Saturday 27 September 2014

2 Timothy 2:15 « Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth. » WEB

Imagine for just a moment that you were going into the hospital for brain surgery.  The doctor who was originally planned for the operation was not able to be there, so the hospital found a replacement.

You looked at this man dressed in a mechanic’s outfit, with grease on his hands and the smell of oil on his clothes.  He smiles and says, “Hey, let’s pray together so that God leads me in the operation.”

Now, really, would you I trust yourself to such a one?  Obviously not.  And all the pray and fasting would not improve on the situation.

Training and equipping are part of the Christian life.  We have been given an incredible gift, eternal life.  And God has entrusted to each of us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).  If God only wanted you to go to heaven then He would have come up with a plan to snatch you out of this world the moment you got born-again.  But He didn’t.  Rather He keeps you here in order for you to be a witness for Him.

The disciples of Jesus spent three years of their lives in Bible school!  And their classes lasted from the moment they woke up until the moment they went to sleep.  And there were many occasions when they had classes at night!

Why should we think that all we need to be a good and effective Christian is to go to church on Sunday morning? (And many Christians don’t even do that faithfully!) Surgeons, athletes and anyone one else wanting to be successful in life continue to train themselves after getting their initial degree.

We want to strongly urge you to take seriously your Christian training and education.  Ask The Lord today how you can continue to learn about the scriptures, the work of the Holy Spirit, and your part to play in God’s work.

The church needs you to be fully engaged in the process of brining souls to Christ and making them true disciples of Jesus.  This work is not the responsibility of just a few pastors.  Rather it is the job of every child of God.

So decide now that this year you will engage in some kind of training.  Pray for God to lead you to what He has planned for you.  And the work of transformation will continue.