THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION:
Greetings again my Brethren. Okay let us continue with our series on the Oracles of God as we look at the Diversity of Divine Communication. This month we will start a new section how, maybe when or where the word of God is received. For me and I would think for most Believers the word of God (written or spoken) come to us in times of prayer or even a prayer meeting. Here in Acts 13 we find one of the best examples of the LORD speaking to His folks in a prayer meeting. “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13:2-3) Now of course we know the work Saul (not Paul yet) and Barnabas had been called to take this glorious Gospel message to the Gentiles. I find it interesting the Holy Spirit did not call Peter or any of the other 11 disciples to minister to the Gentiles. Oh no, God had to get some new folks to do His work. I wonder what Peter and the other 11 disciples were doing then? Well, the Bible is very clear it says they were still ministering to the Jewish people, still doing what Jesus told them to do, stay in Jerusalem till they receive power, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8) So they received the power, but the Bible never records the disciples going to Samaria or to the uttermost parts of the world, but Paul did. I really think God’s big plan was for the Jewish people to accept Jesus as the Messiah and go to the nations spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdon of God was the message Jesus had for the people. We see that when “And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.” (Luke 4:43-44) Jesus’ message was not repent and be baptized like John the Baptist or Peter’s or even being saved by grace through faith. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” (Matthew 4:23) The King is here! And I am the King! But the Jewish people received Jesus not and killed the King. I also believe as a part of God’s master plan the Jewish nation was to go and evangelize the nations and the disciples were to lead the charge, but as we read in the Scriptures this never happened. We even see hints of this desire of God when Peter said the Jewish people are a royal priesthood, “But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1 Peter 2:9) or when Paul talks about being an ambassador. Kingdoms have ambassadors, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19-20) Or in 2 Corinthians Paul writes, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”(2 Corinthians 5:19-21) And as we know this is God’s game plan for Him to evangelize the world during the Great Tribulation in the Book of Revelation using 144,000 Jewish men (see Revelation 14:1-5) John writes, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4) 12,000 from each tribe 12 or 12,000×12 = 144,000. I know for some this may be way out there, but for those Believers who really study the Bible and have an open spirit to the Holy Spirit the hand writing is on the wall. All throughout the Bible the Holy Spirit takes the opportunity to speak to His God’s people in prayer meetings. Now notice in all of these examples when the Holy Spirit speaks to God’s folks, there is always a separation. Again, Acts 13:2-3, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13:2-3) God always separates His people from the herd so that they can do God’s work. This is one of God’s unspoken rewards He gives His leaders, loneliness, solitude, separated unto the LORD to clearly hear from Him and not to look at faces and hear excuses. Separation is one of the prices we pay if we want to be a leader for God.
Written by David Stahl
