Take advantage of the church life now! Take advantage the opportunity to gain the Lord in the church where you live, because the Lord can call you to go out at any time and then you will say, “The time that I was in the church life I didn’t learn anything.” While you are in the church life, take advantage of the time. Gain as much as you can from the saints who are beside you to perfect you. Do not seek those who are not enjoying the Lord; they cannot help you in anything. Seek those who can help you to grow and be perfected. Then one day the Lord will call you. The Lord may be calling some in this conference. The sea may be stormy but when the Lord says, “Come”, you can go! But to Africa? To Europe? To USA? Oh, what a responsibility! But if the Lord is calling you He will be responsible for you.
First Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Verses 14-15 say, “Do not neglect the gift which is in you.... Practice these things; be in them, that your progress may be manifest to all.” Second Timothy 4:5 says, “But you, be sober in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelist, fully accomplish your ministry.”
Previously we spoke about the meaning of the number 5 but we forgot about number 2; there were two fish. What does the number two represent? It represents testimony. Which kind of testimony is this? We bear the responsibility; we go out for the war of God. This kind of living will bring forth a good testimony. What is a good testimony? Many of young people who are here today used to be useless for the Lord. When they came to a conference, they would not pay attention to any of the speaking. They gave us a hard time. But now that they have entered into the organic ministry, they are the ones who are enjoying the most! This is a testimony, isn’t it?
Some young people who went to Africa were useless when they were here. They were causing problems everywhere. Then they went to Africa and learned to stand for the Lord in the battle. Today they are in the front lines of the battle and very useful. Isn’t this a testimony? I am not referring to a personal testimony like a good husband, a good wife, or a good student, but I am speaking about only one testimony. The testimony that the organic ministry works!
What was John’s testimony? John 19:34 says, “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.” The blood is for redemption and water to give us life. Only the apostle John saw this, no one else. “And he who has seen this has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he says what is true, that you also may believe” (v. 35). If you and I believe, then let us live by this life, calling on the name of the Lord, pray-reading the word of the Lord, and living in the organic ministry. Our life will change! We were useless, widows, strangers, paralytic, immoral like the Samaritan woman, far off from God like the Samaritans who had nothing to do with the people from Israel. When the Lord calls, He doesn’t select the best ones!
In a human organization, man likes to select the best ones. They think, “Let us invest in the young people. Let us train them so they might be the future of the organization. Let us not waste time and money. Let us get the best ones! From the best university we are going to select the best. And we will choose the most intelligent ones.” I don’t know if you or I would be qualified for this list. Praise the Lord that He does not choose like that. How does the Lord choose? The Lord chooses the lame, withered, blind, paralytics and the workers who are idle until the eleventh hour.
Matthew 20:1-7 says, “For the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, who is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard. And having agreed with the workmen for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And to those he said, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and said to them, Why have you been standing here all the day idle? They said to him, Because no one has hired us.” They hired the best ones and they left us here. No one hired us because we are not qualified. Isn’t it like this? The Lord said to the eleventh hour workers, “You also go into the vineyard.”
The Lord doesn’t choose the best, but those who want to receive God’s life and those who trust in God’s life! He chooses those who want to follow the organic life, the way of the Spirit. Do you want to be these ones? Not one of us here is qualified, but praise the Lord that we all can participate in the organic ministry. All of us can be part of the Lord’s army. We all can be men and not remain in a condition of women or children. “I want to participate in the war of the Lord!” I want to function in the church life. I want to participate in the work of the Lord. I want to build up the kingdom. And I want to propagate the gospel of the kingdom of God.”
First John 5 speaks about the testimony of God. Verses 9-12 say, “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that He has testified concerning His Son. He who believes into the Son of God has the testimony in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning His Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” This is the testimony!
We were unqualified, workers of the eleventh hour, the ones no one wanted to hire. How can we be useful to the Lord’s army? We can be useful because when the Lord gains us, He gains a testimony. Your parents will see that the organic ministry works! Your friends will see that the organic ministry works! The saints in the church will see that the organic ministry works! They will see how you are now! This is a great testimony. At the judgment seat of Christ we will give the testimony that the organic ministry works! Let us be overcomers to gain the crown of life, the crown of righteousness! Hallelujah! Isn’t good to be called for this army? Pray to consecrate yourself to the Lord.
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