The Lord started giving me revelations (insight) into the grace of God and its involvement in the life of the Believer back in 1987 while I was attending RHEMA Bible Training Center (its name back then). Since then the revelation continues to grow – to the point where I see something about grace in almost every Scripture I read!
I recently told a dear friend of mine that I only have one message, but that The Lord has given me multiple ways to express it. I’ve learned that a good ‘teaching-gift’ (which is an ‘equipping’) will reiterate things repeatedly, and many times in different ways to get a message across. Well, this is one of those ways the message of God’s grace is coming across to every reader who reads these articles. Paul said something similar writing to the Ephesian church: “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Eph 3:2-4, italics mine for emphasis).
Let’s break this down a bit: the word ‘dispensation’ is from the same Greek word which is also translated ‘stewardship’. So we could read it like this: “if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.” A stewardship is a granted responsibility given from one to another to use or take care of whatever is granted. In this case it’s the grace of God. Now for some revelation; part of the grace Paul had was the overall message to proclaim what Jesus accomplished through His death-burial-and resurrection. But, if you’ll notice, Paul said to the Ephesian believers that understanding would come to them as they read the “mystery” he wrote to them regarding Christ. Do you see it? Paul had grace that brought him the message of the mystery, and enabled him to speak it to others (in this case through writing it in a letter) and that that message was saturated with grace to understand (partake of) it. This grace was part of Paul’s ‘equipping’ to accomplish his assignment he received from God.
Peter wrote something interesting along these lines: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pe 4:10-11). There’s a lot in these two verses we’re going to unpack now. First I want to bring out that Peter said “each one” has received a gift – that means everybody in the Body of Christ has something (a grace from God) that will contribute to the overall success of the Body – which, ultimately, is the fulfilling of the Great Commission. The Great Commission is supernatural ministry, requiring the grace of God (God’s intervention through man – God working together with…).
Peter equated the word ‘gift’ to being “the manifold grace of God” (manifold meaning many sided or faceted). So, we are all graced by God to accomplish something within the parameters of the Great Commission – cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, make disciples of all nations – all by the “stewardship of the many sided (faceted) grace of God,” our equipping. My brother and sister, we are not in this alone. We’ve not been given instructions by God to do something He has not equipped us to do.
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” – Peter goes on to say. We could say ‘the oracles of God’ would be inspired speech (something we didn’t think up, but coming from within – by inspiration of God). Paul said this activity would minister grace to the hearers: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Eph 4:29). So, our words – what we say to each other – can bring an empowering to the hearer (or, the negative is true also; we can bring someone down by what we say to them!). On a sort-of side note, this is part of what we contribute to one another: “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4:16, italics mine for emphasis).
Paul worded it this way, writing to the church at Colosse: “holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God” (Col 2:19). Are you starting to see the importance that each one of us take our place in the Body of Christ and allow for God’s equipping – which we all have – to function in our lives? Don’t look at Billy Graham and think ‘I could never win souls for the Kingdom like that.’ He had his own equipping that he functioned in. Do you know that you and I will receive the same rewards on that Great Day that Billy Graham will for simply obeying the promptings of God – which could look like ‘offering a cup of cold water to someone in the name of a disciple’? If that’s what God has asked of you. Don’t think an assignment from God will take you to another country and live in a hut (if that’s what He has called you to, He will equip you for it – that’s called grace!).
Now, back to Peter’s admonition (which, by-the-way, came through/by the grace of God) “If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies.” Did you catch that? Peter equated God’s grace to ‘the ability which God supplies’ – and, I might add, we all have a measure (portion) of! “That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” That’s what I’m talking about! Bringing glory to God through/in our everyday lives!
So, how do we do this on purpose? As with everything in the Kingdom of God, it takes faith. One cannot function without awareness of what’s available. It’s been said like this: ‘Faith begins where the will of God is known.’ Hebrews 11:6 says it’s impossible (did you catch that? not possible) to please God without faith! The Book of James tells us ‘faith without corresponding actions is useless’ (see Js. 2:17-20). What I’m saying is this: once we’ve been made aware of something regarding Kingdom operations, then we are responsible to act on it (or, be doers of the Word). This responsibility is called ‘stewardship’ – we all have our part to play.
I just heard this: “Revival comes through the hands and mouths of those who willingly respond to the wooing’s of God in their hearts.” God won’t force anyone to cooperate with Him. However, He needs us to work together with Him these last days to reach this darkened world in which we live. It’s going to take demonstrations of the Spirit – which are accomplished through willing vessels – to awaken the world around us that there is a God Who so loves them, and desires them to come to Him. These demonstrations (which are done by the grace of God) include healing the sick, casting out devils, praying for the healing of our land, etc.
My great hope and desire is that each one of us takes our place, using the grace of God – everywhere we go, every day (time is short, I can almost see Gabriel holding the trump-of-God in his hand, ready to give forth that blast to call us home!). We all have an equipping from God to accomplish His Will in our lives.
Let’s look at one last example before we wrap up this teaching. The parable of the talents found in Matthew: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey” (Mat 25:14-15). We’ll not discuss this entire parable. I wanted to bring out that the ‘tasks’ each servant received was according to their “own ability.” Each one was equipped to take care of business. God will never ask, or require something of anyone that He hasn’t equipped them to do so. [A little side-note: if something doesn’t seem to be working, perhaps the timing isn’t right, or the ‘talent’ (ability/grace) isn’t fully developed yet – I’ve been studying these things for nearly forty years now, but they are just now ‘coming forth’ (so-to-speak).]
Finally, we see in the Wilderness account regarding the construction of the sanctuary “And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded” (Exodus 36:1). I bring this up because God had already given these men “wisdom and understanding” (we could say ability, or grace) to do the work He was asking of them.
We all have something to contribute to the ‘building’ of the Kingdom. What do you like to do? Give to ministries that ‘go’? Bake for fundraisers? Talk to people about Jesus? There’s a myriad of functions that together make for light-work (yes, I said light – Jesus told us His yoke was easy). What are you good at? These are all indicators that point to what God has graced us to do. Me, I like to write. Just the title “Equipped” rose up within me and I mulled it over in prayer. I then fired-up my computer and began typing. I’ve also learned that walking (conducting) oneself in what they’ve been called upon to do is the place of greatest joy/peace/and everything else the Holy Spirit brings to us all. He is the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29), so this talk of grace could be equated to talking about the involvement of the Spirit of God in our lives!
