Do Well

John 17 is an amazing passage.  I am having the time of my life preaching through it!  Jesus in just a few words says the same thing twice.  Look at verse 14 & 16.  “They are not of the world just as I am not of the world.”  So then he says this:  Sanctify them by your truth.

Two passages come to my mind:

·       1 John 5:16 “The Holy Spirit is truth”

·       John 14:6 “the Lord Jesus is truth”

Here in John 17 notice the words: “Your truth”.  So what do we conclude?  Simple really: God the Father is truth, God the Son is truth and God the Holy Spirit is Truth!  

Jesus is praying: “Lord, You have given to them my joy and you have given them Your Word!  Now, protect them because the evil one is after them!  May I remind you today the evil one is always after us, always! 

Here is what I have come to know: some, not all,  but some of the storms we go through in life are planned by the evil one!  God did not start it, but he did allowed it in our lives for a purpose!  Whenever we face storms we must submit ourselves to God and He will give us a valuable lesson.  Then we can say with Joseph in Genesis chapter 50:  “Satan meant it for evil, but God meant it for Good!”

There are a lot of things that look evil at the onset, but then as God works we see later in our lives that it was good that was worked into out lives.

 Jesus then prays,  “As God sent me into the world, I am sending you into the world.”    This is a phrase to express an exact parallel.    As I was sent I am sending the exact same way!  I am preparing to move into a series on sharing His Story.  Keep an eye out for it!

As Jesus Came on a mission for the father, we are on the mission of the Son.    Beloved you have an opportunity to really influence people for God and for good.

When you do that, you are only doing what you ought to be doing because you are an ambassador for another.  You have been sent by Jesus, in order to make the truth known.

 I’m not sure if you have noticed or not but in our church, Immanuel Baptist in Magnolia, AR, God is busy raising up young men and women to service.  We have several young people feeling called to ministry.  Some to missions, some to be pastors and youth pastors, but all to serve him.    Let us continue to pray that God would call out from among us people to go into the harvest and work. 

It is my prayer that we be and become a “labor raiser.”  And when God calls them, let us stand beside them and pray for them, they need our prayer protection!

God help us not to be lazy or be lax.  God help us to redeem the day in which we live. 

God burden our church and wake us up today to the reality of why we are here.   We are here and apparently from Jesus’s prayer, we are not to come out of this world, not yet!   

Let me ask you a question?  Do you desire to hear: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant?”  Than Can I encourage you:  DO WELL!   Be faithful all the days of your life!