TRUSTING PROACTIVELY
The theme in our local church this year is GROWTH, and I have the privilege of preaching about once a month. Last Sunday I was assigned the letter T in the acrostic for growth, and given the word TRUSTING, and encouraged to emphasise in my preaching TRUSTING ALL THE TIME. Solomon the wisest man in all the Lord challenges us Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5 NKJV. Interestingly he mentions our “understanding” as I guess our mind gets in the way so often and we find it almost impossible to trust as we respond to what we see with our natural eyes and what we hear with our natural ears. It sure is not easy to trust the Lord all the time. We need to hold closely the words of Romans 8:28 NKJV And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
What do we need to do to trust the Lord
- Surrender (Not my will but Thine be done)
2. Reject what we seen and hear naturally and believe God’s Word.
3. Be patient, God’s timing can be so different to ours.
4. When all else fails read the instructions.
Billy Graham is quotes as saying, “From one end of the Bible to the other, God assures us that He will never go back on His promises”.
Martin Lloyd Jones states ” God is eternal, God is immutable, God is everlasting, God never changes His purpose, there is no greater comfort or consolation than this”.
WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT THE GROWTH OF HIS CHURCH
I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 NKJV This is where many Christians trust God passively. They say Ho Hum Jesus will do it, I will leave it up to Him. But Jesus goes on to say in verse 17 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
IN OTHER WORDS JESUS SAYS I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH THROUGH YOU.
JESUS WANTS TO GIVE US A SET OF KEYS, what are these keys, we can search the Gospels and not find any direct teaching on these keys, but I am sure Jesus taught His disciples what they were. If ever there was a time the Church needed the keys it was when persecution broke out in Jerusalem in Acts 4. After Peter and John were released by the religious leaders they immediately went and gave a brief report to their fellow believers. I want to suggest we find a number of KEYS IN VERSES 24-31.NKJV So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
- POWERFUL PRAYER verses 24-30
- THEY PRAYED THE WORD OF GOD verses 25-26
- THEY PRAYED THAT GOD WOULD HEAL THE SICK
- THEY PRAYED FOR SIGNS & WONDERS, (the greatest sign is people being born again)
- THEY UNDERSTOOD THE AUTHORITY THEY HAD “IN THE NAME OF JESUS”
- THEY NEEDED TO MAINTAIN THE SPIRIT FILLED LIFE (same Believers as in Acts 2:4) Paul tell us we must continually be filled with the Spirit Eph 5:18 NKJV be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.
- THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE ANOINTED AND PROCLAIMED WITH BOLDNESS.
I am not suggesting these are the only Keys of the Kingdom, but if we would get them by revelation into our hearts and begin to use them like never before, WE ARE SURELY PROACTIVELY TRUSTING THE LORD AND WORKING WITH HIM TO BUILD HIS CHURCH.
IF WE BUILD GOD’S WAY WE WILL GET GOD’S RESULTS.
