Serving God Without Question

I remember in the Army that they always told us that if a lieutenant or a sergeant or some other officer commanded us to scrub the barracks floor with a toothbrush we should obey the command and then go to the Inspector General and complain. We were never to disobey the order by going to the Inspector General first. Of course if the order was an illegal one, well, we had better have been sure of our ground before refusing to obey. I am reminded of the scripture in  John 2:5 when the Lord Jesus was attending the marriage feast at Cana with His disciples and His mother. When they wanted more wine, "the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Of course we know the rest of the story how Jesus turned the water into wine.

Sometimes we as Pentecostals do some strange things too. Have you ever danced (in the Spirit) or run the aisles? I have done both. What about giving a message in tongues, or better yet, given an interpretation of tongues? While I think I once gave a message in tongues, (not too sure about that), I have never given an interpretation of tongues. We do like the spectacular in our services though. But what if the Lord spoke directly to you and told you to witness to a specific individual? What would you do? BTW, He will never give you an illegal command!

In 1973 I with my young family moved to Yankton SD with the intention of starting a church. I found a job at a department store and heard about a fellow employee who had a drinking problem. I had never met him but one day I saw him walk across the aisle in his department's area. The Lord spoke to me (to my heart?) to speak to him about his soul. I looked for an opportunity. Soon after I was in the stock room and he came by. He stopped to introduce himself and tell me that his father had been a Methodist minister and that he had been raised in a parsonage. As I got off the ladder I was on, the Lord spoke to me again and revealed to me that this man, at about age 13 or so, had went to an altar and made a commitment to serve the Lord. I proceeded to repeat to him what the Lord had just revealed to me and told him that God was calling on him to fulfill that commitment. His reaction? His eyes got big and he backed away and said he would like to speak to me some other time. (He later told me that he thought I was just talking preacher's talk) Later on I visited his house. Both he and his wife were alcoholics and partakers in the swinging lifestyle. I witnessed to both of them and to their children of God's love for them and of their need to get right with God. To make a long story short, they came to the church we had in our home and I ended up baptizing his wife, and two or three of his children and finally him, in Jesus name.
  Am I telling you this to toot my horn? No! To my knowledge none of them went on to serve the Lord Jesus. I am telling you this to tell you that you need to take the advice of Jesus' mother and "whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." He will never lead you wrong! The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The church that Jesus builds will stand! The Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians 3:6, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." God has called some to plant, others to water, but it takes the Lord to touch the heart and give the increase. We certainly should not sit on our hands while the world around us is perishing but God must give the increase.

The Bible says in Psalm 127:1, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." But when we do what the Lord has told us to do, and do it with all our might (See Ecclesiastes 9:10) then we can have the assurance that what we do for Christ will last. I love that old chorus we used to sing (and sometimes still sing), "Remember only what you do for Christ will last,
  Remember only what you do for Christ will last,  
  Only what you do for Him, will be counted in the end,
  Only what you do for Christ will last."

Let us then then redeem the time (See Galatians 4:5) and do, "whatsoever He saith unto" us. (See Romans 13:11) Let us emulate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be about our Father's business. (See Luke 2:49) Let us serve the Lord Jesus, without question.