How is Jesus Christ calling you to follow Him to become a part of advancing His Kingdom in 2014?
Generally New Year’s Resolutions are about what we want to do in the new year. What if we were to take another approach in these last hours of 2013? Let’s resolve to ask Jesus, “What do you want me to do in the New Year? How may I participate in what you have already planned?
As we look at what Jesus is doing, we see that He is sending great moves or waves of the Holy Spirit to advance the Gospel of salvation to the far reaches of the earth, growing the Church and ushering in the Kingdom of God.
When we ask—“Lord, what are you doing?” –guess what? He may indeed show us! Let us be ready like Isaiah to respond, “Ok Lord, here I am, send me. Call me, send me as part of what you are doing!” Thus, unlike a New Year’s resolution, we set out to recognize opportunities to cooperate with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in advancing their work in the world. And there is nothing on earth more exciting or important than that!
So as we close the chapter on 2013 and turn the pages to 2014, I believe the Holy Spirit is asking us, “How is Jesus calling us to join Him in His ministry?”
Regardless of our stage in life, I am convinced that each of us has a place and a role in God’s vast redemptive plans. Like the distinct threads woven into a tapestry, each of us has a unique and critical place. The key to finding our role, our calling is to ask Jesus why He lavished His grace upon us by calling us to salvation in the first place. Let us ask Him what work He has for us, specifically into which stream of the Holy Spirit He beckons us to enter and/or continue in.
I love this painting by Caravaggio of Jesus calling the very distracted tax collector Matthew, only focused on counting his money. Do you see the line of the light from Jesus’ hand to Matthew’s hands? This is symbolic of the Holy Spirit working to connect us to Jesus and to reveal the works in which we are called to walk. Pray this happens to each of us in 2014!
Since Pentecost, our God has advanced the Kingdom by sending waves of the Holy Spirit. There is an extraordinary global panorama of the Holy Spirit’s work in the world today in the most unexpected places. Men and women, boys and girls are coming to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit is at work in local congregations, prayer groups, and special organizations like PRMI. All of these are tangible vehicles through which the Lord has chosen to include us in His work on earth. Without such means we are left unable to express our God given calling. In addition, we would be alone and vulnerable to Satan’s attack without them.
I urge you to go to the Lord, and ask Him specifically where He is calling you, what He wants you to do to make a difference in 2014.
Praise God for the immensity of His love and that He has decided to include each of us in His plans for bringing the world to Jesus Christ. Do this for others! For the Kingdom of God! But also for yourselves. This is what it means when Paul says,
Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
My prayer for myself, for the ministry of PRMI and indeed all those associated in this great river of God, is, “Lord, for 2014, show us those good works that You have prepared beforehand so we may do them! And thank you, Jesus, that all this comes not from us but from your grace.”
[Brad Long]
This diagram shows a progression from our expressing willingness to be used by God to being deployed in Kingdom service. Sometimes this happens quickly and sometimes it can take years. Begin praying and enlist others to pray with you to discern where you are in this process and how to move forward.
