By Pastor Greg
A pastor was telling the children
a story one Sunday. He was discussing
the story of Jonah. The pastor read,
"And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in
the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the
Lord his God from the belly of the fish.
Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry
land". When he finished, he asked,
"What does the fish vomiting Jonah out on dry land indicate to us
today?" One of the youngsters
replied, "It proves that even a fish can't stomach a bad preacher!"
Some of us can’t stomach a bad
joke either.
All joking aside, being a worker
in God’s Kingdom is very difficult. I
mean, think about this for a moment.
Here you are, just a regular person who comes to church faithfully. Then one day God interrupts your life with a
concern or a situation that breaks your heart.
You think to yourself, “Someone should do something about this”, and
then God jumps out from behind the organ and says, “You! You should be the one to get involved”. After your heart slows down a bit, you make
every excuse WHY you are the wrong person, but God does not relent. Finally, you cave, and agree to get involved.
Has it ever crossed your mind how
others might respond?
This is where it gets really
weird. I mean “what will everyone think
about me” weird. You wonder if anyone
will listen. You wonder if people will
think you are nuts. This is what I mean
when I say being a worker in God’s Kingdom is difficult. It’s difficult to step out of your comfort
zone. It’s difficult to place your trust
in God instead of your own skills and talents.
And it gets really difficult trying to get others to see the same
problem you see. Just ask any
pastor. Ask anyone serving in the church. Ask Nehemiah.
(Read Nehemiah 2:9-20)
Did you notice how the people
responded to Nehemiah? How do you get
people to show that much enthusiasm? I
mean, put yourself in their shoes. Some
outsider rides into town. He didn’t grow
up in Jerusalem. He talks differently,
acts differently, and even dresses differently.
Would you follow a man who seemed quiet and distracted? You can tell something is on his mind, but
nobody you ask knows what it is. A few
people from the next county have been saying bad things about this guy. Then, three days after arriving in town he
points out how run down the place is, how he had a vision to fix the problem,
and that God had given him an idea on how to solve the problem. What would you say? How would you respond, especially once those
opposed to the idea begin slandering this man and try to sabotage his work?
Yeah, I’m impressed with Nehemiah’s
willingness to surrender to God’s calling, but I’m also impressed with the
people of Israel who submitted to God’s vision.
How do you suppose that happened?
How did Nehemiah gain the people’s support? Let me show you something in this story. Nehemiah came to town and didn’t say anything to anyone about his
plans. In other words, he didn’t
march into town telling everyone what was wrong. Instead, he took a few people on a tour and
showed them the problem. Then, when he
finally did address the people, he said, “You know very well what trouble we are in” (verse
17). The people saw their problem. They knew they had a problem. Once they recognized the extent of their
problem, they were eager to hear the plan God placed in Nehemiah’s heart. They were ready for a solution, and Nehemiah
tells them what God has planned.
Nehemiah demonstrates a concept known
today as Servant leadership. This is a
model of Christian Leadership that does more than simply point out a problem,
but becomes part of the solution as well.
So the lesson for you and me is quite plain. When God interrupts our lives and shows us
what needs to be done, our responsibility is to be part of the solution, not
simply grumble about all the problems we see.
This is what it means to be submitted to God’s vision. God placed the concern on your heart so that
you might be the instrument through whom He works. He didn’t call you to be a Jr. Holy Spirit
running around convicting people and showing them what is wrong. He wants you to become part of the solution.
Incidentally, did you know there
is another Man who did the exact same thing?
There was another Man who became part of the solution rather than simply
grumble and pass judgment. Another Man
rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He came
offering to solve a problem. He said
that God had given Him direction and a purpose to fulfil. He came with the King’s blessing. This Man’s name is Jesus.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem
nearly 2000 years ago, he rode on a donkey because He came offering a peaceful
solution to our problem. Our sin has
separated us from God. We are still
people marked by death. But Jesus came
with an offer from the King – a solution to our problem. And that solution was that Jesus would offer His
life as a ransom for ours. He didn’t
simply point out the problem; He became the solution. And to all those who admit they have the
problem – that they are a sinful person – Jesus offers eternal life.
I know we bad preachers sometimes
end up smelling like fish spit. I know
we Christians are quick to point out the problems in this world, but that is
not what God has called us to do. He has
shown us what is wrong not to simply give us something to complain about, but
so that we might be involved and become part of the solution. The “King” calls us to a task so that through
us the problem might be solved.
Sometimes we get sidetracked and focus on the little things, but ultimately
the problem that needs to be solved is our relationship with God. It’s broken.
And those of us who know the solution have a responsibility to help
others find Jesus. Sometimes God calls
us to be part of the solution through our acts of service. Sometimes God calls us to be part of the
solution through teaching. Sometime God
calls us to be part of the solution through leading. However, in every circumstance, every servant
must be showing the world the One who came to save.
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