“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16.
In this article we’ll be finding out the qualification needed to preach the Gospel. Often in our lives, we want to preach the Good News to people we come across but what holds us back is our conscience. We tend to depend on our conscience so much that we fail to actually function in the house of God as He (God) wants us to. I said in one of the articles posted on this blog that your educational qualification doesn’t matter. What then do you need to be able to preach the Good News? It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, it doesn’t matter what you said some time ago. Let me tell you this:
Being sin conscious is the most terrible thing to experience. It’s more serious than the practice of sin itself. The reason why a lot of God’s children have not been able to live the kind of life God’s called them to is because of their sin consciousness. A lot of God’s children are suffering for nothing! They are living like they did before they came to Christ and that’s a very serious problem. The devil has no power and the only way he keeps God’s children in bondage is to accuse them of sinning. He points his finger at you and asks, “Are you truly saved?” He tries to capture your mind because he knows he’ll succeed by doing that.
You should never allow your mind to control you. That’s why Bible says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). This verse let’s us know that we’re at war with our minds. We’re to bring into obedience every thought that goes against the knowledge and revelation we receive from God.
When you feel something bad, the Word of God tells you to speak the opposite. Bible says, “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up” (Job 22:29); “let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel 3:10) and so on and so forth. When you try to grasp the things of God with your mind, you’ll only end up living in ignorance because they may look “foolishness” to you. That’s why we’re persuaded to let the Word gain the superiority in our lives instead of our minds.
If you have received Christ and made Him the Lord and Saviour of your life, then you’re qualified to preach the Gospel. Bible says, “In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace” (Ephesians 1:7). In other words, it’s in Christ Jesus that we’re forgiven and are qualified to partake in His holy works. We live in heaven now, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). We live in the earth but operate from a different set of rules. We hail from above and we talk the heavenly language here on earth; that’s why the natural mind finds it difficult to comprehend the kind of life we live. Jesus chose you in order to demonstrate Himself to the world through you!
Jesus (from Heaven) said to Paul on his way to Damascus, “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18). This is a remarkable statement! Jesus makes it clear here that He would work through Paul to open our eyes from darkness to light so that we may receive the forgiveness of sin and have place among those who are sanctified by FAITH in Him. This makes it clear that we of the New Testament are already justified by our faith in Jesus. That’s all! What then should hinder you from preaching the Gospel; Sin? Never! Don’t allow it! Read the letters of Paul and you’ll gain more understanding about righteousness. Indeed, Jesus made Paul open our eyes as He promised. You can also read the article CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We have nothing on our own and it’s by the nature of Christ, imparted into our spirits that qualifies us for the work of God. Our work can give us no qualification! Paul made it clear by also speaking the mind of God: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:16-23.
Brethren you’re qualified for the work of God no matter your background. Being found in Christ is the most important thing. Let’s look at the background of Peter and Paul and how the Lord used them. It’s interesting that the LORD chose Peter and Paul to be two main leaders of the early church in view of the fact that they had entirely different backgrounds and were unlikely candidates by today's standards for the ministries the LORD appointed them to. One thing we learn from this is not to be too presumptuous of what kind of a person will convert to Christ, nor based on his background, what kind of Christian is appropriate for a given ministry because God often chooses the most unlikely candidate.
When Jesus was on earth, many overlooked Him as the Messiah, the very Son of God, because He didn't meet their expectations. So who would you consider to be the most unlikely to become a Christian, and who among the Christian community would be the most unlikely that God would use? But at the same time it is important not to make too much of individuals - even that of Peter and Paul - which can lead to denominational divisions. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas (Peter)'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13.
This same Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:3-7, “For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” These few passages make us learn we’re not to make too little of ministers of the gospel, nor too much. We're all equally in this together. Everyone is important. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Jesus didn’t say pastors, evangelists, deacons etc should go into all the world to preach the gospel but every believer. We’re all qualified in Christ Jesus to preach the gospel to every creature.
Now in Jesus' time Israel was divided into Judea in the south and Galilee in the north separated by Samaria. Jerusalem was located in Judea, and there was a general sense of prejudice the Judeans had against the Galilean Jews. The Judeans would reckon themselves more pure Jews in comparison to the Galileans which had more interaction with the Greeks (“Gentiles"), for even in the scriptures it's referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles". Jesus along with many of his disciples, like Peter, was from Galilee. And while the religious elite said, “Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee” (John 7:52), they overlooked the scripture which said, “In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan - The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1, 2).
