Here I Am, Send Me Part 6: A Call To Arms

Here I Am, Send Me Part 6: A Call To Arms

In the last few readings we examined certain figures in the Old Testament and how their attitudes can be applied to ministry.

The goal of the previous readings was also to motivate you to start functioning in your gifts and ministry through the application of 3 specific concepts – Faith, Desire, and the Action of Total Surrender.

Everything starts with Faith.

Faith lays the foundation for all that is to follow – it is the substance, or foundation, of our expectations (the things we hope for / our desires) and thus also our actions (the way in which we work towards those things).

Just as Moses put all his trust in the Lord, in the one who says: I AM, so also we must take that which we have and lay it before the Lord, trusting that He will give us the victory necessary to overcome our situation.

Just as Abraham had faith – putting his trust in the Lord – we have to get up and start going. We have to realize that the Lord has a plan for us and that He has called us to do great things for Him – to be a blessing for others.

When we do that we will sow the seeds of change wherever we go.

Just as Isaiah was saved by the grace of God, His sins forgiven, so also we were saved. His desire to please the God of his Salvation lead him to become a prophet – an instrument of the Most High.

The question is not, what can the Lord do for me, but rather what can I do for You, my Lord?

With a heart crying out in thanksgiving and praise for the Savior, we call out to the Lord, crying: HERE I AM, SEND ME!

Willing to give it all, we fall before the Lord, crying: Here I am, send me!

Just like Joshua we need to take action – we need surrender to the Lord and go where He wants us to go, do what He wants us to do – we need to position ourselves, through obedience and trust, to see His Will for our lives unfold.

Surrender is a constant event – it needs to be re-affirmed everyday. Why? Because we’re human. Because we want to be in control.

Total Surrender is a constant fight against the world and all the forces of evil raging around us – it is also a battle with our own bodies, our minds, our desires.

Total surrender is a consistent action – an every day labor against the flesh and our natural urges – a daily decision to give up our own plans for His plans – to stop writing our own story, and an invitation for God to write His story through us.

It is to stop building a legacy which will ultimately wither and fade away, and to start building His Kingdom – eternal and glorious – here and forevermore.

If you resonate with this – if you have come to believe that God has called you, if it is your desire to see His Kingdom come, to see the lost saved and revival poured out – then this is a call to action.

A call to arms – a call to pick up the tools and the weapons you need to take ground for the Kingdom.

Just as God commanded Joshua – it is time for us to take the land. It is time for us to act – it is time for us to get equipped, to be trained up – so that we may be sent out into the field.

Now that we have taken the action of surrender – giving ourselves to the work of the Lord – our next step is to get equipped. There are two prongs to this action.

The first and most necessary is the Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the Lord, through His Spirit alive and active in David’s life taught him how to wage war – just as God, through divine impartation gave the great artisan Bezalel the wisdom necessary to construct the Tabernacle – so the Lord will equip you through the indwelling of His presence.

This requires a relationship with Him – and I would urge you to take up the necessary spiritual disciplines of Bible Study and prayer (to name but two) to build this relationship – intimacy with Him, so that you can know the Mind and Heart of God. We are equipped through the practice of His presence.

I have, in my own life, come to the conclusion that we have to be so charged in our spiritual lives, our relationship with Jesus, that the atmosphere changes when we enter a room. We have to have such an intimate relationship with God, that to enter a room is to take the manifest presence of God with you.

We have to enter into the land that God has given us, into the land He shows us. We have to go to the place He wants us to be (both spiritually and physically).

The second part of our two-prong development plan is more traditional in nature. Through theory and practice – whether academic in nature or more on the job – very real training is necessary for us to be effective in ministry. It is important for us to gain an understanding of sound doctrine – to know what we believe and to express it coherently. It is also important for us to be practical – we should know HOW to do the things we need to do.

Picking up a hammer does not make you a craftsmen. It takes hard work and dedication. So it is with ministry. Picking up the Bible does not make you a minister. A soldier learns to swing his sword properly. You need knowledge, but you also need wisdom – the correct application of that knowledge in practice.

