Greetings again my Brethren. This month we will begin a new section looking at the divine work God must be able to do in us to answer His call. We must never forget it is His call and not ours. “Many are called,” but God chooses the few, those who answer His call and not the call of others (albeit well meaning) or themselves. Many voices are calling (do you hear them) to us and many can sound like God, but we must be able to discern the voice of the LORD so that we will answer His voice alone, for in His call alone is where our purpose, identity, spiritual and physical health, and provision is found. In Him is our all and in all. This month we will look at three means Jesus (the Master) uses to accomplish this divine work in us: by experience, by response with questions, and by practice. In Chapter 17 of Matthew we read the first means by experience, “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” (Matthew 17:1-9) Here Jesus gives the disciples an experience (they will never forget) that encompassed their entire emotions and senses. Here they saw Jesus get “transfigured,” Moses, Elias (Elisha), and a bright cloud where they literally heard God speak from it, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. What an experience!! Can you image your response? To be honest our response would probably be like the disciples, “Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias,” but Jesus had a deeper lesson to teach through this means then a cold building. The next means Jesus uses is a response with a question. In verses 10-13 we read, “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17:10-13)The disciples asked, “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? Jesus replied, “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.”After Jesus answered their question they understood
Who Elias was, but they never understood, “Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.” One would think experience would be the best teacher (especially in failure), but seldom is this true our questions and the LORD answering them seems to be the greatest way we learn. Of the three, practice seems to have the long lasting impact in our lives. God has made us humans as hands on type of beings and the more we do things the better we become at doing it. In verses 14-20 we find Jesus putting things into practice, “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: . . .” (Matthew 17:14-20) and from that time forth after the lesson we find the disciples moving correctly. Again questioning by the disciples and answering by Jesus. When I worked in the operating room we would train similarly: see one, do one, teach one so too in God.
Next month we will look at three more means in which God can teach us His divine ways: in need, in the storm, and in conflict. Do you hear Him now?
