This is a story I heard from my friend when the Holy Spirit led him into a useful understanding of Scripture. Since it was tremendously helpful to me, I thought I would share it here.
A business college asked him to speak with students during the annual retreat. Since I'd sold him on my "choose between God or Mammon" view, he expressed his ability to support the doing of business activity only in accepting it as a temporary truce, terms of peace, using unrighteous Mammon until it disappeared so that one could be welcomed into eternal homes of those who had left the world to follow Christ.
A. Follow Christ, receive mansion
B. Make friends of disciple, receive a place in the guestroom.
C. Follow Mammon, end up in the doghouse.
He would conclude that option B was an interim arrangement, until option A was chosen. He got the go ahead. He sent a draft. He was called and advised it was too strong. The first speaker had already taught it was inadvisable to mix the spiritual world with the business world. One couldn't be sentimental but needed a killer instinct to survive.
This was a damper to the college, a Christian institution with a career training wing. They asked him to encourage emulation of charitable business persons ranging from Jobs, 0 to Gates, 8 and Sandberg, 10 linking giving and believing Christ to greater happiness.
They gave him a program with a title of "Who am I?" As he prepared the lesson, starting by praying, the Holy Spirit blessed him with an understanding: Jesus was praising his disciples for a job done well. Here:
LUKE 10:17-20 NET THEN THE SEVENTY-TWO RETURNED WITH JOY, SAYING, "LORD, EVEN THE DEMONS SUBMIT TO US IN YOUR NAME!" SO HE SAID TO THEM, "I SAW SATAN FALL LIKE LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN. LOOK, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY TO TREAD ON SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND ON THE FULL FORCE OF THE ENEMY, AND NOTHING WILL HURT YOU. NEVERTHELESS, DO NOT REJOICE THAT THE SPIRITS SUBMIT TO YOU, BUT REJOICE THAT YOUR NAMES STAND WRITTEN IN HEAVEN."
He realized that "who" one is depends on "where" one is. During a stint with a small organisation, he often wore different hats in different cities. He would be inspecting installations of equipment sold by the company in one and selling equipment in another. The guidance he needed was from his Planner, which told him where he was in time and geography every waking minute.
Similarly the disciples, being good Jews who knew their Old Testament, realized that Jesus had told them that they had just graduated His three year course, they knew Where they were in their Christian life in terms of preparedness. Because Exodus 32:32 has Moses wanting to return his diploma:
Exodus 32:32 NET But now, if you will forgive their sin, but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written."
Moses asked for credentials when going to Egypt, to convince the Children of Israel he was qualified to bring them out of Egypt. God gives him what he needs. He goes to Egypt and pushes back Pharaoh and his army. He pulls Israel out.
When God tells us to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God and the resulting freeing of the captives to sin, we can ask for empowering. This empowering persuades our listeners to follow us as we push away sins oppressive forces, sickness, poverty and hard labour and pull our family and friends and neighbors to safety into the Promised Land, AKA Kingdom of God.
Luke 10:9-12 NET Heal the sick in that town and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come upon you!' But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town!
Will believers hear God say to them, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven" as they push back financial and other oppression in their circle with their diplomas, or will they hear,
MATTHEW 7:23 NET THEN I WILL DECLARE TO THEM, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU. GO AWAY FROM ME, YOU LAWBREAKERS!'
These Moses's had left the Children of Israel behind in Egypt!
Luke 4:18-21 NET " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord ' s favor. " Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to tell them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read."
John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."
Luke 7:18-23 NET John's disciples informed him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples and sent them to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'" At that very time Jesus cured many people of diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and granted sight to many who were blind. So he answered them, "Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
In David Platt's book," Radical", he writes of George Muller who set up an orphanage, without asking for support. Muller is recorded as saying his ministry was not to look after orphans, but to persuade people God was with him and they needed to come" out of Egypt" where the slave masters overworked you, paid you nothing, and threw your body to decay in the desert when you died, and come to the Promised Land, where one would live in houses built by others and drink from Wells dug by others.
Matthew 19:29-30 NET And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Remember, being a blessing materially to your family and friends is God's command to you, but it is only equipping, to bring them out of Egypt. Remaining in Egypt is dangerous. The oppressors can return.
Obedience, is announcing that God's Kingdom has come, law keeping is not complete till THAT is done.
Gosh, the Holy Spirit completely blew us away, both my friend and I! Hope He has the same effect on you and people you share His leading with.
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