Every ministry has its own requisite set of boxes to tick. A good preacher needs to learn to communicate effectively, a good pastor needs a heart for the people – and a good worship leader needs to know a thing or two about music.

Whatever your ministry might be – you are about to embark on a rewarding journey of discovery, learning and development as you take your next steps towards the calling God has ordained for you – by applying the concepts of faith, desire and total surrender.

On this website you will find many resources added weekly, even daily, to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord as well as your calling and ministry.

If you need more personal guidance, or advice on which resources to use and where to find more – please reach out and send me an email: andre@adlabuschagne.co.za

Reflect:

1. You are called by God. What does this mean to you?

2. What does faith mean to you? How does this relate to your calling?

3. Desire is that which compels us towards either good or bad – and it is the main motivator of our actions. What is your desire? How does this relate to your calling?

4. Action is to do – more than just thinking, hearing or planning – it is to get up and act. What is the single most important next step you can take today to make a difference in the life of someone in your sphere of influence?

Prayer: Lord, my eyes are set on You. I pray that You will see my desire and increase my faith – that You will be my all and all. As I give You my heart and mind, my finances, my strength, all of my skills and talents – guide me Lord. Raise me up as a soldier in Your army, as a worker in Your field. Help me to turn my faith and desire into action – action that pleases You. Help me to lay my own thoughts down and to adopt the mind of Christ, so that You may be glorified in all I do. Help me to do Your Will rather than follow my own plans. I surrender to You and Your infinite wisdom, knowing that Your plans for me are better than the plans I have devised for my self. Be glorified in my life, Jesus, and help me on the journey ahead as I learn how to mobilize my faith and desire – as I learn practical ways in which to act – as I am equipped for Your Kingdom and Your Glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

One of the things that Christians seem to struggle with, no matter how far in their walk with the Lord they might be, is praying for others.

Many of us just don’t have that kind of personality, we don’t have that boldness…

We see in Mark chapter 6 that Jesus sent out the Twelve in pairs of two to go and do some practical ministry. We read in verses 12-13: They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (NIV)

The disciples were sent out to pray for people – amongst other things. 

And we, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, are all called to do the same.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated or super spiritual. It just needs to be authentic – from the heart.

That being said, I offer a few guidelines below to get you started:

1. Finding a person to pray for:

Usually the opportunity to pray for someone will present itself naturally. Other times you might be led to pray for someone in church, or even in a public place (as has often happened to me). 

I would advise that you avoid praying for a member of the opposite sex alone. If you are a man praying for a woman, please make sure that your wife, or another woman from your team is present – and vice versa.

Also, before you start praying for someone make sure to introduce yourself properly, and ensure that you know their name.

2. Ask the person if you can pray for them:

Once you have found someone who needs prayer, ask them if it is okay for you to pray for them right there and then. Do not just launch into prayer and the laying on of hands. It is important that the person you are praying for is comfortable with what is about to happen.

Remember to always check before laying hands on anyone.

3. Ask the person what you can pray for:

It will make your task of in-person prayer so much easier if you have a specific need to pray for. Make sure your prayer specifically addresses this need. Pray in a way that is encouraging and loving.

4. Keep it short and simple:

You don’t have to pray a long, eloquent prayer. God hears our faith – not our words. If your prayer is only a sentence or two – don’t worry – there is power in the faith-filled prayer of the righteous!

5. Make sure you end the time of prayer with a clear AMEN.

You want to be sure that the person you are praying for knows when the prayer has ended.

Conclusion: Praying for someone else in person doesn’t have to be hard. God wants us to pray for one another, and it can be a great way of opening the door for you to share your faith.

If you find yourself praying for a person who does not go to church, or is perhaps unsaved, why don’t you take the opportunity to invite them to your church – so that you can carry on praying and walking with the person in the Lord.

We are all called to pray for one another. 

Let us take up the work of prayer and make a difference for the Kingdom wherever we might find ourselves.

Here I Am, Send Me Part 5: Surrender

Here I Am, Send Me Part 5: Surrender

Joshua is about action.

His name means ‘the Lord is Salvation’ or more accurately ‘Jehovah is Salvation’.

