Sometimes I look around at all the big churches and ministries and wonder if I accomplished anything at all for the Lord in my own small efforts for His Kingdom. There are a lot of dynamic soldiers on the front lines, fighting to spread the Gospel to the seven plus billion souls around the globe. What was I? What am I compared to these mighty men of God? What did I accomplish in my small pastorates and foreign mission work that can compare to the mega churches and mega ministries of today?
As a home mission pastor I would often become discouraged and fight conflicting emotions when I looked at the success of other preachers with their bigger congregations, and hear of the blessings which they were experiencing. I was happy for them and at the same time I was perplexed as to why I could not see the same dynamic growth in my own small work.
Things changed for me when I was Superintendent of the foreign mission work; as I was blest beyond measure, seeing miracles of healing, protection and thousands of souls being baptized in water and with His Holy Spirit.
Peter was casting his fisherman’s nets when Jesus called him to follow Him. John was mending nets when Jesus called him to follow Him.
Peter denied the Lord three times, cursing as he did so, only to repent with tears and confirm, three times, that he would indeed feed the sheep of Jesus. Peter stood up on the Day of Pentecost and declared the words of Joel, expounding that this is what Jesus came to do – to baptize with the Holy Spirit and Power. Three thousand souls were added to the church that day.
John was the closest to Jesus, of the twelve disciples, and understood the Deity of Christ more than the others; yet he never preached to large crowds of people, nor saw thousands baptized at one time. John did write five books of the New Testament, including the only New Testament book of prophecy. All of the other disciples were martyred for their belief in Christ as the Son of God; John was boiled in oil and was miraculously protected, then banished to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Instead of catching thousands, John encouraged thousands to separate themselves unto Christ to be ready for His soon coming.
Peter cast nets to catch fish and men. John cleaned nets and then used his skills to clean the hearts of men toward their God. Each had their own ministry. Each had their own place in the body of Christ. Each had their own calling. Peter could not be a John. John could not be a Peter.
Paul said in II Corinthians 10:12, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
David was anointed to be the next King, after King Saul. Saul had disobeyed God by not waiting for Samuel to offer the sacrifice. Samuel told Saul that his disobedience was as the sin of Witchcraft; and obedience is better than sacrifice and burnt offerings. God removed the anointing for the Kingship from Saul and gave it to David. When Saul realized the full impact of this, he tried several times to kill David. David had to flee and make an alliance with an enemy of Israel, the Philistines.
The Philistines didn’t trust David enough to allow him to fight their battles against Israel (afraid that he would turn and side with Israel), so they sent him home to Ziklag, where he had left his family and belongings. When David arrives at Ziklag, he finds that the Amalekites had captured his family and belongings and those of his men, and burned the city to the ground. David and his men wept till they had no more strength to weep.
David had 600 men who left Saul’s Israel to follow David, knowing that he would be the next King. These six hundred men all had families that had been captured, and belongings that had been taken as spoils of war by the Amalekites. All of them wept and lamented over their loss. All of them had ridden three days to get back to Ziklag, back to their wives, back to their children, back to their homes and possessions. They were tired and weary; and disappointed, as soldiers, in not being able to fight with the Philistines. Now, while they were away, another enemy had invaded their homes and carried off all that was important to them.
Everyone was so dejected that they were ready to stone David and lay the blame at his feet. After all, if he had not dragged them off to fight with the Philistines, they would have been home to defend their families and homes. The Bible says simply that David encouraged himself in the Lord.
Sometimes you are the only one who can encourage you. The situation you find yourself in, no one else can understand, even if you could find words to explain it to them. Only those who have had a disease or affliction can truly empathize with those who now suffer with that same disease. Everyone else just speaks words, which may be sincere, but many times only add to the pain and suffering. When praying for people in a hospital, I never worry about what to say, because people will only remember what they felt. Jesus has suffered in all points, as we have, and knows how to comfort each of us in any and every situation. His Peace and Love bring about the healing, not ours.
David called for the Priest, and Ephod, and inquired of the Lord for direction. This seems to be the first time that David inquires of the Lord since his anointing as King. It seems that he has been fleeing the hand of Saul, in his own strength, till this point in time. Could it be that this is why he suffered such great loss for himself and his men, by leaning on his own strength and wisdom?
The Bible says 200 of these soldiers were so weary and weak with the journey, and heartbroken with the loss of their families and homes, that they had no strength to go any further. David assigned them to stay with the stuff at the brook Bezor. The ‘stuff’ was the extra supplies that they carried with them as soldiers to fight in a war. Beasts of burden and the necessary supplies to feed, clothe and shelter 600 soldiers for days at a time.
The remaining four hundred men went with David and conquered the Amalekites; and brought their wives, families and belongings back with them, plus the belongings of the Amalekites. God always replaces with more than you ever lost. Take joyfully the spoiling of your goods and always acknowledge that what we have belongs to God in the first and last place.
When they return to the 200 men left by the brook Bezor, some of those with David said that there should be no sharing of the spoils with these that didn’t go into battle. David was quick to establish a new law that he would later use as King of Israel. The spoils of war would always be divided equally among those who had gone to battle and among those who stayed in camp to guard the stuff.
David even sent portions of the spoils to the elders of Judah, knowing that someday soon God would make room for his gift as their new King.
Look at the progression from total loss to total recovery with abundance:
David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
David inquired of the LORD.
David believed God’s promise.
David did what God told him to do.
David showed unexpected care and kindness to others.
David saw it as the LORD’s victory.
David shared the reward with others.
David did what he could to mend relationships.
The next time that you look at what others are doing for the Kingdom of God and are left feeling that what you are doing seems very small in comparison, think of the Guardians of the Stuff. They were just as important in the outcome of the battle as those who fought on the front lines.
Jesus said that when you receive a prophet or a righteous man in their authority with respect and honor, you will receive the reward that goes to that prophet or righteous man. He that does a good deed to the least, does the good deed to Christ Himself. Paul said God has set each one in the body as it please Him, and the body cannot be the body if all were one part. The eye cannot say to the hand that it isn’t needed for all are needed to make the body complete and functional. God gives gifts to the body for the perfection of the body, but all gifts differ even though they all come from the same Holy Spirit.
Aaron and Hur had to hold up the arms and hands of Moses as he held his rod heavenward to enable the battle to go in favor of Israel. Elisha carried the supplies of Elijah until Elijah was taken away in the chariot of fire. David had his Joab. Jesus had twelve disciples, one of them was a devil, three of them were on the mountain of transfiguration, but only John understood Him as the Word made flesh. Even Jesus had to pray alone in the garden, while his closest disciples slept.
John, in the Spirit, saw the heavens opened and the altar of Incense. He saw an angel take coals from this altar and pour them out onto the earth. When asked what this meant, the angel said the smoke are the prayers of the saints that go up before God out of the angel’s hand.
That little old lady who is unable to come to church due to her poor health, may be the very one who spends hours reading her Bible and sitting in her recliner or lying in her bed making intercession for missionaries halfway around the world. Her very prayers may be the ones that dispatch angels of protection and deliverance from sickness, disease, danger and harm. When she dies and her soul ascends before the Lord, can you not hear Him say to her? “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter into the joys of your Lord!” Her reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be in exact proportion of those missionaries whom she made intercession for……the missionaries were on the front lines of battle as soldiers of the Cross, while she was at home guarding their stuff!
