Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be a witness for Christ because of the clothes you wear or the things in your past!
We meet a lady yesterday at lunch who noticed our family and our 4 Kids tshirts. She asked about them timidly and mentioned that she was struggling with some challenges, including the fact that religious people had turned her away in the past because she didn’t have the same prefect clothes or perfect life as them. It was the start of an amazing conversation and exchange of information that ended in a loving hug and a life touched by the true gospel – because she needed to be fed and the Lord provided.
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
Luke 9:13-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.9.13-14.NLT
Has He called you to feed His sheep?
If you are a follower of Christ, He has called you to do exactly that. In fact, we are called to make disciples, to baptize in His name, and to teach them to observe all that He commanded.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.28.18-20.ESV
We can get caught up in the religion and begin to believe in titles and positions and dictionary of men and all sorts of things that are decisive and not of God – instead of trusting the Word of God and following the call of Christ. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be a witness for Christ because of the clothes you wear or the things in your past.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.16.24-26.ESV
Christ bids us, pick up your cross and follow me – and He is not talking about the Hope of Glory here, He is talking about the cost of Discipleship, the commitment required to be a faithful follower of Christ, the dedication that comes with complete surrender.
You see, we are quick to look down on the disciples for not being prepared or not having faith – but they were exactly where Christ needed them to be. In fact, they were called by Jesus Christ himself and led to this exact circumstance in order to teach them a lesson about humility, faith, and the blessings of God.
You see, God used the lunch of a little boy that day to feed thousands. And He taught the disciples that when the Lord calls you into action, He will provide the blessing IF WE ASK HIM.
But many times we try to do it our way. The disciples were trying to figure out how to accomplish such a great task under their own power, asking if they were to go out and buy enough doing for all these people. They remembered the critical component, however, they remembered to ask the one capable of providing what should be done. And when they received an answer, it didn’t make sense within their earth bound, logical brains, but they did it anyways and divided up the people into small groups and feed them individually. For it was in these small groups that the close and loving work of a miracle could take place.
God works miracles with us personally, closely, intimately. Even in a crowd of thousands, it is the close touch of those serving His will that are chosen to participate in the miracle. Those carrying the bread forth to each individual group, those following the Lord’s command and serving others, they are used in the miracle. Those serving that day didn’t manifest a miracle under their own power, they just obeyed the Lord and did like He told them. And they were used greatly to demonstrate the power and authority of Jesus Christ to the multitudes.
He has called you to feed His sheep.
He has called you to discipleship.
He has called you to serve others.
He provides everything you need.
Don’t just say, I can’t – trust that He will.
See His will be done in your life today.
Commit to following Him faithfully.
Commit to serving and loving others.
And look back one day and realize how He used “even me” to bring the miraculous into reality even through the little things where we were just faithful and trusted Him to provide.
Prove yourself faithful in the small things and discover that He is faithful in everything.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 16:10-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.16.10-13.ESV
And some of you might say, “Hold on a second there buddy, your train has jumped the tracks – you were talking about serving and being faithful, but now you are talking about money. You must be getting ready to ask me to give you my money. I recognize this racket.”
Nope. I’m not asking you to send me anything. In fact, I’m not even going to give you a way to fund me directly – no PayPal link, no address to receive payments. I’m not going to make it that easy on you friend, because I am not your hireling. But I am going to tell you this. Nothing you have is yours. It is all the Lord’s. You are simply talked with managing it. This includes both your time and your money.
My question is, how are you managing it? How much glory and honor are you bringing to the Lord God Almighty?
There are plenty of folks in need all around you, are you helping them?
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.25.31-46.ESV
Be faithful and serve in the small things, my friends. Don’t just fall into religious practice – go out and serve those in need, and do it because you love the Lord and because you want to bring honor and glory to His name.
Harold J. Ballinger 