WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“Then
said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of
God? Jesus answered and said unto them: This is the work of God,
that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” (John 6: 28-29)
It
was ‘Question and Answer Time’
in ‘Christ’s Bible College’. The greatest of all Teachers
answered the direct question that was burning in the hearts of His students!
They had seen the mighty works of Jesus
the prophet/teacher from Galilee and they longed to become
active in the salvation healing crusades that He was conducting.
They
knew that a good rabbi taught his disciples not only by word, but by example
and that they would soon be called upon to follow His example in
practical hands-on ministry!
The
Great Teacher answered: “If you want to do God’s work, believe on
Him whom He has sent!” Why is this important? The entire Gospel
of Christ and the work of the Church is wrapped up in Jesus Christ,
and none other!
To
believe on Jesus Christ is to believe that HE is the ONE that the Father sent
into the world as the sole Redeemer, Saviour, and Liberator of
the human race! There can be no equivocation, no deviation, no compromise, and
no watering down of that message!
Jesus
said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no man cometh unto the
Father but by Me.” (John 14: 6), “I am the door: by Me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved…I am come that they might have life and that more
abundantly.” (John 10: 9, 10)
REDEEMER, SAVIOUR, LIBERATOR!
Jesus was very specific and emphatic. He made no bones about His
identity. He said: “I and only I, am the Door. I and no on else, is
the Way the Truth and the Life. I and only I, am
the Resurrection and the Life. I and none other, is
the True Vine and the Good Shepherd. I am He that was
dead and behold, I am alive forevermore!
Believing
on Jesus Christ is receiving Him as Lord and Saviour. It is obeying His Word,
abiding in Him, and serving Him. When we do that, He comes into us giving us
His Nature and filling us with His blessed Holy Spirit, as we seek Him with all
our heart, soul and spirit!
“At
that day (after My ascension) ye shall know that I am in My Father
and ye in Me and I in you…and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father and
I will love him and will manifest Myself unto him. If a man love Me he will
keep My words: and My Father will love him, and WE will come into him, and
make OUR abode with him.” (John 14: 20, 21, 23)
We
then become temples of the Holy Spirit and He lives in us. He walks in us,
leads us, and guides us into all truth! He becomes one with us; He is in us and
we are in Him! (2 Cor.6: 16;
Acts 17: 28)
Only
those who believe that Jesus Christ was sent to earth
by God the Father have the authority to do His works. Christians believe
that our Lord was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, died on
the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day.
We BELIEVE that Jesus Christ returned to Heaven and sat
down at His Father’s right hand and is presently representing us as our
Advocate and High Priest. (Heb.10:10-20)
He
gives us the AUTHORITY to
do the works that He did by the same Holy Spirit, through which He performed
miracles. The Bible says: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and power who went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10: 38)
Jesus
stated: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The works that I do shall
ye do also and greater works than these shall ye do because I go unto My
father;” (John 14:12)
WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT?
He
would send the blessed HOLY SPIRIT
to fill them as He had been filled, and instead of He alone working miracles
and preaching the Gospel, they would all be filled with the Holy Spirit and He
would work through them everywhere they went!
Two
good examples are the Holy Spirit entering Peter's shadow to
bring healing to the sick and Paul sending out his handkerchiefs and
aprons which the Holy Spirit used to bring healing and deliverance
to the sick and demon possessed! (Acts 5:14,15; Acts 19:11,12)
Believing
on Jesus is more than having a head-knowledge of the Saviour. St. Paul described
it so well: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
being made conformable to His death…” (Phil.3: 10)
Certainly,
Paul knew Jesus Christ. He met Him during his Damascus Road experience when the
glory of the Lord blinded him. He spoke to Him and heard His voice on numerous
occasions in Damascus, Arabia, in Jerusalem and other places. If
anyone knew Jesus, Paul did!
Yet, he wanted to get to know Him better. Although he did not know Jesus in His earthly
flesh, he said: “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea,
though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we henceforth know we Him
no more." (2 Cor.5:16)
“For the preaching of the CROSS is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us
which are SAVED, it is the power of God. But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greek, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God.” (1 Cor. 1:18, 23)
JESUS CHRIST TRUE GOD & TRUE MAN
When
Jesus of Nazareth walked upon this earth, He was the incarnated Son of God:
True God from eternity and true man through His Virgin Birth. He was human
as well as divine. He had laid aside His glory that He had with His Father from
eternity and worked His mighty miracles through the Holy Spirit! (Phil. 2:
5-11).
When He was resurrected from the dead and ascended to His Father's right
hand, He laid aside His physical body and now has a glorified body. Jesus
is fully God the Son together with God the Father and God the Holy
Spirit!
Before
He went away Jesus promised: “These signs shall follow them that believe.
In My name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues. They
shall take up serpents (like Paul on Malta) and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hands upon the
sick and shall recover.” (Mark 16: 16-18)
CAN WE BELIEVE IN JESUS?
Yes,
we can, and we DO believe
in Jesus. And He will work through us like He did with His followers in
the Early Church: “And they went forth preaching
everywhere, the Lord working with them confirming the word with signs
following.” (Mark 16: 18-20)
The
Question they asked is one that we all should ask! “What is it you want me to
do Lord so that I may please You? How may I also do the works that You are
doing?”
The
Master is calling, let us answer that call. The need for workers is urgent, let
us not fail Him. The harvest is great, the labourers are few and time is short!
Here is our Lord’s Harvest Call:
“Then saith He unto His disciples, the Harvest truly is plenteous, but
the labouers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will
send out labourers into His harvest.” (Matt.9: 37, 38)
Here
is our Lord’s Great Commission:
“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.
“And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if
they drink any deadly, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-19)
NOW IS THE MOMENT: GRASP THE OPPORTUNITY!
This
is our finest hour may we not lose it. This is the most opportune time, let us
not waste it! God has opened the door, let us not linger. Christ has given
us the key to Revival, let us use it! The Holy Spirit is waiting to work a
miracle, why not ask Him? God has promised to answer prayer, let us
believe Him.
All
things are now ready for the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’.
Are you ready? If you are not, come to Him today and receive Him as your
personal Saviour. (John 3:16, 17, 36; 5: 24, 25). You will never be the
same again! Amen.