He was a military man – a mighty warrior – but also a prophet waiting on every word the Lord spoke unto him.

His job was to lead the Jewish nation of Israel back to their homeland – to the Promised Land. His job was to reclaim that which they had lost at the hands of their enemies, to take what the Lord had given them.

The author of Hebrews writes:

Hebrews 4:9-11: (KJV)
9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rest is defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as:

A state of quiet or repose; a cessation from motion or labor; tranquillity; as, rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind.

In Psalm 95 David speaks regarding the day of provocation in which Israel tempted God and saw His works for 40 years – and he also states – ‘if you hear His voice today, do not harden your hearts’, and this is an indication that there is hope. We can move into the rest of God – the rest of God being a cessation (an end) of our own works, of our own will, a state of quiet and response to the will of God.

Christ comes and calls us to move into the promise of restoration and salvation – the promise of a new life with God – He invites us into His rest and gives us His Spirit, our guide, our comforter and our teacher, so that we can find our rest, in His.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that this rest of God isn’t a Sabbath like rest, but rather a state of blessedness, and this corresponds with verse 11 where the author states – let us labor to enter into that rest!

That is exactly what Joshua did. He marched across the Jordan with absolute assurance that his God was with him – that he would not face these enemies alone. He had the faith, but now he had to react.

He made his way across the Jordan and gave himself as a living sacrifice to God, saying – Lord, have Your way in and through me.

He said, Lord, let Your will be done. Me and my house will serve You.

Surrender. He surrendered unto God, gave it all – his mind, his mouth, his heart, his physical self – everything was laid at His feet, before the throne of the Lord of Hosts.

Let us work to attain that state of blessed dependence upon God, let us work and strive for righteousness, hunger and thirst for His ways so that we can move into His rest!

Let us seek the true will of God, let us labor to have that assurance that what every step we take has been ordained by God, that we are fully and completely on His straight and narrow way.

If rest means the cessation of our works, our own works, it also means the start of His work in us.

Ceasing our labor (once we are in Him) allows Him to work in us.

This is another of those rather elusive key concepts we don’t always think about.

Absolute surrender.

If you want to be a success story in the Kingdom of God, stop writing your own story and let Him finish it. Cease your works and let Him work through you.

In Hebrews 4:11: we read:

16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us seek God with all boldness, just as He commanded Joshua – without fear.

Take action – surrender to Him.

Reflect:

1. What would it look like if you were surrendered to the call of God on your life? Where might it lead? What sacrifices would you have to make? What is hindering you – what obstacles are there between you and surrender to God?

2. Our labor (work) is to enter the rest of God – a place where our work stops and His work starts – what does this mean to you? How do we get to that place of absolute surrender?

3. What steps can you take today to step into the will of God for your life? What is the next step you have to take?

Prayer: Lord, You are the One who turns oceans into highways – You flatten the walls of the enemy to make the way straight before me – You move mountains to give me clear passage. I pray that You will show me the desires that I have put above You, that You will show me, through Your Spirit, the doubts and fears holding me back – and that You will help me give them to You. Remove these obstacles, oh Lord, and help me surrender all I have and all I am to You and Your Will for my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Herlewing: Ons Werk!

Herlewing: Ons Werk!

Die Here gebruik my die laaste paar jaar by nuwe kerke – en so ruk terug het ons nog ‘n kerk help plant in die Northriding area. Daai seisoen het in Februarie tot ‘n einde gekom en ons moes toe weer by die Here gaan hoor hoe die pad vorentoe lyk.

In daai tyd gee die Here vir my Jesaja 61.

‘n paar weke na dit bevind ek en Kailie ons hier, by die Gemeentes van Christus. Ek’t haar gebring om vir haar my geestelike ouerhuis te wys – ‘n tuiste wat ek oor die laaste paar jaar gemis het.

Toe ek die oggend hier sit en ek op kyk na die twee borde met die nuwe misie en visie van die kerk toe weet ek ons is by die regte plek.

Jesaja 61.

