Luke 5:13 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.”

It is interesting to see when Jesus healed the man He did not pray, but just spoke the Word and this leper was made clean. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us we would do the works that He did.

Doing the work of the Lord like Jesus we need to keep in mind what Jesus told His disciples when He spoke with the woman at the well.  He said: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”  John 4:34 (NKJV)

Jesus had a particular work outlined for Him by the Father. He was to go to the cross and give His life for our ransom. This was His work outlined for Him by the Father and His last words on the cross were: “It is finished.” In the process of fulfilling the work that He had been called to do there were many other things that He did: He healed, He preached, He comforted many, He debated and He lived a life that was beyond reproach.

What is our work? This was a question that the crowd asked Jesus and He responded by saying: ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’  Secondly, we read what Paul had to say about the work in Philippians 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” We even see with Jesus that as a man “he learned obedience from what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8) And so we are to do the same.

However, we know that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)  What is the work that God has in advance prepared for us to do? This is something that is of utmost importance and that is making sure that we are doing the work the Lord prepared for us. Jesus said “I have come to do your will” and this should be what we pray as well. When we pray that prayer with all honesty He will show us step by step the direction we are to go so that at the end of our life we too might say: “It is finished!” and we would hear the Lord say “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:21

The key to know and do His work will be outlined for us in prayer. We read in our text “He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (vs.16) It is no coincidence that we read in verse 17 that “the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”

The enemy tries to get us distracted and again this is where prayer comes in to keep our focus on the work that the Lord has for us. Jesus was preaching in Galilee and a great work was being done. Early in the morning Jesus goes to a place of prayer and later everyone is looking for Him. What is His response? ‘He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”  This is focus and this is what we need in order to do what He has ordained for us.

In doing what the Lord has outlined for us to do there will be many questions, doubts, uncertainties that will arise and wisdom will be needed. James tells us that “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5-6

Without a habit of prayer – we are lost. Just like Jesus went to a place of prayer or in the wilderness where He could be alone with His Heavenly Father, so it is with us. Find that place of prayer and visit it daily – otherwise you will find that your work is in the flesh. And in the last days when it is being tested it may be found to be hay, wood and stubble that will be burned up. Let us build on a solid foundation – a foundation of prayer.

Luke 2:42-45 “When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.”

How often we make the same mistake – thinking that Jesus is with us when He is tarrying someplace else. It is very important to make sure that all I do, what I think, etc. that Jesus is with me and not tarrying someplace else.

One of the problems with tradition is that we get set in our ways and often we find the Spirit of Jesus moving in a different direction and we do not notice and so carry on the same way trying to accomplish the work of God in the flesh.

We find this in the history of the church and especially when it comes to missions. In the first wave of missions William Carey (known as the father of Modern Missions) went out like Abraham not knowing where he was going, but knowing that God had called him to launch out. In being obedient to the Lord – New Mission Societies came into existence. Also, the Bible Society was started so that the Word of God could follow the mission endeavors. Much of the mission work during that time was being established along the coastlands of the different continents.

In the second wave of missions Hudson Taylor went to China and saw that most of the work was being done along the coastland. He decided that he would change his dress from European to Chinese and go inland. In this new paradigm, new structures were needed to achieve what the Spirit was doing. So we find New Mission Societies were being established – the China Inland Missions, Africa Inland Missions, etc.

In what is known as the third wave of missions, again new paradigms were needed. Cameron Townsend handing out Spanish Bibles in Central America gave a Spanish Bible to an old man who did not speak Spanish. The old man spoke to Townsend asking: If your God is so great why can’t He speak my language? This led Townsend to do research and found that there were many different languages and so the Bible Translators work was started as well as many other missions meeting this need to get God’s precious Word into all the languages of the world.

The reason I mention these different waves of missions over the past several hundred years is that we were slow in seeing what the Father was doing and moving along with Him. We see the same thing in the church today. I can predict what will happen in most of our church services every Sunday and maybe this is what the Lord wants, but perhaps the Lord might want to do something else, but because we get caught up in tradition we do not see that Jesus is tarrying someplace else.

Jesus said: “My Father is still working, so I am working, too. Most assuredly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.” (John 5:17,19 WEB)

We all are to be ‘watchmen and watchwomen’ and we need to be asking the question: What is the Spirit of Jesus doing? I first came into missions 57 years ago, and since then missions have changed. What and how is God working today?

Some years ago, I was in a conference in Dubai where they set aside some people to help facilitate the Chinese Christians who were moving along the Silk Trail on their way back to Jerusalem. When the Operation Mobilization ship DOULOS was in South America the goal was to see Latinos also moving towards Jerusalem. In so doing along the way they evangelized Southern Europe as well as Northern Africa. We know that in the last days Jerusalem will be the hot-spot for the world and with all of the movement taking place today, both politically and economically, God is doing something very special.

But what about our own personal life? What is God doing in us? How is He working in us? After almost 60 years of being a Christian, in the last couple of months God is working in my life to become more flexible in certain areas, and working in my emotions when I am under a spiritual attack, but I know that I need to keep asking myself how Jesus is working in my life to mold me more into His image which I long for.

What about our families? Our children? Our grandkids and in-laws? What and how is God working in them? Do we know so that we can work along with Him, especially in prayer? The main question is: Are we moving with Jesus when HE moves, are we tarrying with Jesus when HE is tarrying? This is our goal! This is my desire!

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:31-33

Here Mary was given a tremendous promise that she will have a son who will be great, called the Son of the Most High, and will be given the throne of his father David and will reign over the house of Jacob forever. What a tremendous promise to someone the world would call a “nobody.” This should speak to many of us, because we too like Mary have the tendency to think: I am a “nobody.” The answer, I believe, is found in first Corinthians 1: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

When we look around at the problems that we face in the world today the challenge for the answers is out to the “wise man,” the “scholar” and the “philosopher,” but they have none.

What is the answer that God gives: “But God chose the foolish things (the nobodies) of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

Regarding the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3 Jesus said this: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.  “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”’ ” Revelation 3:7-9

The enemy works tirelessly to stop and hinder us from fulfilling what the Lord has laid out for us. I believe that one of the ‘traps’ that Satan uses to good affect is the thought pattern that we are not worthy or that we lack the skills to be used by the Lord.

When God called Moses to go and do what He wanted him to do, what was Moses’ excuse? “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?'” Exodus 3:11 “But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’” Exodus 4:10

He said, “But I will be with you.” Exodus 3:12

Jeremiah’s call:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah’s answer to God:

Then Jeremiah said: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Jeremiah 1:6

God’s response to Jeremiah’s lack of faith: “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.’” Jeremiah 1:9-10 (NKJV)

Timothy as the young protégé of Paul was challenged: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV)

I would venture to say that in a real call of God one sees the difficulties entailed with that calling. We see this also with Moses and Jeremiah. I know in my own life when God was calling me to preach I thought God was making a mistake, because the one thing that I hated the most in school was public speaking.

But I have come to realize what Paul said: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) When God called me to preach He gave me this word: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

The question for me was this: Would I believe that He was with me and then act upon it? I did and found out that He is not a man that He should lie. He has been with me and I realize that He can take us ‘nobodies’ and use us to fulfill His purpose.

Only believe