You: God's Voice!

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.

The Apostle Paul had a deep compassion that wasn't dictated by certain people groups or traditions. His overwhelming burden for people of all nations is witnessed as he writes to the Ephesians about the joy he has obtained in his calling. In verse seven, Paul reminds his readers that his conversion and calling as a minister was by nothing other than the "gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power." Verse eight is the result of Paul's understanding that this same gift which came to Him through the power of God, has now been entrusted to him, the least of all saints, to preach to the Gentiles (all nations other than the Jews). Paul was a man who recognized the importance of God's call on his life.

I remember the first time I ever prepared a sermon by myself. At first, the task was tedious and difficult, than it became overwhelming. One afternoon while studying, God gave me the wisdom to understand the magnitude of my task. I was going to be His voice to others! The first thing I thought was, "What if I mess up? Why would the Lord choose me to be a messenger of His Word?" That realization was much the same as the realization Paul was writing about in Eph. 3:8-10. His calling was to make known the mystery of Jesus Christ to all nations. Does this sound familiar? It should.

The "Great Commission" is recorded in one form or another at the end of every Gospel in the New Testament. The last words Jesus spoke to the church before ascending into heaven are recorded in Acts 1:8. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." This is your commission. This is your command from the lips of Jesus Himself. Have you entered into a relationship with Christ? Have you had the Holy Spirit become a part of your life? If the next step is sharing your faith with others, why do you think it is so hard to do this? Is it possible that you have not yet understood the magnitude of your calling?

Who are you to share the love of Christ Jesus with others? Who are you to become the voice of God in the life of a sinful person? You are a child of the Living God, that's who! Your authority and commission is "according to the gift of God's grace which was given to [you] according to the working of His power!" You will never become an affective witness until you understand that the very ability to be a witness is "the gift of God's grace." Do you understand? Are you grateful for that grace yet? How does it show?