“Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (CEV)
After my church had what we call “ Bible College”, where our Bishop stood before us in a classroom setting and taught on several topics, Sonship being one of those topics, the above verse still resonates in my mind.
“If you will take care of God’s business, He will take care of yours.”
Those words my Bishop spoke struck like a hot iron. I began to ask myself questions, ‘Am I really taking care of God’s business?’ ‘What is God’s business?’ ‘How can I take care of his business?’. Of course, my Bishop, being full of wisdom, elaborated on all of that. God’s business is and always will be souls.
When He came to this earth wrapped in the flesh of a man, He had one purpose: to touch lives. Jesus did that very thing during His short time on earth. He healed the sick, the lame, the blind, deaf, and the dumb. Not only that, but he had a reputation for being a friend to sinners. He had dinner in the home of a tax collector with a less than stellar reputation and spoke with a Samaritan harlot at a well. This was a woman that no dignified person would have given the time of day for, yet Jesus took the opportunity to reveal himself to her as the Messiah.
He came to seek and save those who were lost.
If we are to seek His Kingdom first, doesn’t that mean that we are to seek out those that are hurting, lost, sick, and alone just like Jesus did? Shouldn’t we seek them out, be Jesus to them, guide them and show them that there is a better way than just barely living day to day? Have you not been freed from anxiety, depression, addictions, loneliness, and the like?
“Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NLT)
Are we not called to be a witness, be His hands, His feet, spread the news to everyone that we know? You know these things to be true but do you have a fire burning deep in your belly that motivates you to move and do the things that God has been calling you to do? Does that same fire burn like a passion and compel you to tell the stranger on the street about what God has brought you out of? Why doesn’t it? It should. We know that just at the mere mention of His name that chaos is turned to order, darkness is turned to light, and demons must flee, so, why are we so bashful when it comes to telling of His goodness? Have we become so “PC” that we are, dare I say it, afraid of backlash? Surely not! We are to step out in faith and in boldness, not hold back in fear.
This subject of boldness reminds me of a conversation in a group chat that I am in with a few girls from church. We were discussing the greatness of God, how He is moving in schools by opening doors that would generally remain shut, and how about four of the girls all had the same dream that involved people falling out in the Holy Ghost. We all rejoiced at how revival was being revealed in these dreams. It was decided that the youth pastor and his wife should be informed of the dreams and one of the girls made the comment that they would all huddle around them like geese and tell them their dreams one by one.
One girl said in reply, as a joke, “Wise as serpents, harmless as…geese?”
The comment got me thinking. I had never met a goose who was harmless. Geese are notorious for chasing off would-be offenders, guarding their nests, staying together,and taking the land they want for their own. They are brazen and brash, bold and uncaring of what people think. Yes, they can be quite unnerving to anyone or anything that may be encroaching on their territory or nearing their little goslings. I don’t think I have ever prayed to be like an animal but there is a first time for everything.
“Lord, help me to be like the goose.”
It felt silly, but I meant it. I want to be courageous,bold, uncaring of what anyone thinks of me. My desire is to be so full of faith that it becomes second nature to act in boldness. “Help me to be bold in the Spirit and speak to everyone I know about Your goodness, your Spirit, and what You have done for me.” Doing God’s business means that we are stepping out in faith because he already said he would do it!
In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested after preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were thrown in prison until the next day and at first light, the pair were brought before all the leaders and elders and a few high priests and were asked, “By what power, or in what name did you do these things?” Peter, who was filled with the Holy Ghost, didn’t bat an eye when he responded to their question.
“Leaders of the people and elders, are we being examined today because something good was done for a sick person, a good deed that healed him? If so, then you and all the people of Israel need to know that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is the stone you builders rejected; he has become the cornerstone! Salvation can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been given among humans through which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 CEB)
Everyone who heard him speak was astounded at the confidence in which he spoke. They knew that Peter and John were uneducated and completely inexperienced, though somehow,through the name of Jesus, a man who had been crippled, was now healed. They couldn’t deny that what happened was through Jesus, but because of fear, the elders wanted to keep others from speaking the name of Jesus. I love the response that Peter and John gave.
“It’s up to you to determine whether it’s right before God to obey you rather than God. As for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 CEB)
In other words, they were saying, “Do what you want, but nothing is going to stop us from spreading the Gospel! We can’t help but speak the name of Jesus because of the miracles that we have seen through His name!” No matter how much they were threatened, no matter what was said or done to intimidate them, their confidence was not shaken. They spoke the word of God with the boldness of a Godly Gander. (In case you were wondering, a gander is a male goose.) The elders wanted to punish Peter and John for the miracles performed in Jesus’ name, but because they had gained so much public support, they knew that it would be in vain.
So, my dear friend, can we not speak with confidence because we have not seen miracles be done? That is a BIG ‘ole lie, bud. If you haven’t experienced the dead being raised to life, the blind receiving their sight, or the crippled receiving strength, then now is as good a time as any for you to ask God to experience miracles.
Let me ask you, can we not speak with confidence because God has not done anything great in our lives? Pal, I hope you know that’s a lie straight from the pits of hell. If you woke up this morning and took a breath as your eyes opened, then you’ve got something to be excited about. If you have a job, a car, a roof over your head, then God has done something for you! Don’t wait to speak of the goodness of God! Be like Peter and John in the face of scrutiny:
“I can’t help but to speak of His goodness.”
Be the best Godly goose that you can be, friend. Walk in boldness, in the God-given authority that comes from the Holy Ghost, and testify, tell someone about what God has done for you, teach a bible study, and just be an ambassador for Christ.
