Join in God's Work
“Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” (1 Samuel 14:6-7)
While the nation of Israel was at war with the Philistines, Jonathan, the King’s son, saw an opportunity to take the battle to the enemy. Jonathan wasn’t waiting around. He knew the enemy was out there on the prowl. More than that, he knew that God was with him to fight the battles of the Lord.
Likewise, as soldiers of Christ, we have been called not only to resist the devil, but to take the battle to the enemy; to rescue lost sinners and straying saints who have been taken captive by him to do his will. As Paul exhorted Timothy,“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:23-26)
Concerning his own call to God’s kingdom work, Paul recounts God’s marching orders to him: “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:16-18)
Moreover to the church of Ephesus Paul exhorted them to: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
In these scriptures, we can clearly see that as believers, we are in a war for the souls of men against spiritual forces of evil. God’s word also teaches us that we have everything we need in Christ. We have all the spiritual weapons to not only resist the temptations of the enemy, but to take the battle to him. We have the armor of God, which represents who we are in Christ and all the spiritual weapons that we have through Him to do some damage for the Kingdom of God. In Christ, we have been reconciled to God, adopted into His family and equipped for battle. In Christ, we have everything we need to wage a good warfare, namely, the power of the gospel, the privilege of prayer, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us to be all that God saved us to be. We also have the church, the body of Christ, in which we can find mutual encouragement, love, and support to do all that God called us to do.
But sadly, unlike Jonathan, many believers today are not engaging the enemy, we are not looking for opportunities to take the battle to him, to help people escape from the snare of the devil who have been taken captive to do his will. It seems like we are waiting around for something to happen. We should wait on the Lord. But waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean being idle. When we are spending time with God in prayer and the word, when we are seeking His face and not just His hand, when we are surrendering to Him to do His will and not just seeking Him to bless our plans, God will show us where He’s working so that we can join Him.
O we need to pray for God’s power, but His power is activated in our lives as we step up to fight His battles. Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” And after discerning the will of the Lord, Jonathan, with the full support of his armor bearer, stepped out in faith and won a great victory.
No doubt, we need more Jonathans today, but we also need men and women like his armor bearer who will get behind others and encourage others who are seeking to fulfill the call of God upon their lives. When Jonathan revealed to his armor bearer what no doubt the Lord was stirring in his heart, his armor bearer responded, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
Rather than helping to fan the flame of the saints of God who are being stirred to trust God to fulfill God sized assignments, I’ve seen too many believers throwing buckets of cold water on them. I appreciate Daniel’s Henderson’s admonition: “You can watch us row the boat. You can help us row the boat. But please don’t sit in the boat shooting holes in the bottom of the boat.”
Saints, we have everything we need to take the battle to the enemy. Seek God’s heart and discernment about how he wants to use you in the battle for souls. Don’t be idle. Don’t wait for something to happen. Step out in faith and make something happen for the good of others and the glory of Jesus. And don’t be part of the “bucket of cold water” committee. Get behind people who are doing the work of the Lord. Pray for them and give them your support with all your heart and soul. Let’s do some damage together for the Kingdom of God and the glory of Christ in the power of His Spirit.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
While the nation of Israel was at war with the Philistines, Jonathan, the King’s son, saw an opportunity to take the battle to the enemy. Jonathan wasn’t waiting around. He knew the enemy was out there on the prowl. More than that, he knew that God was with him to fight the battles of the Lord.
Likewise, as soldiers of Christ, we have been called not only to resist the devil, but to take the battle to the enemy; to rescue lost sinners and straying saints who have been taken captive by him to do his will. As Paul exhorted Timothy,“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:23-26)
Concerning his own call to God’s kingdom work, Paul recounts God’s marching orders to him: “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:16-18)
Moreover to the church of Ephesus Paul exhorted them to: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
In these scriptures, we can clearly see that as believers, we are in a war for the souls of men against spiritual forces of evil. God’s word also teaches us that we have everything we need in Christ. We have all the spiritual weapons to not only resist the temptations of the enemy, but to take the battle to him. We have the armor of God, which represents who we are in Christ and all the spiritual weapons that we have through Him to do some damage for the Kingdom of God. In Christ, we have been reconciled to God, adopted into His family and equipped for battle. In Christ, we have everything we need to wage a good warfare, namely, the power of the gospel, the privilege of prayer, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us to be all that God saved us to be. We also have the church, the body of Christ, in which we can find mutual encouragement, love, and support to do all that God called us to do.
But sadly, unlike Jonathan, many believers today are not engaging the enemy, we are not looking for opportunities to take the battle to him, to help people escape from the snare of the devil who have been taken captive to do his will. It seems like we are waiting around for something to happen. We should wait on the Lord. But waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean being idle. When we are spending time with God in prayer and the word, when we are seeking His face and not just His hand, when we are surrendering to Him to do His will and not just seeking Him to bless our plans, God will show us where He’s working so that we can join Him.
O we need to pray for God’s power, but His power is activated in our lives as we step up to fight His battles. Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” And after discerning the will of the Lord, Jonathan, with the full support of his armor bearer, stepped out in faith and won a great victory.
No doubt, we need more Jonathans today, but we also need men and women like his armor bearer who will get behind others and encourage others who are seeking to fulfill the call of God upon their lives. When Jonathan revealed to his armor bearer what no doubt the Lord was stirring in his heart, his armor bearer responded, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
Rather than helping to fan the flame of the saints of God who are being stirred to trust God to fulfill God sized assignments, I’ve seen too many believers throwing buckets of cold water on them. I appreciate Daniel’s Henderson’s admonition: “You can watch us row the boat. You can help us row the boat. But please don’t sit in the boat shooting holes in the bottom of the boat.”
Saints, we have everything we need to take the battle to the enemy. Seek God’s heart and discernment about how he wants to use you in the battle for souls. Don’t be idle. Don’t wait for something to happen. Step out in faith and make something happen for the good of others and the glory of Jesus. And don’t be part of the “bucket of cold water” committee. Get behind people who are doing the work of the Lord. Pray for them and give them your support with all your heart and soul. Let’s do some damage together for the Kingdom of God and the glory of Christ in the power of His Spirit.
In your service,
Pastor Marco