In my previous
article, “Church,
I Am Calling You
Out”, I sent
out a call to
join me in
getting up off
our collective
apathy and get
moving for the
cause of Christ
– namely winning
souls for His
Kingdom, in
whatever time we
have left before
the Rapture, in
the hope of
perhaps speeding
His return. In
response to this
article, over
100 people
“stood up” and
said with a
collective voice
“I Will!”
Despite
being just
joyfully
overwhelmed at
the numbers, the
stories that are
accompanying
these voices
have really
struck a chord
in me. It has
caused me to see
the vastness of
ways God’s
people can work
toward filling
the Kingdom.
There are many
out there who
are already
actively working
in very creative
ways to spread
the Good News,
but there also
are many out
there who
want to be
doing something,
and are unsure
of how or where
to start. Some
just need
someone to say,
“Hey, come with
me! Let’s go and
do this for the
Kingdom!”
I wanted
to follow up
with this
article to speak
to these latter
people – the
ones stuck in
neutral and
unsure how to
finally get the
gears to catch.
First I
want you to know
this: I can
empathize with
you entirely. I
was - not that
long ago - in
that very same
place. I prayed
to God - many
times and very
fervently - that
I was ready to
move, if only He
would stop my
tires from
spinning and
give me some
traction to
move. My mental
picture was that
of a Formula One
race car being
held about
waist-high above
pavement, in
full gear, fuel
burning, but not
making an inch
of progress. I
had all kinds of
excuses: wrong
timing,
ineptness,
unsure of
myself, fear of
persecution, and
on and on. God
finally showed
me the reality
of the
situation.
He wasn’t
withholding
opportunity
while my wheels
spun. I had
essentially laid
down a
waist-high
pedestal of
bricks - each
“reason” and
excuse a single,
immobilizing
brick. Getting
the picture?
I was
holding my
wheels up as I
rested on these
bricks, and I
have no doubt
the enemy
enjoyed helping
me fashion each
one of them and
fitting them to
the
undercarriage of
my work.
So what
changed? Upon
reflecting on
some of the
promises of God,
I decided enough
was enough. It
didn’t matter if
I felt
I was ready
or not. It
didn’t matter if
I could
answer every
tough question
like a scholar.
It didn’t matter
if
I would be
looked down
upon, or thought
of as strange or
not Politically
Correct…and on
and on ad
nauseum. None of
it mattered! My
God is BIGGER
than all of it
and He
PROMISED to carry the load for me as long as I let Him do it (Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Peter 5:1-11). He
PROMISED me
that I am able
to do what He
has done, and
greater (John
14:12)! He
PROMISED
that the message
is True and
suited to the
task put before
me (2 Timothy
3:16). In short,
it was time for
me to decide:
was I going to
take my God and
King’s PROMISES
as true, or was
I going to sit
still and
complain that I
am not seeing
His promises
being fulfilled,
tacitly blaming
Him for that? As
you may have
guessed, I
decided on the
former over the
latter. I tried
the latter – for
a very long time
– and having now
started in the
direction of the
former, the only
regret I have is
that I did not
do it sooner.
Here is a
new mental
picture for you:
in the movie
“Indiana Jones
and the Last
Crusade”, there
is a point where
Dr. Jones and
his group come
to a wide chasm.
In every way
they can see it
is a dead end,
there is no way
to cross, and
thus no hope of
moving forward.
Being the hero
of the story, he
of course must
take that step.
He stands at the
edge, closes his
eyes, shifts his
weight toward
what he cannot
see and…VOILA!
Solid footing!
The view then
changes to one
where no mortal
person could
actually view,
and there it is:
a sold bridge to
the next
adventure.
This is the
mindset I have
now taken on. I
know that what
I can see or
deduce from my
limited
viewpoint by no
means defines
any sort of
limitation. In
order to move
forward with His
work, I truly
need to close my
eyes to
my
perception of
things and put
100% of my trust
that when my
foot falls,
He will be
there with a
solid place for
it to land. I
have yet to be
disappointed. No
doubt from His
vantage point,
He sees that
solid bridge He
has set in place
leading to that
next great
adventure at
home with Him!
I don’t have all
the answers – I
don’t need to.
He will provide
what I need as I
go. I don’t need
you, or want
you, to heap
praise upon me -
I will just
direct it to Him
where it
belongs. I don’t
need to rehearse
my words - He
will give me
what I need to
say when I need
to say it.
So to those of
you who are
sitting aside
waiting for
someone to DO
something, or
waiting for that
opportune time
to set yourself
in motion – YOU
are the someone
you are waiting
on to do
something, and
RIGHT NOW is the
opportune time
to do it! My
friends, my
Brothers and
Sisters in
Christ - at this
very moment my
heart is
practically
bursting in my
chest with a
Love for you I
can barely
contain! And
even in this I
know I cannot
even come close
to what Love our
God and King
feel for you! He
is waiting for
you to destroy
the barriers
you have
erected and
start doing the
work of His
kingdom. You CAN
do it! You want
to pass out
tracts? Great!
Go DO it! You
want to tell
people your
testimony and
what God has
done in your
life? Great! Go
DO it! You want
to get together
with several of
your believing
Brothers and
Sisters and work
on some project,
put up a
billboard,
create a YouTube
video, write an
article, print
out cards to
hand to grocery
clerks and slip
into magazines
at the doctor’s
office waiting
room? Great! Go
DO it. Start on
it TODAY. Don’t
wait – every day
you wait is one
more lost
opportunity.
“Later” never
arrives.
Look, my
Brothers and
Sisters - we no
longer have the
time to waver on
this. You no
doubt have heard
the Holy Spirit
speaking to you
on the lateness
of the hour. Why
else are you
here reading
this? You KNOW
time is short!
We don’t have
the luxury of
“later” - souls
are falling
through to that
deep pit,
forever
separated from
the GREATEST
LOVE this world
can know, each
one sharing the
same thought –
“This did not
have to happen”.
Let’s grab these
people - one at
a time if need
be - before they
have to think
that thought in
the place where
a decision the
other way does
not make a
difference.
Let’s DO this!
If you would
like to come
along with me
and that group
of 100 to do the
work, we would
love to have
you, just email
me. But if not,
fine – just get
out there and DO
His work!
Take my hand.
Close your eyes.
Lean forward as
you take that
step and do not
be afraid – HIS
perfect, solid
ground WILL
catch you!
In Great Love
through Christ
Jesus our
Exalted King,
Ryan
Vanderstelt
vanderr12@yahoo.com