1)
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we
have received mercy, we faint not;
2)
But have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God.
3)
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost:
4)
In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5)
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
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spend large amounts of time trying to witness to people about the plan of
salvation. Too frequently, we become frustrated when we feel we are being
ignored. You see, our reaction is based upon a misconception: we assume that we
are being understood. The truth of the matter is that those
to whom we witness frequently, do not understand us. If they did, they would
accept the truth.
Those
of us with the Holy Spirit should understand that those without Him are unable
to comprehend spiritual things. Though they could read our same Bible and
understand the words, they would not be able to comprehend the message. The
same concept is dealt with in the Scriptures concerning messages in other
tongues. One could be present when a prophecy is being delivered, hear every
word and still not know God's point.
The
principle is the same as that which covers one who speaks English as a first
language. Now, that person could know and study French, so he would have the
ability to "translate" into English. In contrast, God does not
"translate" tongues, but rather "interprets" them (that is,
attaches a meaning to them).
Frequently,
we do not consider those baptized in His name and filled with
His Spirit as "unbelievers", but if one does not believe what
scripture says, he is, indeed, an unbeliever. Many of those who fail to believe
will say that it is a question of being "confused." Most often, this
is an indication that one is not trying to understand through the Spirit, but
through the events of natural life.
The
Church is suffering, today, from a lack of lack of commitment of many of its
members. This extends not only to one's service to God, but His relationship to
his fellow saints, as well. We are admonished to "faint not" (not to
give up) in light of the fact that we have obtained mercy, shown by the
perseverance of God. Besides, there is no reason to become faint for the
accomplishment of anything is not up to us, but is the responsibility of God.
You know, we can rely so much upon ourselves, that
eventually we feel that we really know something.
The
reason why we sometimes just cannot seem to "get through" to the
people with whom we come in contact is due to the issue of
"blindness." Our text today tells us, the enemy "ties us
up" so much in what we want that we are unable to see Jesus. If this is
true of the redeemed, how much more true is it of those who have never known
Him?
If
we are to reach the unbeliever, if we are to be an example to anyone, we must
show that the only source of help that we need is Jesus. We need to show that
we are dependent upon neither friends nor family, our spouse
nor ourselves.
The
unbeliever cannot see largely because he has no one to help lead him to the
light. This is ironic in light of the fact that we are not saved just to sit
and feel good about ourselves or to shout. Jesus gave His life for a purpose
much nobler than this. He has a plan in which all are to have a part.
When
we deal with the unbeliever, we must be careful not to give out too much
information. This is a mistake, for we must realize
that first, people simply need to get saved. The recitation of requirements can
come later. If we can never get people to see that they are, "in
trouble" and in danger of the fire, we will not be able to get them to see
the "truth".
We,
ourselves, must first acknowledge what the believer must ultimately come to.
That is, the necessity of repentance, because for one to repent, he must
acknowledge that he is not "all right." Also we must see that we
cannot help ourselves. Believe it or not, too many apostolics
don't realize this despite the fact that this is what the Lord has been trying
to teach us for 4000 years before Christ came.
The
solution to most problems in one's spiritual life is for one to learn to look
at things in relationship to what God wants from us, not how things concern us.
Real obedience is learning to do as God says simply because He said it! You
see, many people witness to the Word, but once the preaching is over, nothing
is changed. This does not show sincerity, but then again, one will find it hard
to be sincere until he gets to the place where he is able to maintain a praise
in his heart at all times.
The
believer learns that we do not praise God because things are "good."
He learns that we do not even praise Him because everything goes our way or
everybody likes us. What he learns is that we praise Him simply because He is
worthy! One who learns this lesson is a "believer" because learning
to praise means that one will be able to comprehend truth. It is praise which
scatters the clouds that obscure truth. Everything becomes clear and all things
are seen from God's point of view.
Those of us who have been in this place and been taught what we know to be the incontrovertible truth of God's word have got a responsibility. We have been satisfied for too long with occupying ourselves with ourselves. The time has come, however, for us to acknowledge and accept our responsibility. There are very few, if any, excuses left for non-productivity. By virtue of "birth," we have been integrated into the Master's plan—a plan based not on getting "around" us, but a plan based on "using" us. Allowing ourselves to be used will "turn on" the "light of truth" for many.