“As men of God we are not here to save ourselves, but to give our lives on behalf of those God has placed in our care.” ~ Mark Hamby, Lamplighter Ministries
As we often do, when people of God get together, we discuss the ministry of sharing the Gospel with others. It never ceases to amaze me how lonely and weary we can become if we do not draw together and refresh ourselves in the presence of the Lord and our fellow brethren. You see, the battle is truly a spiritual fight that we wage every single day to stay true, to stay holy and pure and to keep ourselves free of the wiles and temptations of this world and all it’s trappings. Over and over again, I am asked “how can people live without Jesus?” The truth is – that they can’t and they never will.
If a person has Jesus, they have everything. If they do not have Jesus, they have nothing and in fact are walking dead. For those of us who draw near to Jesus daily by immersing ourselves in His Word, and through prayer and worship we are continuing to separate ourselves from this world unto the Lord. We are becoming more Christlike and at the same time the gulf between us and those who do not have Jesus grows. I understand the Lord’s ways because I revere and adore Him and His Word and both have found a place in me. When I try and explain something about God to those who don’t know Him, I sometimes forget there is a veil over their eyes and ears, and they cannot see what I see or hear what I hear – spiritually speaking. This is not to lord it over anyone – it is a privilege and an honor to know the Lord intimately.
As people of God, we must remember how privileged we are to live in this day and age, to hear and see what we are and shall hear and see. The prophets of old yearned to hear what we hear and to see what we see. We will see the culmination of all things! Yet, my heart is heavy because so many people’s hearts have grown cold, even hard toward the Lord and His message to them. We are currently working the county fair through our God Mobile, evangelizing to the fair goers and trying to save some from certain destruction. Yet, we are abused and ridiculed for reaching out to the lost. Even fellow Christians curse us – “how dare you to do this; you are not Jesus” they exclaim. We are reviled simply for obeying the calling Jesus imparted to us.
Mark 16:15-16 And He said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
As people of God do, we spend ourselves so that others may profit from it. We forsake comfort and ease, and run to the battlefront because our blood is stirred and hot for the salvation of our brothers and sisters still in captivity to our enemy. We place ourselves in harm’s way so that others may see Jesus in us. And, so that some may be rescued and saved. We do not do this for glory or honor of other men; we do this because we are compelled to do it!
Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
For all those who are called and chosen, it can be a lonely and heart-rending journey. So, take some time and draw near to other believers. Refresh yourselves and bask in the camaraderie and warmth of Christian fellowship. We are indeed burning ones who tremble at His Word, but we are not alone! At one of our Full Gospel meetings, the Lord showed me that we are like knights of old, who walk in the darkness of this world and trudge through unbelievable and harrowing circumstances so that we can offer hope and light to the bound, the captive and the lost. We come together, out of the darkness of this world and gather with one another to share our experiences and refresh ourselves. We are light-bearers! We carry the truth and the essence of eternal life within us! We provide a whiff and a glimpse of heaven everywhere we go, no matter how dark and dismal the place may be because we carry the light of Jesus within our hearts. Oh, the wonder of it all!
Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
It is a high calling to tell others of our Lord and Savior. It is a noble endeavor. We cannot begin to imagine the rewards that await us, but we must persevere and not grow weary, and continue to reach out to all those who are held and oppressed by the enemy. Sometimes I feel like I am living in babylon, and that I am a complete stranger among my own people because of the burden I carry to reach the lost. It is a high calling to lay down one’s life for another, and to spend ourselves in pursuit of those who hate us. Yet, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15). Oh, the wonder of it all!
So, draw near to one another. Build each other up and encourage one another! Take time to enjoy the Lord and His presence! We are spent to bring Him glory, not for we ourselves. He will refresh us and He will sustain us. After all, we are the ones He saw from the cross and we are the ones He spent Himself for – so that we could be one with Him! Oh, the wonder of it all!
Father, bless the called out ones in the name of Jesus! Bless them Father with courage, strength and wisdom that we might serve you better! Amen!
The Warrior Anointing 
I don’t know how I missed this post. It really speaks to the Remnant who are working in a hard field, as it is today, with many snares and pitfalls. But O the joy of suffering with Christ! I’m sad that your outreach was criticised by other Christians. Enemy fire is the worst. Blessings!
Sorry, that was meant to read Friendly fire.
Yes, it is a terrible thing to see the body of Christ tearing one another apart. And it happens all too often. I try not to do this to others because I really don’t think any of us has all the answers. We all are works in progress. But, our enemy loves to pit one of us against another and does so far too often.
My tenet has always been if a person believes that Jesus is the Christ (The Anointed One); that He came, lived and died as a man; that He bore our sins upon Himself though He Himself was faultless; that He was buried for three days and that He was resurrected back to life; and, that He is returning soon to gather His own, we are brothers and sisters. We can figure the rest of it out when we get to heaven! Thank you for your kindness. God bless you beyond measure, packed down shaken about and overflowing in the matchless name of Jesus!
I’m sorry for not replying sooner, I’m not getting my notifications for some reason. I just wanted to say, Amen to that! Let’s keep the bond of peace as much as we can O(∩_∩)O