Ek kyk elke Sondag na hierdie twee borde – en ek weet hier in my hart dat dit nie net die werk van mense hande is – dit is nie net ‘n goeie idee of ‘n mooi gedagte wat Pastoor Leon of die Kerk Raad gehad het nie – dit is die hart van God in wit en swart.

Die Here wil iets doen in hierdie seisoen – Hy wil ‘n magtige werk in ons hart en ons lewens doen, in ons kerk en in ons gemeenskap – en nog weier as dit. God se wil vir Sy mense is Herlewing.

Herlewing, as ons kyk na die samestelling van die woord – ‘her’ en ‘lewe’ – is om iets weer lewendig te maak. Die Here wil nuwe lewe in ons in blaas – nuwe lewe in ons, in ons families, ons skole, ons werksplekke, ons gemeenskap! Hy is besig om die grond voorteberei vir net so herlewing! Wie ‘n oor het, laat hom hoor wat die Gees aan die gemeentes sê

Jesaja 61 se titel, in die Engelse Bybel, is ‘The Year of the Lord’s Favour’ – in die ou Afrikaanse vertaling is dit: ‘Die Genadejaar van die Here’.

Die titel kom uit Jesaja 61:2 waar die profeet praat van ‘n Jaar van die welbehae van die Here wat aangekondig word.

Ek is hier vanoggend om so jaar aan te kondig – die jaar van die welbehae van die Here.

Die Hebreeuse woord vir ‘jaar’ wat hier gebruik word is ‘shānāh’ – dit is ‘n selfstandige naamwoord wat vertaal word as ‘jaar’, ‘seisoen’ of ‘tydperk’ – dit is hoe dit oor die algemeen in die Bybel gebruik word.

Maar die woord ‘shānāh’ is ook ‘n werkswoord – en in die Hebreeus meen dit: ‘om te herhaal, of om weer te doen.’

Die Here wil iets doen in ons midde – en dit is iets wat Hy van te vore gedoen het – maar dit gaan vir baie van ons ‘n nuwe ding wees. God verander nie – Hy is steeds die God van genesing, van wonderwerke, van bevryding! Hy is steeds die selfde God wat die Hemel en die Aarde geskep het en wat jou toekoms in Sy hand hou.

Hy is nogsteeds die selfde God wat magtiglik deur die disipels gewerk het in die boek van Handelinge. Die selfde God wat lewe in daardie Joodse kerkie in die bo-kamer ingeblaas het en die wêreld onderstobo gedompel het. Hy is dieselfde God en Hy wil wil in mag en ywer hier in ons midde beweeg.

Ons lees saam in Jesaja 61:1-3:

“DIE Gees van die Here Here is op My, omdat die Here My gesalf het om ‘n blye boodskap te bring aan die ootmoediges; Hy het My gestuur om te verbind die gebrokenes van hart, om vir die gevangenes ‘n vrylating uit te roep en vir die geboeides opening van die gevangenis; om uit te roep ‘n jaar van die welbehae van die Here en ‘n dag van die wraak van onse God; om al die treurendes te troos; om vir die treurendes in Sion te beskik dat aan hulle gegee word sieraad vir as, vreugde-olie vir treurigheid, ‘n gewaad van lof vir ‘n verslae gees; sodat hulle genoem kan word terebinte van geregtigheid, ‘n planting van die Here, tot sy verheerliking.

” (v1-3, 1933)

Die profeet Jesaja sê hier dat die Here hom gesalf het om hierdie blye boodskap te verkondig.

In die Ou Testament was konings, priesters en profete gesalf met olie – hierdie salwing was om hulle werk as diensknegte van die Allerhoogste te bevestig – om hulle in hulle heilige roeping te vestig.

In die Nuwe Testament deel Paulus die volgende met ons in Romeine 8:9-11:

“julle is egter nie in die vlees nie, maar in die Gees, as naamlik die Gees van God in julle woon. Maar as iemand die Gees van Christus nie het nie, dié behoort nie aan Hom nie.

Maar as Christus in julle is, dan is die liggaam dood vanweë die sonde, maar die gees is lewe vanweë die geregtigheid.En as die Gees van Hom wat Jesus uit die dode opgewek het, in julle woon, dan sal Hy wat Christus uit die dode opgewek het, ook julle sterflike liggame lewend maak deur sy Gees wat in julle woon.”

