God Chose You

God Chose You

My thanks for the inspiration for this blog to our visiting speaker in Sleaford on Pentecost Sunday this year, 2011.

How many of us know that before we chose to follow Jesus, He chose us? It’s a fact !! Look at John 15:16 – “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He may give you.!” What an amazing statement and promise that is. I want to encourage you today to study this verse – to soak in it, and to take it deep into your heart. Let’s look at this verse bit by bit.

· “You did not choose Me, but I chose you “What a start! He chose US and not the other way around. Sure we had to accept His choice for us but He did choose us before we knew Him. In Jeremiah 1:5 the Bible tells us that, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you . . . “ God had our life laid out before Him before we were even a twinkle in our earthly Daddy’s eye. He chose us and ordained us (decided our ministry and calling) before we were even born. This doesn’t mean that everything in our life is inevitable because we have choice; we have the freedom of our own will to accept or reject Gods calling.

Also, many who accept His call to follow Him never discover their intended role. It is so very sad to think that many don’t even realise there is a call on them; don’t realise there is more for them than just ‘following Jesus’, going to church, and saying the occasional prayer. He chose us for His purpose, not ours. He chose us for our good and for our health and happiness.

· To move on - “and appointed you” – yes God appointed us; He pre-ordained us to our role in His church; His Bride. What a fantastic thought that God not only knew us before we were born but He knew how He would use us for His Kingdom too.

I remember the story that a well known TV and conference speaker told. At the last call, an angel was calling peoples’ names and God-ordained roles. He called the men’s name followed by ‘Prophet’. The man thought there must be another with his name so he did nothing. The angel looked at him and repeated his name and ‘Prophet’ – “Joe Bloggs Prophet”. The man said to the angel, but I am a very successful healing evangelist. I did prophesy but I was known as a healing evangelist.” The angel said, “God called you as a prophet and you have to now tell Him why you didn’t obey that call.” Sobering thought eh ??? You see the Bible even says in Romans 11:29 that, “Gods gifts and His call are irrevocable.” – they cannot be revoked.

· Next we read, “that you should go and bear fruit,” In His earthly ministry, Jesus said that by our fruits we shall be known. That means that the fruit we bear as His people would tell the world and our fellow Christians just who and what we are. We were designed by God to bear fruit for His Kingdom – isn’t that just amazing too? Now there is an argument here that says that whatever else we do for God, we are to bear fruit and increase His Kingdom here on earth. Some would translate this as saying that we are whatever He called us to be PLUS we are all evangelists too. How else could we bear the fruit He expects from us?

Well, again, let me quote some scriptures to you to reassure you that this is not so. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. “

Romans 12:6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. “

Ephesians 4:11-13 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. “

· This one verse, John 15:16, is so full of meaning as it goes on to say, “and that your fruit should remain, “ Our fruit remains so that ‘by their fruit you shall know them’, (and by that fruit, you shall be known.) We do not work for the Kingdom of God for anything other than His Glory. We cannot earn our way in – that ticket has been Blood bought and paid for. We cannot earn or get a better seat through our ‘good deeds’ – which Paul described as ‘filthy rags’ compared to the glory to come. The fruit which we harvest or help to harvest is all for Gods Glory alone.

· Finally - “that whatever you ask the Father in My Name “ We do not ask for fleshly things but only those that are a part of Gods plan for us. Some things have to be asked for or requested – although they are already ours for the asking – but they are still part of Gods plan for us. Some will not be ours until we ask – with a pure heart.

· “He may give you.” Yes – we give God permission to give them to us. Just as we accept His calling and give Him permission to use us for His Kingdom, so we give permission for all other things. God is, above all else, a Gentleman and He will never force us to accept or do anything. We must do all that we do for Him with a cheerful and willing heart. God doesn’t look at age, colour, education, social standing, bank balance, nor anything else by which the world may judge us. He looks only at our heart.

I pray that our hearts are right before Him today and will remain so. God chose us before we chose Him so that we may get right and stay right before Him.

I hope this encourages you as much as it does me.