God Will Do Everything

This last Sunday I preached for our ministry, the last lesson in our series on the Holy Spirit at work in the book of Acts, the title was “Greater than My World.” We looked at 2000 years of church history including the history of our fellowship of churches in just a short amount of time.  But our starting point was how it was totally God at work in the lives of ordinary men and women that kicked things off in an amazing way.  In Acts 11:19-26 is recorded the story of some of our brothers and sisters (we don’t even know their names) who were scattered by a persecution that broke out in Jerusalem after Steve was killed. Imagine the mood.  Imagine a prominent part of our community has been murdered by the religious establishment and that sparks persecution all around us that displaces us and sends us on the run. But God was doing something. Even though Jesus had given his followers the command to go to all nations, up to this point his apostles had stayed in Jerusalem. But through these nameless brothers and sisters the borders of the kingdom were expanded to this significant city of Antioch and into non-Jewish communities. From this followed Barnabus heading up there from Jerusalem, then pulling Paul in, ultimately the missionary journeys of Paul and then mission work of all of the apostles.

What if they had given up? What if they hadn’t spread the message? There would be no Antioch, no Barnabas, no Paul. Would we even be here? But God multiplies the small seemingly unnoticed faithful efforts of a few. The daily choices we make in fighting worldly pressures make collective global impact. In spite of incredible opposition, our first-century brothers and sisters refused to compromise in their faith! They faced unbelievable odds and yet in a relatively short time the results were staggering. At the time of Jesus’ death there were only a few hundred disciples. They were hardly noticed by the the local governments, much less the mighty Roman empire.  But in just a few years, by the year 112, the Roman governor in Bithynia writes to the Roman emperor Trajan that so many different people were flocking to Christianity, it was leaving the temples empty.  Ultimately the message was carried around the whole known world. There has never been a movement like it or since.

I wanted to share this song by a friend, Mark Hoyle, who has written a good number of songs in the new “Songs of the Kingdom” songbook. [He has a website were he posts a lot of resources for his songs –  I definitely recommend you check it out.]  This song talks about how God uses us in our weakness, our frailty, and does something awesome.  It’s not about us or our talents or abilities or great hearts.  It’s about his goodness and mercy and the advancement of his kingdom.  God will do everything.

GOD WILL DO EVERYTHING

Sovereign Lord, almighty king
Creator of all living things
The architect of all that’s pure
We are so weak, but we are sure…

God will take our weakness
Work our incompleteness
God will lift our broken hearts
By his great compassion
God will restore joyful singing
Bring that crucial healing
God will see us through
God will do… everything

Rescue me from all my sin
Lord give me back my joy again
O please restore a heart that’s pure
For by myself I have no cure

I will put my hope in God
My joy, my love, my strength, my Rock
I’ll praise His name, I’ll sing His songs
For this is where my heart belongs

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