Jesus – die Gesalfde Messias – woon in jou.

Verder aan in Romeine 8:14-15:

“Want almal wat deur die Gees van God gelei word, dié is kinders van God.

Want julle het nie ontvang ‘n gees van slawerny om weer te vrees nie, maar julle het ontvang die Gees van aanneming tot kinders, deur wie ons roep: Abba, Vader!”

En dan laastens  in verse 29-30:

Want die wat Hy vantevore geken het, dié het Hy ook vantevore verordineer om gelykvormig te wees aan die beeld van sy Seun, sodat Hy die eersgeborene kan wees onder baie broeders;en die wat Hy vantevore verordineer het, dié het Hy ook geroep; en die wat Hy geroep het, dié het Hy ook geregverdig; en die wat Hy geregverdig het, dié het Hy ook verheerlik.”

Ons is geken en geroep deur God – uit die moederskoot – vir Sy wil en vir Sy doel – om gelykvormig te wees aan die Beeld van Jesus – die selfde Jesus wat as die Heiliog Gees in ons woon en deur ons werk.

As ek dan vra, wie is die gesalfdes vandag – dan is die antwoord eenvoudig. Dit is ek en jy. 

Ons is gesalf, nie deur olie nie, maar deur die inwoning van Sy Gees in ons – geroep om gelykvormig te wees aan die beeld van Jesus – om te beweeg in die mag van Sy opstanding as Sy Hande en Voete.

Dit is juis wat Petrus aan ons probeer oordra waneer hy in 1 Petrus 2:9-10: sê:

Maar julle is ‘n uitverkore geslag, ‘n koninklike priesterdom, ‘n heilige volk, ‘n volk as eiendom verkry, om te verkondig die deugde van Hom wat julle uit die duisternis geroep het tot sy wonderbare lig, julle wat vroeër geen volk was nie, maar nou die volk van God is; aan wie toe geen barmhartigheid bewys is nie, maar nou bewys is.

Ons is Sy priesterdom – geroep om die verlossingsdade van ons Koning te verkondig. Om Sy goedheid en Sy guns oortevertel – op elke straathoek, en van elke dak af te verkondig – in elke Valei en op elke berg – elke pad en elke laning te verkondig dat Hy gekom het en dat Hy weer kom! Om te verkondig die deugde en die geregtigheid van God!

Paulus deel die volgende in 2 Korinthiërs 5:17-21:

“Daarom, as iemand in Christus is, is hy ‘n nuwe skepsel; die ou dinge het verbygegaan, kyk, dit het alles nuut geword. En dit alles is uit God wat ons met Homself versoen het deur Jesus Christus en ons die bediening van die versoening gegee het, naamlik dat God in Christus die wêreld met Homself versoen het deur hulle hul misdade nie toe te reken nie en die woord van die versoening aan ons toe te vertrou. Ons tree dan op as gesante om Christus wil, asof God deur ons vermaan. Ons bid julle om Christus wil: Laat julle met God versoen.

Want Hy het Hom wat geen sonde geken het nie, sonde vir ons gemaak, sodat ons kan word geregtigheid van God in Hom.”

Die bediening van versoening waarvan Paulus praat is nie net vir sommige mense gegee nie – dit is nie net vir die Bybel-studente, pastore, en predikante nie – maar vir elkeen van ons.

Hy sê vroeër in verse 11-15 dat dit die barmhartigheid van Jesus is wat ons dring om die Evangelie te deel – die selfde barmhartigheid wat Petrus van praat wat ons roep om deel te wees van die uitverkore geslag, die heilige priesterdom.

Dit is die liefde in Jesus wat maak dat ons nie meer vir ons self lewe nie, maar vir Hom wat Sy lewe vir ons gegee het.

Dit is ‘n roeping wat aan elke een van ons behoort. Dit is nie die pastoor of die evangelis se werk om die Kerk vol te maak nie. Dit is ons almal sin.

Die pastoor is daar om ‘n veilige hawe te skep waar ons kan groei in ons roeping, groei in ons vermoë om vir die Here te werk – maar die werk behoort aan ons almal.

