A Revelation

THIS WEEK my theme song was "Revelation" by Third Day. I had heard it on the radio (88.1 "The Promise") recently and it really stayed with me. The chorus goes "Give me a revelation, show me what to do. I've been trying and trying to find my way. I haven't got a clue. Show me should I stay here, or do I need to move? Give me a revelation. I've got nothing without You."

I was singing this on my way up the stairs to Youth Group on Wednesday night. I got the revelation I was asking for. Pastor Ryan discussed the necessity of shining Jesus brightly and letting Him be our identity instead of letting ourselves and our actions be shaped by the dying world around us. The part that REALLY got my attention was when he referenced Ephesians 2:10 and explained it. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." We are God's creation, and He has a special purpose for us. But that means, as Pastor Ryan explained, that we should not be asking "What is my purpose?" but "What is Your purpose?" This hit me because I realized that I had indeed been asking all the wrong questions. I want to serve, but I had what I should be doing, not what He is doing. We should not try to fit Him into what we are already doing, but arrange our lives around what He is doing.

This is like something Pastor Russ said last week. If you have a bucket of water, a bucket of sand, a bucket of pebbles, and a bucket of big rocks and you try to put them all together, the order makes a difference. If you put the water in first, then the sand, then the pebbles, and the big rocks last, it doesn't all fit. But if you put the big rocks in first, it does! We need to let God be who He is and not try to diminish or limit Him in our minds. And we need to let Jesus be the Lord of our lives so that we are ready to go whenever He calls, instead of asking Him to fit into the things we are already doing.

It's no use trying to reach out to people out of our own abilities and cleverness. That just shows them human wisdom, not the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 got my attention this week. "[3] I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Let God do the moving. We are His tools, and we depend on Him while we serve Him, like hammers or spatulas. When we share the gospel it is not to show people or even to show God what we can do. It's to show people what God does and what He has done in us.

Look at verse 3 - Paul was trembling! It wasn't any easier for him to share the gospel than it is for us today. It's often a nerve-wracking task. I admit that I practically never sit down and share the gospel with anybody. But despite the trembling, God's Spirit works and moves and great things happen when someone shares like Paul was doing.

In John 15:16 Jesus says "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." He is the One who is powerful. Our lives are to show His power, and He will bless our lives and our efforts.

This does not mean at all that it's wrong to ask Him to help with this or that and to move in this group or that place. It only means that our relationships with God are not about us or what we are doing, but about Him and what He is doing. We need to ask Him for open doors and open hearts and to take us where He wants us, not to hide away until we want His help with something or to come help out with what we are doing. He doesn't need us, but He wants us and He wants to work in us and through us. He sees potential in us that only He can make real by moving in our lives. Our job is not to try to find things to do for Him, but to do what He wants us to do, when He says to do it.

That begs the question, what does He want us to do? The way to find that out is to seek Him in prayer and in the word, to learn from Him and about Him, and to ask Him to speak and to direct our steps. It's going to be different for each person at different times.

Something that God is really pointing out to me is the necessity of witnessing to others. Matthew 5:13-16 is probably one of the more famous passages that instruct Christians on how to live. Pastor Ryan referenced it in his sermon on Wednesday, and it was referenced in my devotional book the next day. So I really began to pay careful attention to it.

"[13] You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." During the time when Jesus spoke, the salt that was used was a kind that became less flavorful over time. He urges us that when we season the earth we should do it with 'flavor' or with liveliness, urgency, and attentiveness to our task. The world would be very bland without Jesus living in us.

"[14] You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." He is telling us that the best way to shine His light is to hold it up high where everyone can see it. Can you think of a single light source in your house that is not on a table or near the ceiling? It would be useless to keep a bright light like ours hidden where nobody can see it. He illuminates the darkness in a very dark world.

"[16]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." That is one of those verses which, in a sense, summarizes Christian living. Jesus is our light, and we let Him shine by doing God's will, showing love and compassion, and telling others about Him so that their lives may be illuminated also. It's like using a candle to light another, and the original fire has come from the sun.

We are to be like to moon, shining the brilliant light of a greater source while the world is dark and while the source itself is not visible.

Romans 10:13-15 says "[13] For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' [14] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'" Pastor Russ referenced verse 15 today, and it was referenced in my devotional book today also! Right now I feel that God wants me not only to reflect Christ in my ways and actions but to begin reaching out to others with the gospel.

The world needs Jesus. We couldn't live without Him, and neither can anyone else. Pastor Russ describes the way God makes him see people by explaining that he is full of love that "bubbles up" inside of him. He feels the Lord using him to reach out to a person, and just loves him so much that he simply must reach out to him. This is what it is like to have the love of God inside of us. Right now I'm praying that I, and we all, would be full of an inexplicable love for the lost, whether they are friends, enemies, or strangers. I'm praying that we will have a sense of urgency to help the people around us to feel His life-changing love. And I'm praying for God to turn my school upside-down in a revolution of gospel-sharing, and to open up doors and hearts.