Reality #5 Part 2 God Sized Tasks
Something Only God can do!
Moses could never have delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh's army, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, provided water from a rock, or furnished to his people bread and meat. Moses had to have faith that the God who called him would do the things He said He would do. Joshua could not take the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry land, bring down walled cities, defeat enemies, or make the sun stand still. Only God could have done these things. Joshua had to have faith in God.
In the New Testament this also was true for the disciples. On their own, they could not feed the multitudes, heal the sick, still a storm, or raise the dead. Only God could do these things. But God called servants to let Him do these things through them.
When God lets you know what He wants to do through you, it will be something only God can do. What you believe about Him will determine what you do. If you have faith in the God who called you, you will obey Him; and He will bring to pass what He has purposed to do. If you lack faith, you will not do what He wants. That is disobedience. Jesus questioned those around Him, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Jesus frequently rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith and unbelief. Their unbelief revealed that they really had not come to know who He was. Thus, they did not know what He could do.
Obedience shows Faith
Faith was required of Moses and the disciples. When God calls a person to join Him in a God-sized task, faith is always required. Obedience indicates faith in God. Disobedience often indicates a lack of faith. Without faith, a person cannot please God. Without faith, a church cannot please God. We face the same crisis Bible characters faced. When God speaks, what He asks of us requires faith. Our major problem however, is our self-centeredness. We think we have to accomplish the assignment on our own power and with our current resources. We think, "I can't do that. That is not possible." We forget that when God speaks He always reveals what He is going to do--not what He wants us to do for Him. We join Him so He can do His work through us. We don't have to be able to accomplish the task within our limited ability or resources. With faith, we can proceed confidently because we know that He is going to bring to pass what He purposes. "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible'" (Mark 10:27). The Scriptures bear witness that this is true.
Encounters with God are God-Sized
God is interested in the world's coming to know Him. The only way people will know what God is like is when they see Him at work. They know His nature when they see His nature expressed in His activity. Whenever God involves you in His activity, the assignment will have God-like dimensions to it. Some people say, "God will never ask me to do something I can't do." I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it probably is not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. That is the only way the world will come to know Him.
You could name many God-sized assignments in Scripture. He told Abraham to father a nation when Abraham had no son and Sarah was past the age to bear children. He told Moses to deliver the children of Israel, to cross the Red Sea, and to provide water from a rock. He told Gideon to defeat a Midianite army of 120,000 with 300 men. Jesus told the disciples to feed the multitudes and to make disciples of all the nations. None of these things were humanly possible. When God's people and the world see something happen that only God can do, they come to know God.
God wants people to come to know Him. That is why He chooses to work through us. People know us. They know what we can do. When they see things happen that can only be explained by God's involvement, they will come to know Him.
Moses and the Red Sea (Exodus 14:4 + 14:31)
Joshua and the Jordan River @ flood stage (Joshua 4:24)
King Jehoshaphat and Israel against a Vast Army (2 Chronicles 20:12, 20:15,17, + 20:29)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:17 + 3:28-29 + 4:2-3)
The Early Church
Christians in the early church followed the directions of the Holy Spirit. Here is the testimony of the impact God had on their world:
1. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in foreign languages they had not learned. Then Peter preached and "Those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)
2. God used Peter and John to heal a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus. They preached, and "Many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of men came to be about five thousand." (Acts 4:4)
3. God used Peter to raise Dorcas from the dead. "And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord." (Acts 9:42)
What our world often sees are devoted, committed Christians serving God. But they are not seeing God. They comment, "Well, there's a wonderful, dedicated, committed group of people serving God." They, however, do not see anything happening that can only be explained in terms of the activity of God. Why? Because we are not attempting anything that only God can do.
Our world is not attracted to the Christ we serve because they cannot see Him at work! They do not hesitate to attack the Christian position on morality because they have no fear of the God we serve. They see us doing good things for God and say, "That is wonderful, but that is not my thing." The world is passing us by because they do not want to get involved in what they see. They are not having an opportunity to see God. Let the world see God at work, and He will attract people to Himself. Let Christ be lifted up--not in words, but in life. Let them see the difference that a living Christ makes in a life, a family, or a church; that will make a difference in how they respond. When the world sees things happening through God's people that cannot be explained except that God Himself has done them, then the world will be drawn to the God they see. Let world leaders see the miraculous signs of an all-powerful God, and they, like Nebuchadnezzar, will declare that He is the one true God. The world comes to know God when they see God's nature expressed through His activity. When God starts to work, He accomplishes something that Only He can do. When God does that, both God's people and the world come to know Him in ways they have never known Him before. That is why God gives God-sized assignments to His people.
The reason much of the world is not being attracted to Christ and His church is that God's people lack the faith to attempt those things that only God can do. If you or your church are not responding to God and attempting things that only He can accomplish, then you are not exercising faith. "Without faith it is impossible to pleas God." (Hebrews 11:6). If people in your community are not responding to the gospel as they did in the New Testament, one possible reason is that they are not seeing God in what you are doing as a church. God is far more interested in your having an experience with Him than He is interested in getting a job done. You can complete a job, and never experience God at all. He is not interested just in getting a job done. He can get the job done anytime He wants. What is He interested in? You and the world, knowing Him and experiencing Him. So God will come to you and give you a God-sized assignment. When you start to do what He tells you to do, He brings to pass what He has purposed. Then you and all the people with you will rejoice that you have experienced Him. You and the people around you will know more of Him than you have ever known before.