Ons is almal geroep om te soebat, om te smeek, om ons medemens te oortuig dat hulle met God versoen moet word!

Dit is my roeping en dit is jou roeping om ander nader te roep. Net soos Jesaja, om die goeie nuus te verkondig aan die ootmoediges, om die gebrokenes van hart te verbind! Dit is ons werk om vir die gevangenis vrylating uit te roep en vir die geboeides opening van die gevangenis!

Dit is ‘n bediening wat aan elkeen van ons behoort – om die goeie nuus van Sy Koningkryk en alles wat saam met dit kom te verkondig. Sieraad vir as, vreugde-olie vir treurigheid, ‘n gewaad van lof vir ‘n verslae gees.

Die Engels sê dit vir my baie mooi:  a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair! 

Dit is ons roeping en bediening – die bediening van versoening – om die goedheid, die deugde van God te verkondig – en om ander uit die duisternis te roep soos wat Hy ons geroep het – sodat Hy ‘n planting tot eer en verheerliking van Sy geregtigheid kan oprig.

As ons vanoggend bereidwillig sal wees om hierdie roeping te aanvaar gaan ons sien hoe die Here kom ‘shānāh’ hier in hierdie plek – hoe die Here sal kom en weer sal doen! Ons sal sien hoe Hy lewens verander – verslaafdes uit hulle boeie roep, hoe Hy lewens, families and huwelike herstel! As ons vanoggend net bereidwillig sal wees om die roep stem van Jesus te hoor sal ons sien hoe Sy Opstandings Mag weer in ons midde werk!

Daar is ‘n baie mooi belofte vir die wat die roep en bediening aanvaar (Jes. 61:4-9). Daar is ‘n erfporsie vir hierdie Kerk daarin opgesluit. En die Here gee vandag vir ons die sleutel.

Nie deur krag of geweld nie – maar deur Sy gees, lewend en kragtig in en deur ons.

Net soos in Jesaja 6, waar die Here hom roep as profeet, vra God vandag: “Wie sal ek stuur? Wie sal namens my gaan?”

Al wat die Here vandag van ons af verlang is ons bereidwilligheid – ons ja! ‘n Hart wat roep: “Hier is ek stuur my!”

‘N Paar jaar terug het ek ‘n droom gehad waar die Here gesê het: “I will use fishermen once again…”

Ek is oor die laaste paar jaar betrokke gewees met soveel Godsmanne met soveel verskillende titels – maar daar was iets wat ontbreek het – ‘there was something missing…’

Die titles meen baie min in hierdie nuwe seisoen – die tyd is nou wat die Here weer vissermanne roep. Alledaagse mense soos ek en jy om Sy Koninkryk te sien kom.

Ons lees die laaste woord van Jesaja 61 en die pragtige belofte wat daar mee saam gaan:

“Ek is baie bly in die Here, my siel juig in my God; want Hy het my beklee met die klere van heil, my in die mantel van geregtigheid gewikkel — soos ‘n bruidegom wat priesterlik die hoofversiersel ombind, en soos ‘n bruid wat haar versier met haar juwele. Want soos die aarde sy plante voortbring, en soos ‘n tuin sy gewasse laat uitspruit, so sal die Here Here geregtigheid en lof laat uitspruit voor die oog van al die nasies.”

Kom ons word weer verlief op Jesus. Kom ons maak Hom ons ywer en ons passie!

Kom ons verbly ons in ons verlossing! Kom ons verbly ons in Hom! In plaas van om net te kyk wat die Here wil doen, kom word ‘n deel daarvan! Kom ons raak betrokke in die werk van die Here – waarokal ons onself bevind in die week – by die werk, by die skool, by die huis! In al die paaie en lanings van die lewe – al die ‘highways and byways’ – kom ons verkondig die goedheid en die guns van die Here aan elkeen wat ‘n oor het om te hoor! Kom ons reik uit na ons naastes, ons geliefdes – en ook die wat dalk ver van ons is. Die wêreld het Jesus nodig!

