“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that as we walk with You, You guide us on how we can reach the specific need-group for whom You have chosen and assigned us. Lord, we must grow in the call that You have for each of us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We continue to meditate on this matter of how God desires for us to be His witnesses to the end of the earth. Isaiah 66:19-20 I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. (20) Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
The Lord is longing to bring nations into His fellowship. Each nation, culture and people group is unique. God is glorified through the returning of nations to Him. When we serve the Lord faithfully to our need-group, the Lord sends us to the nations. We become specialists in reconciling that particular need-group to the Lord. This particular need group could be located at the ends of the earth. The glory of the nations is brought to God as an offering. God is therefore reconciling nations through us.
Revelation 21:23-26 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (24) And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. (25) Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). (26) And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. The glory of the nations will be seen in the New Jerusalem. This is the final picture that the Lord is revealing to us. Since we see the larger plan of God, we can be aligned to how our life should be, in the present, to be faithful to our need-group, to whom the Lord has chosen and assigned us.
The Lord has made each of us unique with giftings, capacities, capabilities, talents, qualifications, experiences and backgrounds. All of these are not random matters in life but they are uniquely crafted by the Lord. Our ministry is an outflow of our walk with Jesus. The Lord is doing this so that we would be especially suited to reach the particular need-group and reconcile them to God.
Let us understand, witnessing to the end of the earth, from the perspective of our professions. Luke 19:12-13 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. (13) And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. Each servant was given a specific principal amount. They were to trade or conduct their professions with this money. The word, ‘occupy’ is about occupation or profession. Occupations and professions are from the Lord. These are not ‘secular’ as some have unfortunately relegated. Our profession is a homogenous group and has a unique set of needs and challenges, which are to be addressed, and those in this group must be reconciled with Jesus. We are to be professionals of excellence, unto God. Professional life is not about earning a name and fame or becoming successful, but our professions are our places of witness to Jesus.
Luke 19:15-17 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. (16) Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ (17) And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ The reward is that since the servant had done well in his occupation, he was being given a much larger scope of responsibility in the age which is to come. We cannot separate our professions from our witnessing. Many, unfortunately, think that our professions are secular places but being a witness to Christ, is a separate partition of life. This is a fallacy. Witnessing to Christ is continuous.
Daniel’s life is a beautiful example of a professional, who was being a witness, continuously. Daniel 6:1-3 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; (2) and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. (3) Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. This is how the Lord takes us to the ends of the earth, as professionals. In our professions, we are reaching that particular need-group and reconciling them to God.
Our prayer
“Lord Jesus, it is joyful to be a witness to You, continuously.”