10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
Wherever God has called us, whatever He has called us to do, no matter how seemingly insignificant, He expects us to be obedient and faithful to Him. This activates His faithfulness; He will meet us at that place. Even if you may think that you are in a spiritual outpost, God has not left you stranded - He wants to manifest Himself through you. He has a purpose for your life, and He is expressing Himself so that you can testify to what He has done.
As we see in the the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, Peter and John were devoted to doing the work of the Kingdom of God and seeing the Great Commission fulfilled. There were those that
wanted to stop their work, and we read:
18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
There's a story from North Alabama that has received some national attention, and it can really illustrate for us the power of communicating our story, what God has done for us. You have to go back to 1995, when a man named Joey Hanner, a trucker, was at a point where he was about to give up on his marriage, and on church, too - that's according to a story that appeared on the Baptist Press website that originated from The Alabama Baptist.
Joey and his wife went to church that day, their 12th wedding anniversary, even though they were too mad to remember. The story goes like this:
Hanner related about how the church has matured, saying, ""When you cross those borders, when you begin to really get into God's Word, you get to the point where you will go anywhere, say anything and talk to anyone for the sake of the Gospel."
The story continues:
This story also can remind us about the simple work of the Kingdom and fulfillment of the Great Commission. The Bible says that the person who wins souls is wise. Jesus called us to go and make disciples. We can ascertain how God will use to us spread His message, and to a large extent, it's wrapped up in His people sharing what Jesus has done in their lives. At Union No. 3, 50 people from the congregation go out on Sundays and Thursdays into the community.
I also think that we cannot diminish the importance of water baptism. It is a glorious representation of the inward work that God has done in the life of a believer in Christ. In following Jesus in believer's baptism, we demonstrate who He is and the work of redemption that He has performed in our hearts.
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As we see in the the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, Peter and John were devoted to doing the work of the Kingdom of God and seeing the Great Commission fulfilled. There were those that
wanted to stop their work, and we read:
18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
There's a story from North Alabama that has received some national attention, and it can really illustrate for us the power of communicating our story, what God has done for us. You have to go back to 1995, when a man named Joey Hanner, a trucker, was at a point where he was about to give up on his marriage, and on church, too - that's according to a story that appeared on the Baptist Press website that originated from The Alabama Baptist.
Joey and his wife went to church that day, their 12th wedding anniversary, even though they were too mad to remember. The story goes like this:
During the altar call, Hanner and wife Connie both separately ran down the aisle, only to look up from tearful, broken prayers and see the other one kneeling there too.Well, his life has certainly been heading in a different direction; 6 years ago, he took over as pastor of a church near Gadsden called Union No. 3 Baptist Church - this church began to take a high-speed journey into the world of evangelism and discipleship. After attending a conference in North Carolina, Hanner came back and asked his congregation, numbering around 130 at the time, an important question...he said, "I asked them to stand if they had been discipled one on one before and only two people stood up." That began a strong push for discipleship in the church - and there are plenty of candidates. You see, Union No. 3 has baptized 900 people over the last six years and the average Sunday morning attendance is up to 700 in two services. And, hundreds have been discipled one-on-one in the church since then.
"We both got saved that day," Hanner said. "God healed me and He got me out of my truck and into ministry."
Hanner related about how the church has matured, saying, ""When you cross those borders, when you begin to really get into God's Word, you get to the point where you will go anywhere, say anything and talk to anyone for the sake of the Gospel."
The story continues:
...Dan Garland, director of pastoral ministries and church consulting for LifeWay Christian Resources, said he recommended Union No. 3 Baptist to be featured in a video at the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 13–14 in Phoenix, Ariz.There is plenty to ponder in this story about the church that Garland describes as being in the "middle of nowhere." You may feel that way in your spiritual journey right now - in a spiritual wilderness, not quite having your bearings. Well, Joey Hanner has gone to the middle of nowhere and has experienced God's faithfulness. Wherever you are today, obedience will make the difference; right where you are. As you are faithful to him, perhaps in what seems like little, that will trigger God's abundant faithfulness.
"I was impressed with the number of young men who are being discipled at the church," Garland said. "We're talking about a church in the middle of nowhere ... and some people drive more than a half hour to be a part. It's a great church and God is doing amazing things there."
This story also can remind us about the simple work of the Kingdom and fulfillment of the Great Commission. The Bible says that the person who wins souls is wise. Jesus called us to go and make disciples. We can ascertain how God will use to us spread His message, and to a large extent, it's wrapped up in His people sharing what Jesus has done in their lives. At Union No. 3, 50 people from the congregation go out on Sundays and Thursdays into the community.
I also think that we cannot diminish the importance of water baptism. It is a glorious representation of the inward work that God has done in the life of a believer in Christ. In following Jesus in believer's baptism, we demonstrate who He is and the work of redemption that He has performed in our hearts.
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