Believe it or not, God did not create us to think small
things. Limiting our thinking usually means that we think exactly the same as
other people. If something is good enough for someone else, it’s good enough
for me.
On the other
hand, God also has not called us to do just little things. He hasn’t called us
to do something that is moving backwards, getting smaller, getting easier, or
is something that we even want to do. God has called each of us in our own
God-given way to be a world shaker, a world changer. He has called us to do
what could be called impossible. God wants us to be changers in an impossible
world!
Well, how can we do that? How can we make disciples who go and make more disciples? How do we build God’s kingdom and not our own? Those are all the same old questions that everyone expects to hear. As we think of what God wants us to do, the assignment God has given us, what we may be really thinking is, “How can we avoid the failure of not being able to do what is impossible?”
It’s called Holy
Spirit Power. Most times we associate the word “power” with the strength,
muscle, or ability to “do” something. But think this way. Think “outside the
box.” We may not have the strength change the world. But we have the power to
influence where we live.
Paul said in
Ephesians 5:18: “Don’t be drunk with wine, which will
ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit.” When I was younger I felt the
effect alcohol had on me. I would drink beer or wine or something harder until
the alcohol would take over and influence how I acted and how I thought.
But let’s unpack this picture a bit. Paul’s point is that
if you drink too much wine you become drunk. When you become drunk you lose
your common sense and you can do some pretty stupid things that will ruin your
life. It will ruin your relationships. It will ruin everything for which you
have worked. So the common sense thing would be to don’t drink at all. In
Genesis chapter 4 God says to Cain, “Sin lies right outside your door.” Why
open your life to something to which you can lose control and risk everything
for nothing.
When someone is filled with wine and becomes drunk, what
controls them? The wine takes over and influences their thoughts and actions.
But notice this:
-
When someone is filled with anger and negative
attitudes, what controls them? Negative attitudes and anger take over and
influence thoughts and actions.
-
When someone is filled with jealous feelings
toward someone else, what controls them? The desire to do whatever it takes to
have something someone else has without concern for the other person takes over
and influence thoughts and actions.
-
When someone is self-centered and their attitude
is “Me First,” what controls them? A hard heart and selfish attitude take over
and influence thoughts and actions.
In other words, the things we let into our hearts,
whether it is anger, jealousy, or selfishness will influence how much we are
able to do what is impossible.
Take a moment to think differently. If we were to stop
and pray, not for the power to do something, but the power to UNDERSTAND, the
attitude is changed. Just like we did before look at it this way: If someone is
filled with knowledge and understanding of God’s grace and love what controls them?
The Holy Spirit controls them.
This was Paul’s point. Fill ourselves with the Holy
Spirit, and everything God has will be given to us to do what God wants us to
do. What is it God wants us to do?
-
Be an earthly image of Jesus Christ.
-
Learn how much Jesus loves us, and died for us.
-
Bring Jesus to our communities.
-
Teach others about how much Jesus loves us and
died for us.
When we are filled with Holy Spirit power, these things
don’t seem so impossible do they?
Friday night I had the opportunity to hear a missionary
speak. He and his family are going to a city in Ecuador in South America. The
city has 600,000 men, women, and children living there. That is a hard number
to understand. It is a big number. In preparing for the work he is doing, the
missionary learned that less than 1% of the people there have heard the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. That means out of 600,000 people less than 6,000 have heard
the Gospel. That means that there are 594,000 people in that city who are lost
and do not know Jesus as Savior. This missionary goes with Holy Spirit power to
do something that seems impossible to you and me.
My friends, God
has given us a great mission, an impossible mission, to make disciples of every
nation. He has given us an impossible task, to be Christ-followers, living like
Jesus. He has called us to a great task. He has called us to be fellow laborers
and builders with Him in the Kingdom of God. He has given us a great vision. He
has also given us a great Helper, His Holy Spirit living in and through us,
controlling us. Whether or not you allow Him to do so is your decision.
God has big
things planned for ordinary people. We can be used in a great way. We can be
movers and shakers, life-savers, kingdom builders, and world changers, if we
allow the Holy Spirit to direct us. Do not settle for “good enough” or worse, don’t
settle for leaving no mark on this world.
God has called us
to do impossible things in an impossible world with impossible people. Pray for
the power to understand the true power of the Holy Spirit, do what calls God
wants us to do, and let God handle the impossible things.
