Part of the reason I love being in the woods or fishing is so that I can watch the handiwork of God. I appreciate the colors on a fall day, the lack of city sounds and the animals that do not worry about where they will sleep, what they will wear or where their next meal is coming from because God provides all of that. 

As a people watcher I have often said, “people cannot get out of their own way”. This is true about many  believers and unbelievers alike… we cannot get out of our own way. 

Often we think “we know better” or that our ideas are “what’s best for me”, even when we have no clue what is just around the corner. To say the least, we are guessing at best. We busy ourselves with things that have zero eternal purpose while believing we have accomplished something of importance.  Truth be told, we are so busy with “stuff” that we have removed God from our lives, later to ask “why is this or that happening?” 

When we truly believe that God loves us and acknowledge that what He does or allows is for our good, we will arrive at a place where we trust Him without question. When we stop thinking “we know what’s best for us” and start asking God “what do you want from me?”, we will find that His tasks are far simpler and easier than our own. 

The Father’s Work

In Matthew 13:55-56, it says, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? While those of his hometown and eventually others only looked at him as “The Carpenter’s son”, we will see how the Father worked through this seemling simple man.  

The Gospel of Luke accounts for an event in the life of Christ which is not in any of the other gospel stories. Luke 2:41- 52 says:

” Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.  After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house – occupied with my Father’s business?  But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Even at the age of twelve, Jesus sensed an urgency to be about the work of God. As children of God, have we  sensed the urgency to be about the work of Father? 

John 14”8-12 says, “… Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

John reveals two important truths in these verses: 

1. The work being done in Jesus’s ministry was being done by the Father through Jesus
2. Disciples of Jesus “WILL DO” the works of Jesus and some works will be greater. 
   1. Caution must be taken here. The “greater works” here is not about doing works that Jesus did not do. Jesus spoke and ministered among the Jewish nation and only traveled within the local Jewish nation as well. After Pentecost, the church was called to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the utter most parts of the world” allowing more people and places to hear the message of Jesus. (1 Cor 2:1-2)
   2. The message of Jesus has been translated into many languages and it has been taken throughout the world. Mercy missions, such as providing food, water and construction of buildings, and medical missions, such as what is provided through Mercy Ships and other organizations occur around the world as well, these are considered “greater things”.
   3. Godly men like Gutenburg, Tyndale and Wycliffe have done greater things through the provision of Bibles so that the message of Jesus could be shared with all men.

The Window to the Gentiles

From Abraham to Jesus, this period can be characterized as the Era of Israel. During this time, God separated unto Himself the nation of Israel. He gave them the law, created a covenant with them, taught them to praise, worship and pray in order to usher in the time of Christ. 

During this era, God, through the prophets, foretold the Gentile nation as being part of His eternal plan. 

Isaiah 56:6-7 says, “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Hosea 2:23 says, “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.”

John 10:16 says,  “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” 

Romans 11:25-26 says, “Now I don’t want you, my brothers, to start imagining things, and I must therefore share with you my knowledge of God’s secret plan. It is this, that the partial insensibility which has come to Israel is only to last until the full number of the Gentiles has been called in. Once this has happened, all Israel will be saved,…” (JBP)

The “Church” era began after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the call to be servants of the message of Jesus begins at salvation. John 20:21-22 which says, “Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “ 

Luke goes on to record additional instructions given to the disciple by Jesus in Acts 1:4-9 which says, “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power (Dunamis) when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”  

This is a second and separate Holy Spirit event which propelled the disciples into ministry and the opening of the gospel to the gentiles. 

JB Phillips translated Ephesian 4:11-14 which says “His “gifts to men” were varied. Some he made his messengers, some prophets, some preachers of the Gospel; to some he gave the power to guide and teach his people. His gifts were made that Christians might be properly equipped for their service, that the whole body might be built up until the time comes when, in the unity of the common faith and common knowledge of the Son of God, we arrive at real maturity—that measure of development which is meant by the “fullness of Christ”. 

In these verses, we find Paul focusing on the fact that the believer needs to be equipped.  Equipped is defined as “to make competent (as by training, skill, or ability) for a particular office or function.” Training the believer falls on two people groups. First, to the believer in the body who choose to be a disciple, Paul tells us, “Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good, and [upsets and undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen. 15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:14-15 AMP)

Second, is to leaders who are responsible to properly train up those who want to be disciples.  Paul told Timothy, “Now you have diligently followed [my example, that is] my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings—such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, but the Lord rescued me from them all! Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith]. But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:10-17 AMP)

Paul instructed Timothy saying, “So you, my son, be strong [constantly strengthened] and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus. The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others.”(2 Tim 2:1-2 AMP) 

Matthew 28:18-20 says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

We must be more active as teachers and learners when we talk about “making disciples”. We  must also understand that the time necessary to complete this task is short . John tells us “We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world [giving guidance through My word and works].” John 9: 4-5

Jesus said …. I MUST be about my Father’s business. Let us follow His example.