IT’S TIME
TO TAKE STOCK!
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
TAKING INVENTORY
"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called
us to glory and virtue: WHEREBY ARE GIVEN UNTO US EXCEEDING GREAT AND
PRECIOUS PROMISES: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness charity.
“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye
shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
“But he
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence
to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall
never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:4-11)
Usually
around the end of the year business people begin taking inventory - to take
stock of what has sold and what has not! Often, businesses find out
what they have been dreading all year – that their businesses didn’t do so
well!
With
the tremendously high interest rates, inflation and excessive taxation some
countries fare better than others and some businesses better than the
rest. Whether their fiscal year comes to an end on the 31st day
of October or December, ever business knows that after 12 months of
operation – you must take stock!
HAVE OUR LIVES BEEN PROFITABLE? The ultimate questions the book-keeper and auditor answer
is, “Did we go in the black red, or did we just break even”?
Every
farmer must evaluate, on a yearly basis – how his operation paid
off. The financial statements tell the story in the business world.
HOW ABOUT THE CHURCH? How are we doing, and what did we
accomplish this year?
How did we do numerically, financially &
spiritually? What kind of individual growth, as well as
corporate growth did we have? How many souls have we reached for
Jesus in 2024?
Now is a good time to answer the question that the hymn writer
asked, "How many are the lost that I have
lifted, how many are the chained I've helped to free, I wonder have
I done my best for Jesus, when He has done so much for me"?
My personal feeling is that the last day of the year is a good
time to take inventory. The end of the year is a good time
to take stock of our accomplishments for God's kingdom and for our
fellowmen. However, I also think that we ought to take time on a
weekly basis to evaluate our efforts and the results we are having throughout
the year!
If a farmer is constantly losing money or making little or no
profit, then certainly he will do something to change the situation; perhaps
change to a different grain, begin using different fertilizer, improve his
methods of breeding or change variety. Can we - in the Church - do
less for God's Kingdom that a farmer would do for himself!
If our methods or "modus operandi"? is
not giving us the desired result, let us seek the Lord for direction and our
brethren for advice. Certainly we want to be and desire to be
productive!
MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE
St. Paul speaks of the power of God and the promises of the Lord to
usward who believe, in his epistles to the Ephesian Christians. (Eph. 1:19-20;
3:20) He often refers to the power of God that raised Jesus Christ
from the dead.
The Apostle Peter, in my text, speaks of the same
thing. God's power has given us life! He writes of precious
promises and the Divine nature that we
receive when we believe those promises. When we are converted, we
escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The real pollution is the pollution or corruption of the
mind and spirit, which Satan has unleashed upon the earth, by the
vehicle of lust. (uncontrolled passions)
Christianity is
serious business and living the Christian life is a 24-hour a day job!
There must be and can be no let ups - "Neither give place to the
devil.." (Eph. 4:27) "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices." (2 Cor. 2:11) "...If ye do
these things, ye shall never fall." (2 Peter 1:10)
We must also GIVE ALL DILIGENCE - touch all the bases, follow the
rules and obey the instructions, if we are to succeed in the Christian Life!
ADD TO YOUR FAITH, VIRTUE!
The Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through
FAITH..." (Eph. 2:8)
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6)
FAITH IS THREE THINGS!
No. 1 - Faith is Coming to God - presenting your
problem, need or petition before Him. You would not come to Him if
you did not believe He is greater, wiser and more powerful than you and can
help you.
No. 2 - Faith Is Believing That God Is Whom He Claims To Be - The
Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God. That Jesus
Christ is the Son of God and that the Bible is Divine, Authoritative and True.
No. 3 - Faith Is Expecting An Answer When You Pray! The
Gospel of Jesus Christ purges our old sins, and the blood of Jesus frees
us from condemnation and fear!
Virtue comes only by consistent Christian living, through Bible
reading and prayer. And constant dedication of our lives to Christ,
with submission to His will. The scripture speaks of "mortifying
the deeds of the flesh." (Rom. 8: 13)
We must ask ourselves, "Do we have virtue?" Before
we can have any virtue, we need faith which cometh by reading God's Word. (Rom.
10:17)
ADD TO KNOWLEDGE, TEMPERANCE!
It is so important for us to be balanced in our Christian
lives. A balance in doctrine, belief, conversation and life
style!
