Each of God’s elect is set apart before being born.
Each of God’s elect is set apart before being born.
He or she is set apart for the purpose of revealing the holiness and Glory of God. Each of us belongs to God in a peculiar way. We are in the world but not of the world. Christ has chosen us out of the world so He may be glorified in us.
We all are prophets "to the nations" because we are "the light of the world." There are the nations of the earth and then there are God’s holy ones.
Through the saints God speaks to the nations of the earth and informs them of His Person, His will, and His eternal purpose. God’s eternal purpose is to center the whole universe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
The nations that assist the Lord’s saints, His witnesses, His brothers, and are kind to them, will inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The nations that do not assist the Lord’s saints will be sent away into everlasting fiery torment (Matthew 25:32-46).
None of us chose Christ. He chose us and ordained us that we may bring forth the fruit of Christ in our lives. When men see the fruit, the Divine Nature of Christ implanted in us, the inner righteousness, the new creation, they will glorify our Father who is in Heaven.
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. (Jeremiah 1:6)
Jeremiah was not seeking to be a prophet. He was surprised by the coming of the Word of the Lord to him. Jeremiah felt he was not mature enough for such a responsibility.
The works of the Kingdom of God are not bound or accomplished by the wisdom and strength of religious human beings. God moves suddenly, surprisingly, using whom and what He will.
Often we who are seeking the Lord are astonished at the manner in which God has chosen to work. God’s prophets learn to do what God says, when He says it, without waiting until they understand how He will accomplish His will.
There usually is some good reason why we think we "cannot speak." The weakness, the uncertainty, the perplexity, the impossibility is present in our life for a purpose. The purpose is that the Glory of God rather than our religious zeal and self-seeking may be revealed.
But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. (Jeremiah 1:7)
The prophet of the Lord is not to complain about his shortcomings. How old we are, how strong we are, how educated we are, how fluent of speech we may be, are not to be considered or mentioned.
If we have faith in God we will go to every person to whom the Lord sends us. We will speak every word that God gives us. We will not seek the help of men. We will not complain. We will not consider our weaknesses.
We will do what God said to do and leave all the problems with Him. This does not mean we are to become passive or cease informing the Lord vigorously of our needs, our fears, our desires. Many times we do not have what we need or desire because we do not ask.
A prophet must learn stern obedience to the Lord. Jonah was a disobedient, complaining prophet. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other writers were obedient prophets. God required unusual, difficult tasks that they were to perform. They did what God commanded them to do and God stood with them.
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:8)
Sometimes the man or woman of God is invited to stand against the crowd, to take an unpopular position, to say what grieves the hearers. He or she must deliver the whole counsel of God without regard for the consequences.
There is an emphasis today on preaching "positive" ideas—promises that make the hearers feel good, of which there are many in the Scriptures.
We asked the Lord about the current emphasis on positive preaching.
We believe that He answered our inquiry. The Lord impressed this thought on us: "The person who preaches only what is positive is seeking his own glory. The person who preaches only what is negative is emotionally ill." The Scriptures contain a balance between positive and negative teaching, commencing with the invitation to eat freely of every tree of the garden and the warning to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
We believe that the Lord then reminded us of many parts of the Scriptures that are positive and many that are negative. The Lord Jesus made many negative comments, as did Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude.
The pronouncements of the Prophets of Israel often were negative. In fact, it may be true that the holy Scriptures, in spite of the incomprehensible glories that they offer, are more negative than positive.
The blessings pronounced on Mount Gerizim were fewer in number than the curses pronounced on Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:11-28:68).
The individual who preaches only what is positive and pleasant to the listeners is part of the False Prophet. He has not been taught by the Lord. He is seeking his own gain. His God is his stomach. He is not a true pastor, a true watchman on the wall. He is a destroyer of the sheep. Their blood is on his hands. He shall not escape judgment in the Day of the Lord.
We are to declare forthrightly what God has spoken to our hearts. If we are hated or rejected or killed because of what we have stated, no harm has been done. If we hold back part of the counsel of God, much harm has been done. The blood of the listeners will be required at our hands in the Day of Christ.
God will deliver us, as He did Elijah and Elisha, if we perform His whole will fearlessly.
Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. (Jeremiah 1:9)
It is a good thing for the Christian to prepare himself in every way so that he may perform his Lord’s will.
Also, in each ministry there must come a point at which God puts forth His hand and touches us. The churches and the world are waiting to feel and see the living Fire. We must be touched by the nail-pierced hand of Jesus Christ.
Next Part One touch from the Lord and we are changed eternally.