A POSSIBLE YOU
FINDING GOD’S DESTINY FOR YOUR LIFE
PART 24
FANNING THE EMBERS OF LOVE

“Say not ye, there are four months, and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white (ripe) already to harvest. And he that reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto life eternal: that both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together.” (John 4: 35-36) As Christians, the concept of evangelism includes “producing” or birthing new people into God’s Kingdom by spreading the gospel. We believe and teach that God’s Word has the power to transform those who reach out to Jesus by faith. We are supposed to know that it is our responsibility to sow His seed and be a witness unto the world so the lost might “see” Christ and be drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit. This is certainly the heart of the great commission to “multiply” and expand God’s flock however, I believe there has been one crucial component that has been left out of this divine process over the last 75 years and that is – actually doing it! It seems the same problem keeps coming up over and over, we realize how we should be a light and salt, we have read many salvation tracts and have listened to many missionaries tell their stories, but it seems our burden is NOT burning brightly because we have forgotten that WE are missionaries! Is it possible that many have never had the revelation of God’s truth about how we are being held accountable for interceding as a soul-winner? Could our level of love be so low that we are embarrassed and we have no burden for other people’s souls? Maybe Christians are NOT living holy in front of those they know and CANNOT be a witness because no one respects their spiritual walk! Selah. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

The church is a wonderful place to learn about being a witness and to even practice the skills of sharing the gospel, testifying and teaching, but where did we ever come up with the idea that this is the ONLY place we “demonstrate” our obedience? We learn and develop our skills to minister in the safe environment of the assembly – so that we can be “equipped” to minister the gospel in the harsh realities of this dark world. It seems that many would rather stay in boot-camp and hide behind the walls of the church instead of developing an awareness of God’s presence outside of their comfort zone so that our peers can “see” what a good soldier we are. In the real world it is difficult to discern God’s divine appointments if we are not “looking” for them. Selah. Awareness takes effect when we ask Him to open our eyes and then EXPECT to be used as a “light” of His love wherever we are. If we choose to stay focused and distracted with our own agenda, we will walk right past the ones that God wanted us to intervene with. He is always trying to get our attention but many times we are just too busy or uninterested to get involved.

We must also include in the world of evangelism that many consider the “lost” as heathens in third world countries that are deceived or criminals and bad people that are psychotic monsters. This might be partly true, but we also need to re-focus our attention from the “world” and become aware of the truth that the lost also includes those we work with and even individuals in our own family! It is much easier to see evangelism as something that missionaries do for a living instead of embracing the burden and looking into the mirror to understand that our mission is the same. It does not make any sense that we would go to church and put money into the offering plate for world missions while ignoring our responsibility to evangelize and teach our own children and be a testimony unto our own friends and family! We can talk about spiritual leadership all day long but if we do not include the ones we know and love – we have missed the point! If the head of the house guides the family into the Lord and obeys God’s voice, there will be a beautiful expression of God’s love and wisdom that will be produced. I am not saying there will not be challenges or trials, but we have been promised that if we do our part, God will provide the miracle power that is needed to touch a heart. There will be many arguments about this and many will be offended because they are frustrated and have experienced much failure in this area but this does not mean that God’s principals are not true. People are quick to point out that all truth has exceptions but I can say without being ashamed that we must hold on to our faith. If God and His Word are not perfect and if He has even the slightest possibility of failing, then we might as well throw it all in the garbage, live however we want and hope for the best. God is all about perfect order and us following His divine instructions to the letter – then and only then will He release the miracles and blessings that is a part of His will that was envisioned before we were born. God has a plan for each person – but just because someone rejects His salvation it does not mean that God has failed. He placed Godly mothers and fathers in the home to teach and live as an example to the family and this is our first and most important mission field.

Sadly, many believe that life is just a card game and whatever happens – happens. They may ask someone to please pray when someone is in the hospital or is facing a prison sentence but overall they just live day by day believing in their own intelligence and laboring in their own strength. This is NOT the way we are supposed to live and certainly NOT the Lord’s idea of the Christian life! God has given His instruction manual and when we yield our will and allow Him to be our Lord, it is our obedience that enables His Spirit to operate and activate the power of His revelation wisdom into our life. You see, God does not play the games of chance. He does not look at us in the morning and spin the roulette wheel to cause or prevent us from having a good day or a day filled with tragedy. Many of the things that happen in our day to day lives are consequences that are related the acts that were spoken or committed or not spoken and omitted. I said, “Many” not all, because there are other circumstances that involve His plans and no human has the answers for the many other unexplainable events that happen. I am a counselor for the Kentucky emergency crisis response organization and the most frequently used word in crisis is “why” (which very rarely anyone has an answer for). My point is that God works within such a system of principals and order of perfection that our sensitivity and obedience has a direct influence on not only things around us but also how they affect our life. It is the Lord Almighty that causes things to happen – who prevents things from happening and who can stop whatever IF HE WANTS TO! This is the kind of authority that makes the crooked places straight and makes a way where there seems to be no way! This is the miracle power that changes circumstances, opens doors and allows the world to see the GLORY of God!

Let us go another step in this subject. We seem to have the idea that everything that happens is God’s will. I was raised with the doctrinal view that believes God chooses everything to do or not to do which makes everything His decision. There is some truth in this concept but He never intended or led anyone into sin and sin is the root cause why many bad things happen. The sovereignty of God is a huge and controversial subject because it means that God can do (or choose not to do) whatever He desires and it is not my intention of going into this now, however to continue on the subject of evangelism, we must acknowledge the fact that understanding revelational truth and fervent faith can and does play a significant role in what happens to us and those around us! Let us be very simple for the sake of time and ask the question; does living close to God make any difference in eternity? Are there deeds that can be done that will literally have a life-changing effect on certain people and have an eternal impact on their soul? If we answered yes, then we must accept the fact that us choosing to obey Him within our free-will accomplishes His foreknowledge and has a direct impact on our destiny! Just because He wants someone to do something – that does not mean they will do it! Those who choose to listen and be used in the confidence and boldness of His anointing will be rewarded with joining God’s passion to save the lost. Even if we have not been used in the entire conviction process, He will recognize and bless our spiritual sensitivity within His divine appointment. “And herein is that saying true, one sows, and another reaps. I sent you to reap where you bestowed no labor: other men labored, and you entered into their labors” (John 4: 37-38)

It is not difficult to stop and look around and see the consequences of ignorance. I use this word in the sense of being “unlearned”. Let us look at a few more words that are directly related to this word as defined by the Oxford dictionary; “unknowing, unaware, unenlightened, in the dark, oblivious, uneducated, uninformed, ill-mannered, rude, discourteous, boorish, and impolite.” For those who do not know what their responsibilities are, The Lord allows time for learning and development but what about the elders in the faith that refuses to become involved with soul winning? This lack of concern reveals a serious problem.

Once upon a time in this country, there was a common belief that God was absolutely true and every other spiritual idea was confused. You could go anywhere in the eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, and find that most people believed in the reverence and respect for the God of the Bible. God’s Word was thought of as the highest power and anyone connected with His kingdom were considered humble servants of integrity. In today’s world system that embraces the philosophy that every religion is just another road to heaven, it is more difficult to proclaim the gospel of Christ as the “only” way with God. This is why it is so crucial that we as Christians listen carefully and follow His instructions. It is not how much we preach or hand out tracts – it is asking Him for a burning passion of LOVE, to abandon our will and have the courage to “LIVE” what we know. Selah.