Kom ons raak betrokke by die kerk. Kom en word herstel en bemagtig, kom word sterk in die Here sodat ons die werk daar buite kan aanpak.

Kom ons neem eienaarskap van die belofte wat God ons vandag gee – hierdie belofte van herlewing en herstel. Kom ons bid soos nooit van te vore, kom wees meer getrou in Bybelstudie en stiltetyd – en kom ons raak betrokke in die bediening van versoening wat aan elkeen van ons behoort!

Here I Am, Send Me Part 4: Isaiah’s Desire

Here I Am, Send Me Part 4: Isaiah’s Desire

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, there was a man named Isaiah, his name meaning ‘Salvation of Jehovah’. He wrote of the coming King, the Christ – our Lord Jesus, and he wrote as if he knew Him personally.

Historians are of the opinion that Isaiah might have been a part of the royal family – that he was related to the four kings he served during his lifetime (Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz and Hezekiah). This would explain the easy access he had to them.

Another, more specific, tradition has it that his father was closely related to a king. His father was Amoz and could’ve been the brother of King Amaziah (the father of Uzziah).

Isaiah was definitely a well educated man, as his eloquent use of language indicates, and he probably came from a wealthy family.

His ministry began in the year that King Uzziah died, 740 B.C. and twenty years before the nation of Assyria destroyed the northern Jewish nation in Israel and a hundred and fifty years (estimate) before Babylon invaded his homeland of Judah.

I would like to take you to the sixth chapter of the book of Isaiah.

We read here:

1It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

The Lord appears unto Isaiah on a high and exalted throne – the King of Kings appears unto His servant, and His train fills the Temple. His presence fills the place as the Seraphim cry – Holy, holy, holy! As they rejoice and praise the Lord.

4Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

The presence of the Lord is so intense that the very room they are standing in is shaken – the entire building filled with smoke. What an awesome experience that must have been – imagine the awe and wonder that must have struck the prophet!

5Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Isaiah, however, is dismayed rather than overjoyed – he cries out, sorrowfully – I am doomed! He becomes aware, in the Holiness that is the Presence of the Most High, that he is a sinner, a sinful man. The fact that he is seeing the King, the Lord of Hosts is a sure sign to him that death will surely follow.

In a sense he is right. This encounter with God would render him, in a sense, dead to the world. Aware of his shame and despair, God and His heavenly host reacts.

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

God makes it clear to him that his sins have been absolved, through His servant He works salvation and Isaiah can stand there redeemed.

It is after this, and after this only, that God asks the question that would forever change Isaiah’s life.

8Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

And Isaiah answers: “Here I am. Send me.”

In reading this we become aware of one fact and that is Isaiah’s thankfulness and gratitude – he has been saved from his own wickedness – he has been announced free of the burden of sin, and now has one desire. He wants to serve the Lord.

He cries out – Lord, here I am! Hear me, see me, I want to serve You! Send me!

He doesn’t do it because of a sense of duty or obligation, but because it is his heart’s desire to serve God.

It is here that the Lord appoints Isaiah as a prophet.

Often we do things because we feel obligated – in a sense, forced – to do it. It’s as if God has saved us and now we HAVE TO do something. This mentality is the wrong mentality.

Quite a few years ago I went to Godly Revolution, which was a huge , annual Christian music event at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg. One of the performers was former Tree63 frontman John Ellis. He ended their session with a petition for us to express our thanksgiving to God, to spend a few moments just being grateful for what He has done. He then broke into song singing ‘Look what You’ve done.’

One line sticks with me and replays itself in my head again and again. He sang – ‘The question is not, Jesus, what You can do for me, but what can I do for You, my Lord!”

What struck me the most is the emotion and sincerity with which he sang these words. He was definitely not fraudulent in his thanksgiving.

It all concluded with the entire crowd of thousands of young people singing, shouting and crying out the lyrics of ‘Amazing Grace’.

Isaiah cries out – Lord, look what You’ve done for me! Here I am, send me! It is my desire to serve You!

Nothing we can do can measure up against what Jesus had done for us. We can’t impress God, but we can serve Him and make an impression, for His sake, on the lives of others.

