Just a Thought

 

I am convinced that as the people of God we have missed or by-passed a couple of the basic reasons for our existence... and two of those are, we are called to be pioneers not settlers. We are called to set the standards to set the examples. In the words of the narrator from Star Trek... “boldly going where no man has gone before” Can I ask have you, we the church ever gone anywhere boldly. I know there are a few exceptions, however for us Jesus was the pattern, he was and is the example for and how we should be. Acts 10 37 -38 tells us just what Jesus did.... You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.(Message)

God has called us to be a people of purpose and destiny, not a people who sit cloistered inside four walls hoping that someday Jesus will return and somehow we will make it.

Deuteronomy 10:11-12 Then the LORD said to me, “Arise, begin your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them”
¹² “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

The first thing I believe that God is saying to us from these verses is that God is calling us to begin the journey before the people Not to wait for everyone else but as individuals follow the example of Christ. Then lead by example God did not just send the Holy Spirit to anoint Jesus.... the same anointing is available for us. What is the land that you need to go in and possess? Can I suggest it’s you world , your sphere of influence I can guarantee that there are a number of people in your world that are beaten down by the devil and are just waiting for that word, that healing that you have the anointing to deliver, that will bring release and healing... begin the journey

   

Secondly, to walk in all His ways. We are admonished in the scriptures in 1 John 2:6 that if we say that we are in Christ then we should walk just as He walked. (that is like Jesus) Again in Romans 6:4 if we have entered fully into the relationship with Jesus we should also walk in newness of life. Colossians 1:10 exhorts us to walk in a way that is an example to those whom we know and meet, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Being fruitful could be another way of saying being anointed in all you do.

N.B. the word for walk in the Greek peripateo (per-ee-pat-eh’-o) means, to tread all around, i.e. walk at large (especially as proof of ability) This gives us the added meaning that as Jesus went around doing his daily tasks, his normal routine, going about his daily business his anointing did not leave him because he was not in church but rather it manifested in his everyday life. We have talked the talk I believe it’s now time to walk the walk. Many people are curently using the phrases market place ministry or even church without walls that has been the message of Jesus since He walked the earth two thousand years ago it's about time we caught up, stopped talking the talk coming up with new catch phrases and did as Jesus did, go meet the people

To finish this though on being pioneers not settlers can I quote a line from a song that was top of the British Charts some years ago, it goes like this.... “Star Trekin across the universe always going forward cause we can’t find reverse” We should not be in reverse gear or in retreat or even have that mindset that says we need to defend what we have. Why is it when a church or body of people say they are going to have a few day away from the building to pray say we are going on a retreat. But rather let us “Arise, begin our journey before the people, that we may go in and possess the land which I swore to your fathers to give you” (words in bold changed for effect) His promises are YES and AMEN, so lets not just settle but be the pioneers HE has called us to be.

  

Jim Ford
Eved l' Yeshua  (Bond Slave of Jesus)