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That title sounds very self-centered, but let’s look at this through the little letter of Jude. He speaks of it this way; “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit” (20). Let’s take a closer look at this verse. What is the context?
Take this responsibility seriously! God will strengthen your faith and make you willing to obey.
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What sparked my thinking for this message was the larger context of Ezra and Nehemiah. After David and Solomon completed their reigns as king of Israel, the nation went into a spiritual free-fall. It was divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. While both kingdoms had good and bad kings that followed Solomon, most of the good kings were in Judah, the Southern kingdom.
Over time, the whole nation fell into idolatry and severe discipline from the Lord, to a point that God allowed them to be exiled into Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar for seventy years. Nebuchadnezzar was followed by Evil-Merodach, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. It was during the reign of Cyrus that God stirred up the hearts of Ezra and Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild what was destroyed by the kings of Babylon. That short history of Israel brings me to Nehemiah 3:1-2. “Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.” Notice that the spiritual leaders, the priests, took responsibility and leadership for rebuilding what the enemy had destroyed. In this chapter alone, there are 35 uses of the word “repaired” plus lesser references to “rebuild, restore, built, set its doors, bars, and bolts.” Though Ezra and Nehemiah faced severe opposition, they focused on their work, NOT THE OPPOSITION. When Sanballat and Tobiah (opposition leaders) tried to stop the work, Nehemiah told the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome” (4:14). Anyone who cares about the ‘State of The Church, would have to agree that in general, it is in disrepair. How do we rebuild or repair the Church? Get back to the Scriptures and allow the Spirit to rekindle love and passion for His truth and original design! Think for a moment about all the things we pray for and the people who are part of these requests. So often our prayers revolve around physical needs, protection, or plans we have made for the future. These are what we call ‘temporal needs and requests.’
How often do we pray for the spiritual needs of others. When we read Paul’s prayers for others, they almost always center around some spiritual need which he discerned important at the moment. Take for example his prayer for the saints in Colossae: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). This was not a small idea in Paul’s mind. He wanted them “filled” with these spiritual gifts so their life together as a church would “be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (11). There is one more reference Paul makes to wisdom in this letter. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (3:16). The gift of wisdom from God is always in view of something greater than we have in mind. If we seek it for ourselves and for others in prayer, we will see God do His work with greater results than we can imagine.  It always touches our hearts when we receive news from those we have trained and hear that they are taking seriously 2 Timothy 2:2; “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
This has happened in Kenya as you can see from the picture. Here is the report we received: “I am sharing one of God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) training sessions we have conducted lately at Awelo Baptist Church. We are in the most critical season when this training is highly needed due to an influx of cult activities and the influence of Islam. We are planning a rally for teens this weekend to train them with God’s Plan for Young Disciples (GPYD). OTHER NEWS: The Spanish book God’s Plan for His Disciples, 4th Edition has been sent to the printers and is ready to print, but we are praying that God will supply the funds necessary so we can tell the printer to go ahead with this new book. Will you pray with us for wisdom and direction? This project will impact Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Spanish speaking areas of the USA. “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake…I write to you, children, because you know the Father” (1 John 2:12–13).
As John refutes the false teachers who were seeking to deceive the Early Church, he reminds young believers of the foundation of their faith. It was rooted in two unshakeable truths that are found in Jesus Christ.
“I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, children, because you know the Father…I write to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13–14).
If you are in this category of “fathers,” it is a very wonderful place to be, but carries with it huge responsibilities. Let me quickly add that this designation is not just a title but refers more to the function and role of an older man who demonstrates certain godly characteristics. Such a person may not have actual children who were born to him. They may be children (sons and daughters) who have received spiritual and physical care from a spiritual father. John points to the most important feature of this role of “father” that they “know Him who is from the beginning.” Spending time in secret with the Lord Jesus is essential to fulfilling the role (see John 14:8-9). The Heavenly Father is known through knowing Jesus. Notice that John repeats this in both verses 13 and 14 to emphasize how important it is for us to learn from God how to be the kind of father He wants us to be. I will freely confess that I fall far short from being the example of a father that John is speaking of, but I pursue this quality because the “children and young men” desperately need this mature model and influence in their lives. Use this moment to ask God for a fresh work of the Spirit to form the Father in us.  When our partners in many places of the world that suffer from severe persecution send me pictures of the Lord’s work, I can’t get these images out of my mind. Having been in many of these places, I know details that photos cannot capture. Rather than feeling sorry for them, I am more than ever filled with joy and thanksgiving for their boldness and love for Jesus and His Word.
The Apostle John took a particular interest in the younger generation. “I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one...I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13–14). Though these verses also address children and fathers, I am focusing in this blog on “young men” because they are the group being trained in this picture. Their mentor, a true modern day “Paul” has gone through many trials yet persevered through them all. His model has taught them that endurance does not come from physical strength, material goods, or education, but through a close walk with the Lord and knowing His Word. Consider the possibility of today’s Church being transformed by young men of this caliber! It can only happen if older men show the same passion by example. You may remember one of the most important events in those fifty days between the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension to heaven. Cleopas and his companion had been in Jerusalem during the days of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. They even knew that some disciples went to the tomb and confirmed that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb. In their confusion they left Jerusalem and headed to “Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:13).
How often we make hasty decisions that lead us away from the very place where God is going to reveal Himself and His will for us. Thankfully for these two disciples, Jesus walks with them on this dusty road because he wanted to encounter them in their unbelief and confusion. He took “bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them…their eyes were opened” (30). The conversation on the road and that meal in their home opened their eyes to recognize Him. There have been moments in my life when doubt gripped my heart and thoughts began taking me down a wrong road. How thankful these men were and how thankful I am when the grace of the Lord stops us from going further down what would lead to a wrong destination. Then came that moment when “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (45). Perhaps you are discouraged and have wandered from where God wants you. It’s time to seek Him for understanding and renewal! Get back to the place where you can effectively serve Him. Just a few minutes ago I had the joy of speaking with someone who is willing to help with formatting our books. Beside the actual translation process, formatting takes a unique combination of patience, computer skills, and spiritual intuition. I was elated to discover that this person has all of these. As I gave answers to her questions, she immediately understood and used the function I gave her.
There is something else that makes this process work so well and give us a sense that the person is thinking beyond the computer function. They think about how the teacher and student are going to grasp the Scripture and principles that are being taught through the Bible. Paul made a very important point to the Corinthian church. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Whether our work is translation or formatting books, we must remember that our work must rely on the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we cannot communicate spiritual truths so that others will understand them. How thankful I am to be working with those who value the role of the Spirit in our work! Allen Gardiner was a most unusual man whose life is little known and seemed plagued with failure, yet his vision for God’s call to reach the lost was never dimmed. After the death of his wife, he turned his attention to South Africa with a goal to win the Zulu chief for Christ. The warlike tribe were known for their savagery, but after making contact with Dingran, the king of the Zulu tribe, he won his confidence. This opened a door for the gospel among these people.
From South Africa, Gardiner turned his attention to South America. It seemed that failure hindered his steps wherever he sought to establish a mission beach head. Many were against his missionary work, but he never gave up. Toward the end of his life he wrote, “If I faint or die here, I beg of you oh Lord, that you lift up others and send more workers to this great harvest field.” Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). Our prayers will only be as earnest and sincere with God about the lost as our vision is for them. |
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