“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2
The maturity of a child of God is marked by the realization that we are here for His pleasure, not our own.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure, they are and were created.”
Revelation 4:11
The chief aim of a heart rightly related to Him is a singleness of purpose to please, honor, and glorify Him. Too many today are like the ten lepers who benefit from His healing and salvation with little or no thought of offering their lives back unto Him in gratitude. They receive a touch of His Salvation, they hold fast to His promises FOR themselves but offer little OF themselves to Him in return.
We read in Acts 13 that the people of God at Antioch “ministered unto the Lord”. They gathered unto Him. Their purpose in meeting was not to have a nice worship service or to hear a good sermon; they were fixed upon bringing joy and honor to Him. From this powerful interaction, the Lord Himself speaks:
“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul …”
It requires the power of the Holy Spirit to draw and separate men and women unto the great work of His purposes. As long as our meetings, our times of fellowship, and our interactions are about us we will not see the intervention of the Lord in our midst. In the early Church, God would manifest Himself for their hearts were fixed on Him with no other agenda.
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will also be. And if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
John 12:26
The exhortation of Christ is HIS Call for us to serve HIM, not an organization or ministry or some great enterprise but Himself. His Call is for us to follow HIM. The true Cross of Christ is to speak His Words and to do His works.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
John 14:21 (NKJV)
The great promise of the living Christ to those who love Him and keep His commandments is that HE will manifest and reveal His wonder. There is no greater reward in the universe than seeing Him and serving Him.
The great call in this hour is to be…
Separated Unto Him
Related Article: Faithful Ones
OUR ETERNAL DESTINY
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach.., and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. So shall it be in the consummation of the age.” — Mat 13:47-49 (R.V. marg.).
THERE IS a contrast, and yet a similarity, between this parable and that of the tares. In the latter we learn that it is impossible in the present age to separate the evil from the good in the professing Church of Christ; in the former we see that with an inevitable pressure, we are all being drawn towards the discrimination of the judgment-seat of Christ.
What a confused mass of dead and living things are brought to shore by a net—weed, mud, shells, unwholesome things as well as those which are good for food, lie in a confused heap together. So it is with the professing Church. It embraces every variety of character—good fish amid a certain amount of rubbish, and there is no society of men and women in which this mixture does not obtain. Our Lord teaches that when the great net of the Gospel dispensation has been drawn in to the shores of eternity, then, with unerring judgment, the angels will begin their work of separation.
The distinction which separates the good and the bad is determined by the service we can render in God’s Kingdom. He wants those who will co-operate with Him in the work of redemption, who are living unselfish and consecrated lives, through which His Spirit may work for the highest purposes of salvation. Those whom He rejects are the selfish, worldly, and sense-bound natures, who refuse to be the implements and instruments of His redemptive purpose.
To which of these two classes do we belong? Are we willing to be identified with Christ in His Cross and shame? Do we delight in mercy, self-sacrifice, and holy service? If so, we may anticipate the future without fear. But if, on the other hand, we are shut up within ourselves, even though it be the enjoyment of religion, without tears for men’s sorrows, or yearning for their salvation, we may question whether it may not be our lot to be cast away on the rubbish heap (1Co 9:27).”
– F.B. Meyer
Brian Troxel
No mightier or more marvelous motivator for our moments, movements, and matters to honor, adore, and bless our magnificent Maker, our munificent Master, avails than that of the massively merciful connection, the loving union and longing communion that Christ Himself is, as so excellently exemplified in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and eminently elucidated in 1 Corinthian 13.
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
For pleasing and extolling the One Beautiful Triune God is nothing in all creation whatsoever surpassing or even approximating that of being transformed into the transcendently resplendent image of the uniquely begotten Son of our Abba’s almighty, darling love, the all-good, all-glorious, all-grand, eternally triumphant God-Man Christ Jesus.
Beholding is becoming! Focusing on faults and failings, ours or others, distracted we falter and fail; persisted in, faithfulness to the One Faithful fades.
Conversely, Christocentric focusing on He Who Is our Wisdom, our Righteousness, our Sanctification, and our Redemption, our Meaning, our Purpose, our Direction, our Resurrection, and our Life, we change, conforming ever closer to the character of Christ, which is the chief, concentrated, therefore, consecrated cause for ceaseless celestial celebration.
Soak in, become saturated, and satiated with the spiritually sane and superlative state that is the supernatural, superscendent dunamis of 2 Corinthians 3:18, the holy, living Trinity of loving, living Infinity Himself.