Let the fire burn in your heart – this is the road to revival.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Isaiah’s death, but the author of Hebrews, writing about Old Testament heroes, writes concerning the prophets:

37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Hebrews 11:37)

In an ancient manuscript entitled The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah written in the first Christian century, or even earlier, by a Jew who lived in what is now Israel we read about the prophet’s cruel execution.

In the second chapter of The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah we read:

7And when Isaiah the son of Amoz saw the lawlessness which was being perpetratcd in Jerusalem and the worship of Satan and his wantonness, 8he withdrew from Jerusalem and settled in Bethlehem of Judah. And there also there was much lawlessness, 9 and withdrawing from Bethlehem he settled on a mountain in a desert place. [And Micaiah the prophet, and the aged Ananias, and Joel and Habakkuk, and his son Josab, and many of the faithful who believed in the ascension into heaven, withdrew and settled on the mountain.]10 They were all clothed with garments of hair, and they were all prophets. And they had nothing with them but were naked, and they all lamented with a great lamentation because of the going astray of Israel.11 And these eat nothing save wild herbs which they gathered on the mountains, and having cooked them, they lived thereon together with Isaiah the prophet.

This is striking similar to the events recorded in Hebrews.

The book continues, in the third chapter:

7And Belchlra accused Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, saying: ‘Isaiah and those who are with him prophesy against Jerusalem and against the cities of Judah that they shall be laid waste and (against the children of Judah and) Benjamin also that they shall go into captivity, and also against thee, O lord the king, that thou shalt go (bound) with hooks 8 and iron chains’: But they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. And Isaiah himself hath 9 said: ‘I see more than Moses the prophet.’ But Moses said: ‘No man can see God and live’: 10 and Isaiah hath said: ‘I have seen God and behold I live.’ Know, therefore, O king, that he is lying. And Jerusalem also he hath called Sodom, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem he hath declared to be the people of Gomorrah. And he brought many accusations against Isaiah…

Imagine the sorrow in Isaiah’s heart as he declared what God had impressed upon him, concerning the fate of his people – imagine the sorrow with which he shared this news!

Here these false prophets come and speak out against Isaiah making him out to be a charlatan rebel – an errant fraud!

These accusations would lead to his execution as an enemy of the people.

During his execution – by wood-saw – his accuser talked to him but received no answer, for the text explains that the prophet was absorbed in a vision of the Lord.

This book ends with these words:

And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain. (The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah 5:14)

Although the source is unverified and not a part of our Biblical Canon , it’s an interesting thought, possibly carried from generation to generation through oral tradition, until it was eventually written down.

The facts are there – both historically and biblically – it is important that we compare these two sources and thus find a fuller, more compelling vision of the life and death of the prophet who saw God and lived.

What gets to me is the thought that Isaiah’s love for the Lord, his desire to give everything to and for the God of his Salvation, did not subside even in the face of persecution, suffering and certain death.

This is key to our own ministry as desire often dictates what we do.

The concept I want to leave with you here is a simple one – turn your eyes upon Jesus! Don’t ever lose sight of Him! Make him your desire – let the desire to please Him and to make Him known be the driving force behind every thing you do.

If we keep our eyes firmly set upon the God of our Salvation we will never be tempted to stray from His way and will endure unto the end!

Reflect:

1. What is your desire today? What is the one thing you desire most? How does this desire shape the way you live? How does this desire affect your ministry?

2. Isaiah saw the Lord, and this one encounter had a profound affect on how he lived the rest of his life. We cannot get a glimpse of glory and not want more – what encounter have you had with the Lord that has started shaping your desire for more of Him in your life?

3. A compelling vision of Christ is what drives us –what can you do to have a more compelling and vivid vision of Jesus and His Kingdom? How will such a vision drive you towards living out the call God has placed on your life?

Prayer: Lord, be my desire. Let a passionate fire for Your Kingdom burn within my heart as I take up the call – let me be a minister of fire. Let a zeal for Your house consume me. I pray that You will remove distraction from my life and that You will give me the wisdom to keep my eyes set on You. Let everything I do be a testimony of Your goodness and grace in my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.