Using Your Little Strength To Serve
‘…he had served his own generation by the will of God’
Born-again experience is the best thing that could happen to any Christian while on earth. And when you are born again, God expects that you use everything you have to promote His kingdom here on earth. Believer’s position, time, money, talents, gifts, energy must be used to please God. David with a wonderful combination of personal bravery, courage, boldness and skill led Israel to subdue all her enemies.
He laid the foundation of slaying giants in Israel, which a number of his officers followed suit. The major secret of his victories was that he regarded and fought Israel’s enemies as God’s enemies and dedicated his spoils of war unto the Lord.
‘Them also king David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek’ (1 Chronicles 18:11).
Lessons from David’s Life
In the New Testament, David was honored and remembered as one who ‘served his own generation by the will of God’ (Acts 13:36).
His communion with God during his years of toils and wondering in the lonely hills manifested in the Psalms, which he composed. The care of his flocks, the perils and deliverances he obtained from God, the grief and joy of his lowly position prepared him for the work of God and defense for the truth. As a worker in God’s vineyard, you must be contented with what you have believing God for His real plans for your life to manifest instead of looking for fake powers and fame that will certainly thwart your relationship with God and cut short your ministry.
As a legislator, magistrate, judge or a staff in the executive branch of the government, you must defend the truth, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and His righteousness at all times and in all places. If you are already promoted, you must remain humble, faithful and must not allow flattery of people and pride to rob you of your place in heaven.
David had a humble spirit and was always conscious of his lowly family background, place of birth, occupation and service in the king’s court. As a shepherd of his father’s flock, servant to Saul and friend to Jonathan, he was very loyal and devoted. His reign was purely free from idolatry and he was loyal to God in his testimony and worship.
Through the ages, in the midst of crooked and perverse generations, God always finds people to choose and call to His service. Will God find you? You may be old now or maybe young, an ordinary member of your church, a civil servant, poor or rich, illiterate or educated. God is calling you to preach the truth of the Gospel to the world. As a student, trader, etc., you are in the mind of God, who is able to bless you beyond your imagination. Therefore, remain consistent and stay on the right path. Let us fight to keep the open door before us and avoid the mistakes of believers before us; such mistakes that caused ungodly nations to possess the inheritance of God’s children. Let me share what I read somewhere:
Turkey is in the present day Europe and partly in Asia. Apostle Paul was a citizen of Turkey because Tarsus exists in Turkey. Christianity existed in Turkey for about 1,023 years while Christianity has only existed in Nigeria and Ghana for only 172 years starting from when Rev. Birch Freeman arrive at Badagry in 1842. The seven churches Jesus spoke to in Revelations 2 & 3 (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea) all existed in the old Turkey. The disciples were first called Christians in Turkey (Antioch). Turkey once had the largest Christian auditorium in Europe called Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Apostle John took Mary, the mother of Jesus, to Turkey and until date, her room has become a tourist center. However, how is Turkey today?
Warning from History: Turkey’s Example
Present day Turkey now has 96% Muslims and 0.02% Christians, (less than 130,000). Muslims took over the Hagia Sophia (once largest church in Europe), converted it to a mosque for over 400 years, and later used it as an Islamic Museum. WHY, you ask? Here are things that cost Christian Turkey its honored heritage on earth:
Emphasis on doctrinal differences weakened the Turkish church.
Rivalries amongst denominations, carnality, envying, strife and divisions were prevalent. They forgot that Paul warned the church about ‘I am for Paul, I am for Apollos’ mindset.
Petty politics in churches coupled with ethnic biases, tribal sentiments and selective judgment or preferential treatment.
The Turks were building big cathedrals instead of building men. There was the absence of teaching ministry and lack of emphasis of new birth and discipleship.
Osman Ghazi discovered the disunity amongst Christians and used it to fight a Jihad that led to a mass genocide of the Armenians, the Hellen and Turks of that day. In fact, a Turkish Christian was the person that designed the weapon of war used in destroying the church.
Many Christian women converted to Islam to save their lives and some were raped and killed.
Osman Ghazi started the Ottoman Empire, which gave Muslims political post and made it a religion of the state. Is Nigeria and Ghana heading the way of Turkey?
Virtually, Nigerian and Ghanaian churches have made all the mistakes the church in Turkey made. We are building Cathedrals at the expense of disciplining men. There is huge disunity amongst churches. Ethnicity is the order of the day in the churches. Denominational rivalry, sharp divisions along doctrinal lines are prevalent.