In 1 John 2:6 the Almighty tells us that if we call ourselves by His name we must live up to that exalted  and honorable status by walking (living) as His Son walked while on earth. In John 4:6,8,31-35 Jesus said that His meat (broma-food) was to do the will of His Father and to finish His work. Knowing that He would soon die and return to the Father, Jesus prepared His disciples for the task of finishing the Father’s work and training those who would carry on the task. This cycle was to be continued until His Second Advent which Bible prophecy and current events tell us will soon be forthcoming.

This means that those of us who have been commissioned to carry on the work have the same agenda as our Master: our meat is to do what He placed us here to do–finish the Father’s work. For this purpose He equipped certain people with certain gifts and powers. In Ephesians 4:11 we are told that He appointed some in His church to be pastors, some to be teachers, some to receive certain charismatic gifts while others were given certain abilities and talents. This commissioning to use all available means to serve the Body of Christ is not new. Recall that just prior to His death Jesus told Peter to “feed My sheep/lambs.” Feeding the church the Word/way/will of the Almighty was to be the apostle’s reason for living–his purpose for being on the earth. This commission is ministry-wide. When God calls a man to serve Him in ministry, all other considerations must be relegated to secondary status. This includes family members and friends.

God’s appointed ministers are not alone in the work of the Lord. Others in the body are to learn from the leaders God has placed over them and to follow in their spiritual footsteps. Spreading the true gospel is also their responsibility as they stand behind and support those out on the front lines. If one’s meat is not to do God’s will, then one is fulfilling someone else’s will.  Jesus identified this other personage in Mark 8:33 when He said to the one who had just spoken through Peter: “Get behind Me, Satan, for you are putting forth (you “savor”) your own agenda.”

In the Mark 8 episode Satan had infiltrated Peter’s mind and changed his agenda from seeking God’s will to seeking the human way. From the human, common sense point of view, Jesus must not die. God’s point of view dictated that He must die. To Peter, his way made sense while God’s way made no sense at all. I face this type of reasoning whenever I talk to people about observing God’s Sabbath–the commandment God uses to test churchman’s commitment to Him. I find that,inevitably common sense wins out over God’s command. In two of those instances He has told me that He would kill the people involved if they did not believe and obey what I was telling them about observing His Sabbath. They did not believe and mysteriously died not long after our conversation. In each case their doctors could find no medical reason for their deaths. No one believes me when I speak this truth, which I have done many times. I can only assume that others have died earlier than they normally would for the same reason. My point is that church people tend to weigh God’s Word in their common sense balances and invariably find it wanting. Many Bible-toting, Scripture-quoting, church-going, cross-wearing counterfeit Christians will die in the lake of fire because they chose human reasoning over God’s will, which He has freely given provided for mankind in the form of His Holy Bible. Back in Missouri we have a saying concerning a free gift: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth (to check its age).” The church has looked the Lord’s gift horse in His mouth (His Word)–then killed (rejected) the horse. L.J.