The Works of God

Dear Weekly Readers!

May the Peace of God be with you!   Please enjoy the article which reminds us of the importance of family structure!

May God Bless your week!  John R.

THE WORKS OF GOD

Throughout these last few months, I have been thinking and looking at what modern-day

America says about doing the work of God. Often, we think that the work of God is being a pastor or a missionary, or leading music in the church, or doing something where people can see that we are serving God.

None of these services are bad, but we shouldn't think that if we are not doing these things that we are not doing the work of God. Looking at the history of Christianity we realize that most of the Christians in the past 2000 years went to church once a week, heard the Word, partook of the Sacraments and went home to scratch out a living.

In modern times, it seems that many people have a lot more time to worry about if they are "doing" the work of God. This question often comes up when people are "choosing" an occupation or a vocation. Jesus addressed this question in an account in the book of John.

When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:24-29  Here, Jesus is talking to a crowd that had come looking for Him because He had fed them the day before. Most of the time, we would think, "Isn't it great that the crowd wants to hear Jesus again?" But this crowd is looking to fill their bellies. They are searching out Jesus for selfish reasons. At times, we also may do things for God or search out God for our own selfish gain, or even to look good to others or to feel good about ourselves. When that is the case, our focus is wrong. Instead of a selfish focus, we should look to Jesus and His words. It's also important to know that even if we are serving God for our own selfish reasons, God can still make it work for His own good.

No matter where we find ourselves in this life, if we believe, we are doing the works of God. So, as a believing parent, we are doing the works of God. As a carpenter who is a believer, we are doing the works of God. We, as believers, are led by the power of the Holy Spirit and our focus comes away from ourselves to others. We may not be serving in the mission field or leading a church, but that does not make our role as a believer any less important.

Actually, I would say that the calling of being a parent and raising children in the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is a much greater calling than being a pastor. In fact Paul tells Timothy that if he does not manage his own household well then he should not be in the ministry.

Wherever God has put us in our daily vocation we are serving him by serving our family, neighbors and church family. We continue to do the work of God by believing in

the one that He sent. ~

Pastor Gerry Southerton 

Vancouver, Washington 

The Awakening Call

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!

The below you could find useful for your ministry, to share with anyone you know is an unbeliever, or to be reminded yourself of important matters.

  

May God Bless your week!   John R.

The Awakening Call

Everyone of us has at one time or another experienced some type of awakening call during the course of our lifetime.  A typical awakening for everyone each day is the awakening from sleep.  Some hear the call of a parent or loved one informing them of the time to get up.  Many must be reminded or called several times before getting up.  Others jump up at the first call and are ready to start the day. Those who have no one call them must depend on alarm clocks, or perhaps by a telephone call when lodging at some inn while traveling. Even this type of call has its problems.  People just hate to get up, so they will shut the alarm off or press a doze button to delay getting up.

There are, of course, other ways by which we are awakened to a need or some situation.  Our automobiles at times will catch our attention when the engine begins to sputter and our glance at the fuel gauge reveals that we are out of gas. How about the siren and blinking lights of a traffic patrol reminding us of our speed? What about the past due notices we receive in the mail? They sure get our attention, don’t they?  Well, we could go on and on, and I’m sure you get my point.  This happens all too often in our secular lives.  But what about our spiritual lives? Is there such a thing as an “awakening call” from God?

If so, how does it come about and what purpose does it serve, you may ask?  I suppose to one who has never heard the story of the creation or has just refused to give it his or her attention, it has no meaning. In spite of this, there really is such a call for His Word tells us that He doesn’t want any of us to perish (2^nd Peter 3:9).  The purpose of this call is to awaken you to the solemn fact that it is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgment (Heb 9:27), and in so doing get your attention.  God wants you to know that we are sinners and that the wages of sin is death

.

It is true that everyone must meet with a physical death because of the inherited sin of Adam and Eve. To the one who has forgotten the natural man’s destiny, it has a grim reminder.  Once God has your attention and reveals to you your sinful condition, He also wants to let your know that there is hope for you to change your situation. The hope is in His Son, Jesus Christ.   For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  Isn’t this Good News to the one who has been awakened from this horrible nightmare of a condemned sinner? The life in store for this sinner who ignores God’s call or scoffs at this call is by no means desirable for it entails eternity with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire.  The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, ad whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death ((Rev 21:8).

The mechanism that trips the alarm of God’s awakening call in a man’s heart and mind is the WORD OF GOD.  He wants to be heard with this message delivered to the Hebrews: The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12).  Where and when does one get stricken by this word? This is a mystery that has no ready answer. There are many factors which govern this answer.   Some have been on the verge of suicide, and by picking up and reading a tract have been smitten by the “sword of the spirit,” which is the Word of God. One departed preacher told of his mother’s convicting words coming to him during a card game which led him to repentance. Others have heard the witness of a child of God or disciple of Christ.  Perhaps some tragedy has taken away a loved one and at the funeral service the message delivered God’s convicting sword. God works in mysterious ways.

Whichever way God chooses to awaken you, dear friend, take heed.  This is the first step in God’s plan of salvation. In other words, God is placing the conviction of sin into your heart to test your reaction. Is His word going to pierce your hard heart?  The two-edged sword wants to break your heart to provide good ground in order that God’s Word would find a lodging place. This is a desirable condition for now the “Sower of the seed” (Matt 13) may be able to plant the seed of hope into your troubled heart.  It is now that you need the absolving word of reconciliation to be preached to your listening ears and troubled heart. You need to find the “Keeper of the keys” of the kingdom of God.  These are the members of the royal priesthood who have received the keys of binding and loosing and the authority to use them (Matt 16:19). You see, they too, have heard the Good News, and have had their troubled and evil consciences cleansed with the blood of Christ contained in the Gospel message declared unto them. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after His resurrection: whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them: and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained (until such time they repent) (John 20:23). In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus instructed His disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).

May God, our Heavenly Father, awaken those sinners receiving His call to their needs of a savior in these latter and crucial times.  Have you received God’s awakening call? If God is calling you, why not answer the call by seeking the Lord while He can be found.  Are you aware of the time on God’s time clock? In the days of Apostle Paul, He gave the Romans this warning.  Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof (Rom. 13:11-14).  May He speak to your heart.

Rueben O Peterson.