Moses could never have delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh's army, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, provided water from a rock, or furnished to his people bread and meat. Moses had to have faith that the God who called him would do the things He said He would do. Joshua could not take the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry land, bring down walled cities, defeat enemies, or make the sun stand still. Only God could have done these things. Joshua had to have faith in God.
In the New Testament this also was true for the disciples. On their own, they could not feed the multitudes, heal the sick, still a storm, or raise the dead. Only God could do these things. But God called servants to let Him do these things through them.
When God lets you know what He wants to do through you, it will be something only God can do. What you believe about Him will determine what you do. If you have faith in the God who called you, you will obey Him; and He will bring to pass what He has purposed to do. If you lack faith, you will not do what He wants. That is disobedience. Jesus questioned those around Him, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Jesus frequently rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith and unbelief. Their unbelief revealed that they really had not come to know who He was. Thus, they did not know what He could do.
Obedience shows Faith
Faith was required of Moses and the disciples. When God calls a person to join Him in a God-sized task, faith is always required. Obedience indicates faith in God. Disobedience often indicates a lack of faith. Without faith, a person cannot please God. Without faith, a church cannot please God. We face the same crisis Bible characters faced. When God speaks, what He asks of us requires faith. Our major problem however, is our self-centeredness. We think we have to accomplish the assignment on our own power and with our current resources. We think, "I can't do that. That is not possible." We forget that when God speaks He always reveals what He is going to do--not what He wants us to do for Him. We join Him so He can do His work through us. We don't have to be able to accomplish the task within our limited ability or resources. With faith, we can proceed confidently because we know that He is going to bring to pass what He purposes. "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible'" (Mark 10:27). The Scriptures bear witness that this is true.
Encounters with God are God-Sized
God is interested in the world's coming to know Him. The only way people will know what God is like is when they see Him at work. They know His nature when they see His nature expressed in His activity. Whenever God involves you in His activity, the assignment will have God-like dimensions to it. Some people say, "God will never ask me to do something I can't do." I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it probably is not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. That is the only way the world will come to know Him.
You could name many God-sized assignments in Scripture. He told Abraham to father a nation when Abraham had no son and Sarah was past the age to bear children. He told Moses to deliver the children of Israel, to cross the Red Sea, and to provide water from a rock. He told Gideon to defeat a Midianite army of 120,000 with 300 men. Jesus told the disciples to feed the multitudes and to make disciples of all the nations. None of these things were humanly possible. When God's people and the world see something happen that only God can do, they come to know God.
God wants people to come to know Him. That is why He chooses to work through us. People know us. They know what we can do. When they see things happen that can only be explained by God's involvement, they will come to know Him.
Moses and the Red Sea (Exodus 14:4 + 14:31)
Joshua and the Jordan River @ flood stage (Joshua 4:24)
King Jehoshaphat and Israel against a Vast Army (2 Chronicles 20:12, 20:15,17, + 20:29)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:17 + 3:28-29 + 4:2-3)
The Early Church
Christians in the early church followed the directions of the Holy Spirit. Here is the testimony of the impact God had on their world:
1. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in foreign languages they had not learned. Then Peter preached and "Those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)
2. God used Peter and John to heal a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus. They preached, and "Many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of men came to be about five thousand." (Acts 4:4)
3. God used Peter to raise Dorcas from the dead. "And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord." (Acts 9:42)
What our world often sees are devoted, committed Christians serving God. But they are not seeing God. They comment, "Well, there's a wonderful, dedicated, committed group of people serving God." They, however, do not see anything happening that can only be explained in terms of the activity of God. Why? Because we are not attempting anything that only God can do.
Our world is not attracted to the Christ we serve because they cannot see Him at work! They do not hesitate to attack the Christian position on morality because they have no fear of the God we serve. They see us doing good things for God and say, "That is wonderful, but that is not my thing." The world is passing us by because they do not want to get involved in what they see. They are not having an opportunity to see God. Let the world see God at work, and He will attract people to Himself. Let Christ be lifted up--not in words, but in life. Let them see the difference that a living Christ makes in a life, a family, or a church; that will make a difference in how they respond. When the world sees things happening through God's people that cannot be explained except that God Himself has done them, then the world will be drawn to the God they see. Let world leaders see the miraculous signs of an all-powerful God, and they, like Nebuchadnezzar, will declare that He is the one true God. The world comes to know God when they see God's nature expressed through His activity. When God starts to work, He accomplishes something that Only He can do. When God does that, both God's people and the world come to know Him in ways they have never known Him before. That is why God gives God-sized assignments to His people.
The reason much of the world is not being attracted to Christ and His church is that God's people lack the faith to attempt those things that only God can do. If you or your church are not responding to God and attempting things that only He can accomplish, then you are not exercising faith. "Without faith it is impossible to pleas God." (Hebrews 11:6). If people in your community are not responding to the gospel as they did in the New Testament, one possible reason is that they are not seeing God in what you are doing as a church. God is far more interested in your having an experience with Him than He is interested in getting a job done. You can complete a job, and never experience God at all. He is not interested just in getting a job done. He can get the job done anytime He wants. What is He interested in? You and the world, knowing Him and experiencing Him. So God will come to you and give you a God-sized assignment. When you start to do what He tells you to do, He brings to pass what He has purposed. Then you and all the people with you will rejoice that you have experienced Him. You and the people around you will know more of Him than you have ever known before.
posted by Mark 1:17 at 2:20 PM
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