Have ever asked yourself is there something so attractive and dynamic about the power of God expressed in my life that makes people want to be around me? Christians need to pray to God that this be so. Evangelism must begin with us and the power is in us – but it only emanates from us when we are pure. God knows those that are His. Christians should eliminate sin in their lives and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord should depart from their iniquity. There is so much to do in this troubled world in these last days.
We need to keep ourselves pure and keep our fellow brethren pure by examining each other in love and dealing with sin so that power will flow throughout the entire church body. Peter says in I Peter 4:11, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Peter is telling us to use our God-given abilities for God’s purposes and not our own. God has given each of us gifts and abilities and Peter encourages us to discover ours so we can serve others which is God’s will for mankind. He lists prophesy, ministering, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, mercifulness, wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, divers tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostleship, evangelism and pastoring as gifts and abilities given to all mankind. [See Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:8-11, 28-30 and Ephesians 4:11]. Ephesians 4:10-13 says that God gives gifts so He might fill all things . . . “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
This is why it is so important for Christians to be pure so we can be used as instruments of God. It pleases God when we yield ourselves as instruments for Him to use. Think of a home appliance that has been engineered and built to perform a specific task. Without the inflow of electrical power, the appliance is just a piece of metal or plastic unable to function and serve. It cannot do the work it is intended to do until power is applied from a dynamic outside source. That’s how it is with God’s work in the church.
Natural gifts are not enough in Kingdom work. People preach, teach, sing, play musical instruments, perform technical and administrative work, etc. in the church. If the power of God’s Spirit does not flow through all that these workers do, they might just as well stay home. The dynamic Spirit of God must be alive in churches to allow God’s inspiration and blessings to flow throughout the entire church body. Remember, true evangelism begins within the church body itself. [To be continued.]
