Surpassing Greatness of His Power

If you are a Christian, you are a part of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:9). There is no greater honor to be found on this earth than to be a minister of Jesus Christ, and every Christian is called to this ministry. You are the true nobility. You have a destiny that is so great that the angels in heaven marvel at what God has chosen to do among men. Even if you were to accumulate all of the power and wealth on the earth it would not measure up to your calling in Christ Jesus. Even the greatest earthly kings have a life that is but a vapor, a wisp of smoke. They all die, and in death their wealth and their exploits are all a part of the dust to which they return. The histories of men will be forgotten; they will pass away with the earth that will one day be rolled up like a scroll. You, on the other hand, will live forever, and your deeds are being recorded in the Book of Life that will never pass away. When measured by the true values of eternity, a day in your life can be more important than the entire reign of earthly kings or presidents. This may seem too fantastic, but it is the word of God, and God cannot lie. This is not stated to assuage your ego, but to impress upon you the importance of your calling and destiny. Every day in your life has infinite potential and value. You have access to the King of kings. Your petition before Him can change the course of nations. You not only have access to the King of kings, but you have been sent into this world as His ambassador. To carry God's own words and to convey His purposes is an honor much greater than that of an emissary of any earthly king or president. Paul's declaration to the Corinthians, that they were "ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20 KJV), was a statement of such power that it probably buckled the knees of those who read it. The assignment of "ambassador" was one of the highest honors that one could receive in the empire. Because communication between a potentate and his ambassador could take months, or even years, those chosen for such a position were the most faithful, loyal friends of the emperor. They had to be of one mind with their leader because they would likely have to make many decisions in his name. Being an ambassador was one of the greatest honors that a man could be given by his sovereign, but it was also one of great responsibility. A man inclined to speak from his own opinions could never be an ambassador. He had to know the mind of his king, and be utterly faithful to represent only his interests. Because loyalty and faithfulness were so critical, it was the practice of potentates to recall ambassadors after only two or three years of service to a country. They feared that if an emissary stayed away longer he might become too sympathetic with the nation to which he had been sent, and, therefore, be prone to compromise the interests of his homeland. You are called to be an ambassador of the greatest King. To be an ambassador for Christ is an incomprehensible honor, but it likewise carries the greatest of responsibilities. We must guard our hearts from becoming more sympathetic to the interests of this present age than to the interests of Christ. It was for this reason that Jesus gave Peter possibly the most terrible rebuke recorded in the Scriptures, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's" (Matthew 16:23). This is still a frequent way that Satan injects his destructive schemes into the church, by causing us to set our minds on man's interests rather than on God's. As ambassadors of Christ our first devotion must Mays be to have His perspective. The Lord does not change His ambassadors every two years; we all have a lifetime commission. Therefore, we must be even more vigilant to keep our minds and hearts set on God's interests, alone. As Paul explicitly declared in Galatians 1: 10: "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." When we fear men, seeking the praises or acceptance of men, we will be prone to misrepresent the interests of the kingdom of God.

The Greatest Gift

To perform this great task to which we have been called, the Lord has given us each a gift of power beyond understanding -- the Holy Spirit. There is more power resident in the newest believer than there is In all of the armies of the earth combined! The apostle questioned the Corinthians: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16). The Power that created the world lives inside of you! The same Power that performed the greatest miracles in the Bible, stopping the sun, parting seas, or raising the dead, is in you. Therefore, you have the potential to do these same works, and according to the Lord Jesus Himself, even "greater works." As Paul Cain once said, "We are all as close to God as we want to be." This is a biblical truth. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). There is no one in the Bible who was closer to God than you can be. Moses talked with God face to face just as a man talks to his friend. He was so close to God that "the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face" (II Corinthians 3:7). Moses was so close to God that His glory rubbed off on him. As inconceivable as it seems, you have been called to something even greater. God spoke to Moses face to face, but He has come to live in you! As awesome as the glory of God on Moses was, Paul continued by saying, "How shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?" (verse 8). By this he was saying that the glory that we are supposed to be experiencing is greater than what Moses experienced, and he had to put a veil over his face because of the glory! When was the last time that you had to wear a veil because the glory of God emanating from your face was scaring people? The only reason why we are not walking in this kind of glory is because we do not want to. We can all be as close to God as we want to be. The ministry of the Spirit is supposed to be "even more with glory." The Scriptures are clear that before the end there will be a church that walks in the glory and purity consistent with her calling. Why not us? Why not now? What do we have to do that is greater than running the race that has been set before us -- to be a part of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? His light will shine upon the earth through the church; Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you (Isaiah 60:1-2). As this text makes clear, at the very time when darkness is covering the earth, the Lord is going to be so close to His people that His glory will actually appear upon them just like it did Moses. We are coming to those times, but only the most foolish will wait for the darkness to get close to the Lord. King David warned: Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach Him (Psalm 32:6). Once the storms have begun, it will be too late to try to rebuild our houses upon the Rock. Once the Bridegroom has called it will be too late to find oil for our lamps. We have been given the greatest of callings, the greatest of opportunities in all of creation. We have been called to be the sons and daughters of the King who is above all kings. To disregard such an honor is to fall to the same tragic fate as Esau, who traded his birthright as an heir of the promises for a mere bowl of soup! How many of us have not traded much more for much less? How many of us have been frivolously wasting our time when we could have spent it before the Throne of Grace? Even so, regardless of the terrible delusions that we have succumbed to, if we repent the Lord can make up all of the ground that we have lost much more quickly than we could ever believe. As Peter explained: But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (II Peter 3:8). The Lord can do in us in one day what we think would take a thousand years. His grace is not dependent on our abilities or disabilities, or on time. If we repent of walking in the delusions of devotion to things that are temporary, we can right now be as close to Him as we want to be, and our deeds will begin to have the mark of eternity on them -- we will begin to bear fruit that remains. Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.