“Woe to you,
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been
done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth
and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than
for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be
brought down to Hades. The one who hears you hears me and the one who rejects
you rejects me and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10: 13-16).
We are reminded once again today of the
indispensability of the new birth. True disciples must be born again so we can
receive the Holy Spirit who wants to speak to us… “The Spirit himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16)
and through us… “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).
As we grow in Christ and His Spirit fills us with His truth, we cannot help but
overflow with the gospel message that the world around us needs to hear. As we
grow in His Word we begin to reflect God’s truth to the hearts and lives of
those around us. The results are extreme. Jesus prophesied that towns,
villages, cities, and countries are raised up and brought down by their
response to the words spoken by messengers of His gospel. Even today, standing
or falling in eternity is dependent upon the response of those who hear the
gospel message. Serious disciples look for and take advantage of every
opportunity to exercise the power to speak for God.
The power of God’s Word is revealed in our presence.
True born again believers have the presence of Christ in us… “Examine yourselves… Test yourselves. Or do
you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2
Corinthians 13:5). We have been given the responsibility to share the
presence of Christ with the world around us… “To them (His
saints) God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches
of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”
(Colossians 1:27). This means that if we are willing, the Lord can lead us
to all the places He wants to show up and reveal His great power every
day… “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he
who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Where might Jesus want you to go today so that He might reveal Himself to a
hurting or lost person today?
The power of God’s Word is revealed in our practice.
Sometimes we don’t have to go anywhere special. It is in the common everyday places
like home, neighborhood, work, or church and among the people we already have
regular contact with like family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that
Christ’s power might be proclaimed because we are different… “They are
not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). It is
the power of God’s Word that makes us different… “I have given them your
word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I
am not of the world” (John 17:14). Being set apart from the world
should incite those closest to us to ask the reason why we are different… “In
your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do
it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Might someone close to
you ask what makes you different today?
The power of God’s Word is revealed in our proclamation.
The eager disciple’s willingness to be where Christ wants to be and to be set
apart from the world by God’s Word will inevitably lead to opportunities to
speak God’s Word to others. Jesus taught His disciples to be prepared for such
climactic moments by learning to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s presence and
leading… “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to
speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in
that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking
through you” (Matthew 10:19-20). Speaking for God is imitating Christ… “For
I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself
given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49).
What is it that God wants to speak through you into someone’s life today?
As we grow up into Christ we become
more effective disciple-makers because He has given us…
The Power to Speak for God.
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