DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE NOT OF ANY VALUE TO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST?
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans “VOEL JY DALK DAT JY NIKS VIR JESUS KAN BETEKEN NIE?”
Translator: Robin Barker
There are people who think:
“I am now a Christian, but I cannot preach, sing, or really testify and I cannot even pray in public. Really, I do not mean much or of any value to the Kingdom and the Gospel of Christ.”
My honest opinion is that this is a lie driven by the evil thought realm of satan, and that you should not give him the satisfaction to rationalise accordingly and listen any longer to his wicked lies and deception.”
The ultimate fact is that our Lord created you, which is already a huge piece of evidence for you that He has a wonderful plan for your life, because our Lord does not do something just because He can do something.
You can also bear this in mind, that all the plans our Lord makes, are the best plans, which can be made.
So, His plan for you will be the most perfect plan for you.
Before I share with you from the Word, which brought me to this thought, I ask you to read the following:
ISA 44:24 This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself,
JER 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Now I want to show you, what our Lord showed me which I need to share with you:
ACTS 16:27-34
27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house
33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.
34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
The reason why this man wanted to commit suicide was, because he knew that he would be put to death, because his prisoners had escaped.
Now he saw the amazing attitude that his prominent prisoners had, that he wanted to be like them.
ACTS 16:30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
It was not only him, in the jail, who was impressed by Paul’s and Siros’s attitude, there were also other prisoners:
ACTS 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
If I was to believe just half of what I have read about prisons in those days, our modern day prisons are a picnic. But look what happens now.
ACTS 16:26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
A person can understand that Paul and Silas would stay where they were but the jail gates were wide open and all the prisoners chains were lose and certainly there were those who had been in that perilous situation for a long time, yet everyone remained where they were:
ACTS 16:28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
What an amazing outcome their attitude and their lifestyle had, of those two children of our Lord, on the people around them.
This is what I wanted to show you –
They were people like you and me.
They had Jesus’s Spirit living within them, just like you and me.
You see –
You do not have to be able to preach to bring people to Jesus. That jailer did not hear Paul preaching, before he asked what he needed to do to be like Paul. He saw Paul’s lifestyle/attitude.
If you cannot sing, well you don’t have to be able to sing.
If you cannot preach, well you don’t need to be able to preach and I can mention many more, but like Paul you and I have our lifestyle/attitude.
As I have said on occasion, I now say it once more.
The most effective, striking and best sermon you can preach, just look at what we have just read, is the way you live your life.
So what I tell people who say to me that they do not feel that they mean anything in the Kingdom, Is – preach your sermon through the way you live your life.
I close off with a few sections from the Word, which you can look at when you have some time, to help you and support you in the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus through your lifestyle/attitude.
Because, believe me, it is very easy to sing and testify in church, than it is to sing and testify outside the church building – to sing and testify through your lifestyle and in such a way spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
MAT 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
MAT5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.ROM 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
GAL 5:24-26
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.1 COR 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 COR 10:32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—1 PET2:12-15
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,
14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.1 PET 4:11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 PETER 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
MAT 5:11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
MAT 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.JOHN 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
An acquaintance of mine, who is a Pastor, was debating with me on this subject one day, and he made the following statement:
“I came to the conclusion, that being a Christian is not for the faint-hearted.
I second that statement with, we may be weak, but we are certainly not faint-hearted.
Therefore, as the children in Sunday school sing, I also testify:
“I’m in the Lords army.”
Below is a war cry which our Lord laid upon my heart, which you as a soldier of Jesus can chant daily in your heart when you stand (take position) for Him:
“As a disciple of Jesus, it is my daily ambition to preach His Gospel, through the life I live.”
Greetings,
Sakkie