A Strong Exhortation

Faith and Works

“His lord said unto him,
Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord”
Matthew 25:21,23
(From the Parable of the Talents)

When the time came for the master to reckon with his servants, he did not say “well believed”; He spoke the words “well done”. True servants of God are not idle, nor slack concerning the gracious bestowal of talents. They invest their lives into God’s investment in them. They are faithful in the things entrusted to them. In this passage the one who was slack concerning God’s investment was reproved and cast into outer darkness. The talents were given to HIS SERVANTS and as such the Lord expected a work and a labour into that which was given. These were His people upon whom such privileges were bestowed. They were not given on the basis of individual merit, but according to each one’s ability. Men and women who declare they are not able to walk in such things declare God to be unjust in His estimation of their ability.

“His lord answered and said unto him,
thou wicked and slothful servant…”
Matthew 25:26

Whose Lord? The servant’s Lord. Let us make no mistake as to the meaning of this Parable. It is a false and foolish gospel that has robbed God of His rightful place as Lord in our lives. Let us turn from this deceit and embrace the responsibility and the great reward that awaits those who are found faithful to our Lord and Saviour.

In this Parable Jesus declares:

“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh,
and reckoneth with them”
Matthew 25:19

Rest assured His coming is nigh unto us. Can we not hear with the ears of faith?

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh
shall find so doing”
Luke 12:43

Again, the word does not say blessed is that servant that he shall find “so believing”! His Day is upon us and we are to be faithful in so doing and admonishing others to the same.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins…”
Hebrews 10:24-26

Do we not hear the exhortation to stir one another unto “love and good WORKS”? Can we not feel the day approaching? It is a slothful people who do not exhort one another unto “love and good works”. Read the context of the above scripture; it is willful sin not to be doing this as we assemble together.

The lethargy and false comfort preached in our day blinds His Own to their responsibility to the talents given.

The Day of the Lord is a day of reckoning for His people.

(Please read 2 Corinthians 5:9-11)

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall be”
Revelation 22:12

Ω

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the Lord’s work,
because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”
1 Corinthians 15:58

Brian Troxel

“Such as I Have”

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none;
but such as I have give I thee:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk.:”
Acts 3:6

Ministry should be the natural outflow of any life rightly associated with God. One does not need to go to Bible school, join a large organization or subscribe to some well-known teacher in order to find the wonder and beauty of His Life. The path to a powerful, individual and unique ministry, unto which God has called each of us, is in the Life of the Son resident within one’s heart. This path is characterized in one word… GIVE. It is in giving what we have that more is given!

“Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and shaken together,
and running over…”
Luke 6:38

Many Christians become so overwhelmed by “big” ministries that they look upon their own portion as meager and insignificant. It is here that many miss the wonder and greatness of our God. It is in understanding the heart of Jesus that we can launch out into the depths of God’s call in our lives. His heart is summed up in one small glimpse afforded us in the Gospel of Mark.

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living”
Mark 12:41-44

While men see the amount, Jesus sees the depth of the gift. True ministry is not measured by what one has; Jesus measures by how much one gives. In giving what we have more is given to us in like measure. While many teachers relate this to the unrighteous currency of this world, Jesus was speaking of the true riches that He has placed within the lives of everyone that believes! Give all that you have to receive all that He gives. Every major river in the world begins somewhere as a trickle, an insignificant little stream. The secret of its power is that it continues to flow and as it flows it begins to grow. That which seemed inconsequential in its beginning becomes a river deep and powerful. Never consider any gift of God small, insignificant or irrelevant. The God of all Glory can take even a small meal of five loaves and the two fishes and feed multitudes. No gift of God is without significance. It only becomes so if the gift is neglected and held in faithless inactivity. The talent buried in the ground remains a talent. It is in our faithfulness to give and pour out our lives into those around us that the one becomes two, the two becomes four and the five becomes ten.

Peter’s journey to the place of imparting the life and glory of God into the life of another was no different than our own. The same God who has begun a good work in us will complete His work if we remain faithful to walk in His ways.

I have had the privilege of meeting with the underground church in other countries. In most cases their depth of Biblical knowledge is small in comparison to our land. However, while we may bask in our knowledge, they, at the peril of their lives, take what little they have and turn the world around them upside down.

Give and it shall be given unto you.

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info

Tag: The Parable of the Talents