St. Paul said, "Let your moderation be known unto
all men..." (Phil. 4:5) Why? Because..."The Lord
is at hand."
Far out, fanatical, extremes in life style, wearing apparel and
practices is not scriptural. We must be temperate and moderate in
all things! There is no doubt that God is very balanced and
sensible, and that any good common sense we have, has been given to us of the
Lord!
ADD TO TEMPERANCE, PATIENCE!
How hard it is to be patient! But, how wonderful and
how rewarding... St. Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians concerning
patience... "Cast not away therefore your confidence,
(FAITH) which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience,
that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Heb.
10:35-36)
ADD TO PATIENCE, GODLINESS!
Christians are supposed to be Christ-like, Jesus-people, who
exemplify the Lord and emulate the Saviour! We should become more and more like
Him, the longer we live and study His word, seek His face and witness for Him
to our fellowmen.
The Bible says we are heirs of God and joint-heirs
with Christ. (Rom. 8:17; 1 John 3:1) We are sons of God
now, and the only Bible that some people will read. St. Peter declared, "Ye
are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." (2
Cor. 3:2)
I love the old song, "To be like Jesus, to be like
Jesus, all I ask is to be like Him, so meek and lowly, so humble and Holy, All
I ask is to be like Him".
It is high time that we make Him our example as
well as our Saviour and Lord! We
need to be godly in our living, actions and in our conversation.
WE ARE SEATED WITH GOD (AS BELIEVERS) IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN
CHRIST JESUS (EPH. 2:6) AND OUR CONVERSATION IS IN HEAVEN! (Phil.3:20) The
Bible says, "Be ye Holy, for I am Holy, saith the Lord." (Lev.
11:44)
ADD TO GODLINESS, BROTHERLY KINDNESS!
A little girl was saying her prayers one night. Her
mother overheard her daughter utter these words, "O Lord, there
are so many bad people in this world. Please make all the bad people
good and Lord please make all the good people NICE!"
What a prayer, "Make all the good people
nice!" Some good people - who are saved - are not kind
and charitable and anything but nice! "HELP US, O LORD TO HAVE BROTHERLY KINDNESS!"
To treat all Christians the same way we treat our own brothers and
sisters, sharing the joys and sorrows of others in the household of faith. Jesus made a tremendous statement
when He said, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' (Matt.
7:12)
We call that verse “THE GOLDEN RULE.” How
good it is to dwell in unity and peace with one another and to love each other with
godly "agape" charity or love! St. Paul wrote, "Bear
ye one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the laws of Christ." (Gal. 6:2) St. Paul also
said, "Let brotherly love continue." (Heb.
13:1) I say Amen to that!
ADD TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS, CHARITY!
Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are
My disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) "...he
that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." (Rom.
13:8) The law of the world is the law of the jungle: "Dog
eat dog and every man for himself!"
Jesus came into this world with another law - "...Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you...Give,
and it shall be given unto you...Lend, hoping for nothing again!" (Matt.
5:44; Luke 6:38; Luke 6:35)
IF YE DO THESE THINGS YE SHALL NEVER FALL!
What comfort these words of admonition give us - If ye do these
things ye shall not fall! WHAT THINGS? "Whereby are given unto
us exceeding great and precious promises that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to
your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness charity."
St. Peter declares emphatically that if we keep God's Word
we will be fruitful in our Christian Life. He also warns
of the consequences of living a ship-shod , carnal life without morals,
guidelines and ethics, while still calling ourselves ‘Christians.’
"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you
that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot
see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2
Peter 1:8-9)
St. Paul agrees with Peter’s warning: "Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves, how that Jesus
Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor.13:5)
BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS
The Bible warns: "Let no man deceive you with
vain words: For because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers
with them. For ye were somtimes darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord: walk as children of light." (Eph. 5:6-8)
BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS! What things? "And
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
“But fornication, and all uncleanness,
or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints." (Eph. 5:2-3)
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them, for it is a shame even to speak of those
things which are done of them in secret.
“But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he
saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give
thee light, See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools but as
wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore
be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." (Eph.
5:11-17)
HE HATH FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS PURGED!
