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The Ephesian Connection
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Our salvation originated in God. Just like He spoke and authored the physical creation, so also, He spoke through the preaching of the gospel and brought us to birth as new creatures in Christ. By His grace we heard, responded in faith, and were born of His Spirit. The spoken word of God is the most powerful force ever given among men. When He says something, whether directly (in an audible way or in that still small voice within our hearts), or through the Scriptures, or through one of His servants, there is a performance of that word.
For the Kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
The gospel we preach is not simply a collection of facts from the Bible. Rather, it is the Bible’s Author declaring through us the truths recorded there. One can quote Bible verses to someone all day long and accomplish nothing. But when God anoints His word, it impacts with eternal consequences. This is not to belittle the study and memorization of Scripture. Such effort is necessary to communicate the gospel effectively. But head knowledge of biblical data by itself is insufficient. Perhaps an overdependence on it is one reason why too much preaching today does not produce New Testament results.
And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
The Thessalonian believers had experienced God speaking through men. And their lives were forever changed. What had happened was far more than men simply speaking about God. Because the Thessalonians had received (past tense) the gospel as Heaven’s word to them, it was performing (present tense) and would continue to perform an eternal work in them. Even after Paul left their city, the gospel accompanied by the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit among them continued to achieve God’s purpose in their lives. The gospel’s power continues to operate long after the ones who first spoke it have left the scene. Again, the good news is not just dead letter. Rather, it is God actively at work through His word as He empowers His servants to function as His representatives. It is thrilling to declare His word in a situation and then watch the supernatural results that follow. Often those results do not happen when we think they should or sometimes even in the way we think they should. But God makes this promise.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
God’s word is His servant, and He entrusts it to the care of His people. As such it is a most sacred stewardship (1Corinthians 4:1 - 2, James 3:1). Since He sends it to accomplish His desire, we who handle it must be very careful that our personal priorities do not interfere. The Bible says we are co-workers together with Him (1Corinthians 3:9). Our hearts must be in harmony with His so that our labors contribute to what was in His heart when He spoke to us. If we have impure motives (seeking recognition, wealth, power, prestige with men), God may still honor His word through us and accomplish much (people being saved, healed, and delivered). But our efforts and ministry will express mixture. Too often, many have confused God’s honoring of His word through them as His approval of their lives, motives, and overall direction of ministry. But it is a grave mistake. While God will honor His word, He will also judge those who represent him (James 3:1).
If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
We choose how and what we build with upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. When the day of the Lord comes, He will test the quality as well as the quantity of every man’s work. If we have produced a grandiose structure of straw, it will all be consumed. While we will still be saved, we will suffer loss.
Again, our work must be in harmony with God’s purpose. As some have preached with unction from the Bible, there have been miracles wrought, powerful ministries established, and the gospel proclaimed. Seeing this we have thought that all we need is more of the same. And when enough has happened to satisfy God, then Jesus will return. But the day of fire that is coming upon the earth will test more than quantity, it will assess the quality of what we have done.
each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
Here is what we must consider. Was His purpose accomplished in our lives? If we are to please Him, let us like Paul be bondservants of Christ Jesus set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). Being set apart for the gospel is not the same as being in “full time ministry”. It means our lives must be severed from the world system and given wholly to the Lord Jesus, whether we work at a secular job or not (Paul often worked with his hands). It means to be at Heaven’s disposal, to be in the right place at the right time, strategically located as God’s messenger so that His power is released to set others free. We are literally to be set apart for the sake of the gospel. Then we will not alter or distort His word as we share it with others. We will accurately express God’s heart and our lives will contribute to His work of establishing His purpose in our generation.
If we walk with halfhearted commitment to Him and have mixture in our motives, He may still use us. He may still speak through us and His word may accomplish great things in the earth. We may even be thought of as spiritually impressive. But we would be preaching a gospel of mixture. And we would have elements of wood, hay, and straw in what we are building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. What He wants is that our efforts would endure in His day, the day of fire. And endure it will, if we are holy and separated unto Him for an accurate, anointed declaration of the gospel.
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