The verse above continues on a few verses later to say, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:6, 7). Thus the Messiah was to come from Galilee of the Gentiles, and in particular Nazareth was in Zebulun in accordance with the prophecy, and Capernaum, from which many of his disciples like Peter came, was in Naphtali. But in Judea among the religious elite there was so much prejudice against anything associated with “Gentiles” that they overlooked this messianic prophecy. It’s no surprising some Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah which is a total ignorance from the truth.
From the truth we’ve found by comparing scriptures, we find out that not only was Jesus considered an unlikely Messiah because of where he was from, among other things, but also Peter likewise was considered an unlikely candidate for church leadership. This is because Peter was an uneducated man, a fisherman. That’s the exact reason why when he became a spokesman in Acts, it was to the amazement of the religious elite. Bible says “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). When Jesus encountered Peter with a miracle, Bible says, “he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Wouldn’t Peter be even surprised that the Lord would later appoint him as an apostle? Of course!
Peter was perfectly right by saying he’s only a sinful man so the Lord should depart from him. There’s no mistake in that. His reaction is a good one in that he shows that he is well aware that the LORD is holy and doesn't like to be around sin. The kind of attitude Peter demonstrated are the essential prerequisites for salvation. Before a person can receive Christ and be truly born again, he must think as such. The Lord says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). That’s the exact character Peter demonstrated.
John the Baptist made a very important statement by saying, “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth” (Luke 3:5). From this statement, we may liken Peter to a valley which was lifted up, and to a rough way made smooth. Though we’ve not talked about the life of Paul, yet he (Paul) can also be likened to a hill made low, and a crooked road made straight. Prior to Paul’s conversion, we all know he was called "Saul". We first learn of him in Acts 7 where he is involved in the murder of Stephen - the first Christian martyr. In account of him (Paul who was then Saul), Bible says, “Saul was there, giving approval to his (Stephen’s) death” (Acts 8:1).
Saul never ended up at the murder of Stephen but “began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). He persecuted the church then in Acts 9:1-2, “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” That’s what Saul did but it was in the road to Damascus that he encountered the LORD Jesus as recorded in Acts 9 and also in Acts 22 where he gave his testimony of the events before a crowd of Jews in Jerusalem who were trying to kill him, and the also before King Agrippa in Acts 26.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus led to his conversion and soon thereafter the Lord commissioned him an apostle to the Gentiles; Glory to God! Paul reflects on his calling saying, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1Tim 1:15, 16).
I believe you’re aware Paul was a Pharisee because he testified himself: “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6) he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (Philippians 3:5, 6). Surprisingly, it was this kind of religiously elite people that Jesus often criticized - as in his parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector of Luke 18:9-14 and like parables, and as in Matthew 23 where He explicitly points out their hypocrisy. Concerning John the Baptist Bible says, “when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?'” (Mathew 3:7).
From the scriptures we just shared, it seems the LORD chose the most unlikely candidate as an apostle whose letters dominate the New Testament. Yet Peter says of him, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15, 16). I met a guy who tried to share the Word with me and I allowed him to. As he spoke, I realized he was against the books that Paul wrote so I tried to find out if that was what he meant and he told me “yes!” He said, “Paul is a hypocrite!” I looked at him in the eyes and tried to find out where he fellowships but he never told me. Even Peter is exhorting Paul in this scripture for writing with the wisdom that God gave him.
No wonder Peter also made it clear that Paul’s letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant people distort. Peter says if you’re such a person, you’re doing that to your own destruction as you do “the other scriptures!” Now, do you remember Paul said God took him to the third heaven? This was his encounter: “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
From the verse we just read, Paul was actually speaking about himself; his encounter with the Lord in the third heaven. Take note that he made it known that some of the “words” he heard were unspeakable and not lawful for man to utter. In other words, men would find it difficult to comprehend; they would seem foolish if he were to talk to men in that level. Then Peter made no mistake by saying that some of the words of Paul’s letters were difficult to understand. No wonder some people find it difficult when we speak the true wisdom of God. If you’ve read the article entitled GO FOR THE WORD, I made a statement in there, that there’re more revelations in the Word of God than the written pages. That’s also the main reason why it’s important to receive the Holy Spirit because He alone brings us revelations, the truth behind scriptures as we study. He’s our Master Teacher, the Author of the Word!
Don’t see yourself unqualified for the Work of God. You have everything needed as far as standing right before God is concerned. Be like Paul who said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14.
There’s a higher calling in Christ brethren, so run for it, forgetting your past. Only then can you live the successful and fulfilled Christian Life.
God bless you!Labels: NEW CREATION REALITIES