The Evangelism Handbook
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Gods Call to Christians
The Christian faith is like a two-sided coin - on the one side our own free response to God, on the other our certain destiny. Think of yourself as being within a balloon! You can move around freely within its expanded walls, but when God tugs on the string the balloon with you in it goes wherever God wants to take you. This is a very crude picture of what is really a very loving and warm relationship.
This same idea may be illustrated by a jewel, finely cut and shining. When the light falls on one facet it appears blue, but turn it in your fingers just slightly and you see red!
So, what color is the jewel? It is both red and blue depending on how the light is falling on it. One man on whom the light of God fell was Jeremiah. His call is an excellent example of the certain call God has for each one of us.
God Knows
"The Lord said to me, `I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations'" (1). God knows each one of us intimately. Our lives are an open book in His sight. God chose His prophet Jeremiah while he was in the womb, even before!
He knew Jeremiah closer than a husband knows a wife. God also set Jeremiah apart. He consecrated him and made him holy for His service. At the age of fifty-three, God called C. T. Studd to go to Africa as a missionary. He was in poor health, but leaving his wife behind he went out in full reliance on the promises of God. His answer to all who questioned the wisdom of his action was found on a postcard on his desk:
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." (2) Because God knows us intimately and has consecrated us he can therefore appoint us to a task as he did Jeremiah whom He selected to be "a prophet to the nations."
God Commands
First, He says "no excuses!" "I (3) answered, `Sovereign Lord, I don't know how to speak, I am too young'" (4). Being a youth and not knowing what to say is no reason for disobedience. God's answer is "Go!" "But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say'" (5).
In Hebrew, an 'obedient heart' is the same as a `hearing heart.' If one hears the voice of God, it should mean obedience, and if one obeys, one will hear. But God doesn't send us out alone, He provides us with the resources we need for the task.
God Gives
He delivers us from fear. "Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!" (6).Then, God gives the right words to say. "Then, the Lord reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, `Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak'" (7).
Isaiah had a similar experience when coals of fire touched his lips. Finally, God gave Jeremiah authority to speak in His name. "Today, I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant" (8). With such promises as these, all that Jeremiah needed to do was trust God.
A man was once walking along the shores of the Dead Sea and losing his balance fell headlong into deep water. Not being able to swim, he thrashed his arms around and shouted for help for all he was worth. But not a soul was in sight, and he thought that he was finished. He splashed and paddled as best he could but as time went by he eventually tired. At last, he could manage no more and resigned himself to a watery grave.
Then, miracle of miracles, as he relaxed he found that he wasn't sinking after all! The water was so salty that his body naturally bobbed to the surface. All he had to do was trust! In the service of God, all we need to discover is how to trust Him completely. When God's Son, Jesus Christ, lives and reigns in our hearts we can know that He will not fail us if we only will give Him a chance.
Notes
(1) Jeremiah 1:5 (2) C.T.Studd (3) Jeremiah (4) Jeremiah 1:6 (5) Jeremiah 1:7 (6) Jeremiah 1:8 (7) Jeremiah 1:9 (8) Jeremiah 1:10
"Practical Christian Outreach in the Local Church"