Holy, honoring faith and favor function and are fueled and fortified by no less than love.
Galatians 5:6 AMP
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
It takes God Who Is Love (1 John 4:8,16) to love God. The One Beautiful Triune God is the sole Source and the splendorous Supply of love, the exact expression, the marvelous manifestation, and the darling demonstration of love Who can never forget, fail nor forsake His beloveds. Truly loving God for even a millisecond, His merciful, tenderly loving-kindness enables and ennobles me Christlike. Creation is the conduit of Christ, the Creator, His Spirit of love, the Conductor. Created in the image of our Creator, Who Is Himself, the life of love, the essence, the excellence, and the eternality of love is our chief capacity and passionate propensity to co-create in comportment and conformity to our Creator. The closer our communion with Christ, the more Himself Who Is Love overflows from us, for more people’s precious citizenship in the celestial City for the claim and fame of His Name everlasting above every name.
Ephesians 3:16-20 AMP
16 May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].
20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.
1 John 4:10-12 AMP
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 AMP
The Excellence of Love
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing. 3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body] to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.
4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].
8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete]. 10 But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]. 13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.
God Is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him -John Piper
About John Piper’s quote, we are most satisfied in God when we are most like God. We are most becoming like God by seeing and savoring God habitually, undistractedly with wholehearted surrender and entire soul submission, as per the overarching order of creation that is 2 Corinthians 3:18. God is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in God. In this rich and regal regard, there is no mutual exclusion at all. Alleluia!
“He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also…” John 14:12
God is most glorified when we live in such union with Him that we do the works of Him.
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:8 –
The life and wonder of the vine becomes the power by which His fruit and works are formed in us.
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:4-5
“First” love is required to do the “first works.” The incredible Love of God was what inspired the death of Jesus on the cross – His love dwelling in us inspires the works of Love. We can have works without love, but it is impossible to have love without works. The severity of God being expressed to a people who were leaving this majestic first love, and the proof of their repentance was expressed in them doing the “first works.”
“recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith, and your service motivated by love and unwavering hope…” 1 Thes. 1:3 (AMP)
Love is always revealed through the works of God it inspires within His own. Works are not the object of a disciple (where we work for salvation) works are the proof of His Love working through us.
They who live by Him and in whom His love dwells are they who are “always abounding in the work of the Lord”
1 Corinthians 15:58
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Heb. 6:10
“And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” Titus 3:14
We know we are NOT saved By works – but if we are His workmanship our lives will reveal His works.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
“Created in Christ Jesus unto good works…”
Work in me Lord of your good pleasure.
Blessings my brother
BT
You write, “God is most glorified when we live in such union with Him that we do the works of Him.”
In such union with Him, we do the works of Him in the progression of our increasingly becoming like God, by seeing and savoring the splendorous sovereignty and supremacy of our God, Who Is the Holy One and the Justice, Love Almighty, beneficent and munificent, as habitually, undistractedly we give ourselves in wholehearted surrender and entire soul submission to His meekness and majesty, His ministry and marvel, being lived by the overarching order of creation that is the Spirit’s 2 Corinthians 3:18 sanctification for working the works of God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
Such graced spiritual sight, Spirit impressing spirit, line upon line, precept upon precept, (1) first and foremost we increasingly see God as He in actuality is, and in that most imperative and consequential context, (2) thus seeing ourselves more accurately as He sees us, (3) therefore more truly seeing individually and more importantly relationally our fellow man as He sees them.
Same issues forth in our indwelling, infilling Spirit of Christ wondrously working His preordained works of compassion and correction through us, endlessly extolling the utter extravagance of His unearned mercy, His undeserved goodness, and His unmerited grace.
Best to you, beloved brother, in beholding and becoming unto that perfect Day, our Bright and Morningstar and Dayspring from on high.
Amen – the development of Christ in me determines His work through me. It is to that end that we pursue His likeness and that we are faithful to exhort one another unto “love and good works.”
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” Hebrews 10:24
May you be kept in His grace
Blessings
BT
The mark of a believer is to be sold out to Jesus, submitted, and seeking the glory of Christ. The rest are in one of several stages…
“…Who hath ears to hear, let him hear…” Matthew 13:9
In Matthew 13, Jesus gave us the soils parable. To some degree much is the church is still looking for their own interest, but the time comes for many who will be able to fully submit.
Until then, those who have ears to hear can be the example that rest will need.
Blessings