What is God going to be doing in the next few days, or years? How is the Holy Spirit going to be moving in the church and through the people of God? Who is God going to lift up to share the gospel and equip the Lord's church to see revival and awakening?
These are all great questions and we can learn from the book of Acts about how God works and the results of Him working.
Acts 6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
The early church consisted of a number of Greek-speaking converts and Hebrew converts, and a "need" arose. The apostles fixed that need by choosing seven men full of the Holy Spirit to wait on tables and those men apparently took care of the need. One of those men who were chosen was a man by the name of Phillip. Phillip waited on tables for a time, but there was more God had in store for Phillip, and we find him moving into a whole new level of faith in Acts 8: 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Peter and John heard what was going on in Samaria and they traveled there to check it out! When they saw what God was doing they quickly became co-laborers with Phillip and God continued to work. Here are the verses showing this. Acts 8: 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. What was happening in this city needed to be led by the Holy Spirit, and Peter and John ensured that the Holy Spirit would be in charge. Everything we do as believers has to be under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and all the knowledge we can get will never have the same results as people who the Holy Spirit leads.
Peter and John are examples of men God used, not because of their schooling, or their position in the work as apostles. They were used because they had been with Jesus. Acts 4: 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Take note: God uses men and women who believe in Jesus and who have been with Jesus, and we have been with Jesus when we realize the Holy Spirit is working in our lives, and the Spirit leads us closer to Jesus through the Word of God. When I was first called into the ministry, I kept hearing I needed to go to seminary, but I could not get settled that it was the right path for me. I sought counsel from a highly respected man, and he could see what God was doing in and through my life. He said this: "David, I believe seminary would ruin you!" "What God is doing in your life is different than what some men are experiencing who go to seminary. Keep trusting and following God, and it will all work out". I heeded his advice, and God has surely continued to show me things that only come from Him, and the Holy Spirit continues to burn a passion for the Lord because of it.
I am not saying I am better than someone else or more called, but I know my path is unique to me, and I have no doubt of that fact. Now, God is moving in my heart again, and I am listening to see where He wants me to go because His ways are pure and real. I am at an age where most will seek to retire, but God is continuing to burn in my heart to lead a great work for Him, and I believe He is positioning me to be a part of the revival of the church at large. I seek Him to know how I will be a part of this movement and how He wants me to move in the days ahead. God has led me to write a book on vision and a teachable workbook on following that vision, and I am willing to go wherever He says to be a part of this movement He has begun.
As we hearken back to Phillip's life, we see a man who waited on tables. Then God led him to go to Samaria to preach the gospel, and the Holy Spirit was evident in a powerful way. He moved through a guy who was waiting at tables, and then he was faithful to follow God's call, and God moved. This encourages all of us who serve the Lord to know that God calls the right people to do His work at the right time. Ministry is not a profession. Ministry is a calling! I am seeking God to show me the next move, and He is faithful.
God chooses us to follow Him and equips us with the Holy Spirit to live that calling, and that is all I want to do. I want to get beyond the spiritual norms of the past and realize that whom God calls He equips, and the rest is history.
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren
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