St. Peter makes the analogy of a backslidden Christian to a sow
that has been washed clean and ends up in the muck again and a dog
that goes back to its own vomit. "For if after they have escaped
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse
with them than the beginning.
“For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the
true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:20-22)
The difference between a sheep and a pig is that if a sheep falls
in the mud it will seek not the repeat the error. A sheep doesn’t
enjoy filth, while a sow will go right back into the slop and mire again.
If we fall into sin, the thing to do is to repent and confess our
sins to God and carry on serving God to the best of our ability by His
grace and power.
DO NOT STAY IN THE PIG PEN! ANYTIME IS A
GOOD TIME TO TAKE STOCK!
A final word from the apostle Peter, "But
he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his own sins. Wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if
ye do these things, ye shall never fall." (2 Peter 1:9-10)
IT IS DEFINITELY TIME TO TAKE INVENTORY – to
take stock of our achievements for Christ and His Kingdom, now!
NO. 1 - How many souls have we won to Christ this past year? This
past week? Have we talked to someone about their soul's salvation
today? Do we give out gospel tracts (NEW LIFE BOOKLETS) on a regular
basis? (We will supply all you need on a free will offering basis!)
NO. 2 - How is our prayer life? Do we communicate
with our Heavenly Father on a regular basis? Do we pray in Jesus precious
name, evoking His intermediacy and intercession? Do we ask the Holy
Spirit to guide and direct us? Do we seek God's face regularly?
NO. 3 - How about praise, worship and intercession? Do
we pray in tongues regularly (in the Spirit)? (1 Cor. 14:2) Do we
intercede with groanings which cannot be uttered? (Rom. 8:26) Does
the Spirit help our inability to pray by introducing a new dimension (that of
the Spirit-filled believer) in our lives? (Rom. 8:27) Do we magnify
God? (Acts 10:46)
NO. 4 - Are we reading the Bible regularly or does dust gather on
its cover? Do we listen to gospel music instead of worldly
music? A great blessing to me is "The Bible on
Cassette." I can listen to 20-30 chapters (or more) per day
instead of just reading only 2 or 3.
NO. 5 - Are we a regular tithe payer? Or,
do we slough off by saying, "We're not under the law but under
grace!"? Tithing was instituted before the law, confirmed
under the law and definitely is in effect today.
The tithe is the least we should give to God. The rule
of thumb in the New Testament is to do more than what is expected of us. (Matt.
5:39-42) We should give as God has prospered us! (1 Cor. 16:2)
G. Letournoux made an
agreement with God and went into the road building business in partnership
with OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. In the beginning he gave 10% to
God. Before he died Brother Letournoux was so wealthy that he lived
on only 5% of the profits and gave 95% to the Kingdom of God.
Have you made an agreement with God? Have you taken Him
as your partner? Do you regularly and consistently give God His
share? If you don't, will you please start today?
NO. 6 - Are we fasting to the Lord on a regular basis? Years
ago we set aside Wednesday as our regular fast day. (Drink at least
8 glasses of water or juices on any given regular day you decide to fast.) Some
people fast a mean a day and spend time in prayer.
Jesus said, "Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while
the bridegroom is with them?...when the bridegroom shall be taken away, IN
THOSE DAYS SHALL THEY FAST!" (Mark 2:19-20)
John Wesley stated -
when he saw worldliness creeping into the church - that If believers
were not fasting on a regular basis they were as backslidden as if they were
not praying regularly! That's quite a statement from a
mighty man of God! (The Methodists fasted Wednesdays and Fridays, the morning
and noon meals in imitation of the EARLY CHURCH).
NO. 7 - Are you letting your light shine for Jesus by living a
kind, considerate and loving as well as compassionate, consistent Christian
life? Or are you mean, snarly, sarcastic and proud? Let us
all humble ourselves regularly and ask ourselves, "Am I kind and
sweet or am I a poor representative to this world for the Kingdom of God?"
Let us emulate Jesus in order to effectively share His Love
and grace to a searching, lost and dying world! Jesus said, "Let
your light so shine before men, that they MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16) Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission,
Box 44220 RPO Garside,
Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6
email: [email protected];
Blog:
www.maxsolbrekken.com
www.comehometojesus.ca
Youtube; Facebook: max solbrekken
Donations can be sent by e-Transfer;
Make your donations to: [email protected].
Thank you so much and may God bless you. Amen.
