25:14-23 the kingdom of heaven is explained by Jesus in the ‘Parable of the Talents’.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his Lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look I have gained two more talents besides them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make your ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
Now the talents that the master gave represent money, wealth or riches. This is clear from v18 ‘…hid his lord’s money’ and in v27 ‘…you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers…’. There was a limitation to the talents they received-five, two and one, according to their own ability. But their capability was unlimited. That is why I say that the important factor is your willingness to use your limited talents alongside your unlimited capabilities.
Empowered and Equipped
Let me explain- the Lord entrusts His riches. Why does He do that? Deut. 8:2 says that He led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years ‘to humble’ them and test them and ‘to know’ what was in their hearts. And v16 reads, ‘…that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end’. And He is doing the same with you and me-entrusting His riches and to know what is in our heart. And in Deut. 8:18: “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”
What does He expect us to do? The answer is 'Do the will of God and build His kingdom'. We will do well to fulfill God’s requirements, that we remain humble and pass the test (Do you love Me more than these? Further read 2 Tim. 2:15). If you do these, the blessedness of God found in Psalm 1, will surround you. “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper”.
Now for convenience sake let me take the example of rupees five lakhs, two lakhs and one lakh given to each one of you. The first two servants immediately invested their master’s money. Now five lakhs became ten lakhs…do you imagine him to live as before? I can imagine his entire lifestyle would have changed, his possessions would have increased and yet he had sufficient money in hand to give back to his master on terms of 100% profit. And he was willing to do just that…give back his master’s money with 100% profit. Do you think he did that to go back as a pauper again? I can imagine even after returning his master’s money, he would have remained wealthy! That is why I say, that you need to have a vision, gather the resources (you must first believe in your product) and time the release your product; then you are sure to reap success.
In the parable, the master was not intent on receiving his money back. He gave it back to his servants and did not stop there… yes, he gave them more. ‘You were faithful in few things and so I make you ruler over many things.’ Now does God want your wealth back? ‘Silver is Mine, Gold is Mine’ says the Lord. He just wants to do you good when you pass the test.
There was also this lazy, wicked servant who hid his lord’s money. Matt. 25:28, 29 says: Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
Center on God and Enter His Joy
Are you thinking, ‘Lord, it’s not fair! You are making the rich richer’; but do you know that this is the kingdom principle. If you pass the test saying, ‘Lord, I want You more than all these wealth’, the Lord says, ‘I want you more than all that you want to give me’. He wants to give you riches and He wants you to invest it that there may be abundance. As I look at you, I have faith that at least a few of you will set your spiritual priorities right and use your talents-your money. I tell you this because God has called me to be a visionary and a motivator, that if you do this your life will be changed in 6 month’s time!
He empowers you; equips you to employ you and to expand you; to do you good in the end. Whatever you possess, you will leave it someday; but whatever you use, there will be an inheritance someday.
Let me close with a few verses from Isaiah- Isaiah 54:2, 3: Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendents will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.
No comments:
Post a Comment