Last week I ended part 1 by saying that God, in answering prayer, is not seeking to take over man’s responsibility. Every one of us is wired by God to dominate the earth. Do not settle for anything less. In this concluding part I would want to take this discussion a step further.
God is the Measure of What Man Can Do
Since God made us in his image and likeness, God then is the true measure of man’s capabilities on the earth. When this truth dawns on the church of Jesus Christ we will subdue the 195 (without Taiwan) countries there are in the world today with the Kingdom.
However, one cannot help but notice the sense of helplessness in many churches today. Many of these crowds of men and women seem to be people who are ineffective in the world and are using God as an escape. What happened to ‘you are the light of the world’? What has become of ‘you are the salt of the earth’? There is an erroneous teaching of dependency on God which says do nothing, sit still and watch God work for you. Man in the image of God is the most powerful creature God made on the earth. Man was made to take hold of the will of God through fellowship with him and proceed to execute it on the earth.
What Can Man Made in the Image and Likeness of God Do?
John 5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Man made in the image and likeness of God can do what he sees God do. In the scripture above a clearer revelation of depending on God is uncovered. Jesus is talking about reflecting the father as His express image. In other words the Father models what is to be done by the son. Jesus said ‘for what things soever he doeth, these doeth the Son likewise’. This is the true definition of dependency on God. Unfortunately the opposite is happening in church today. Once we see the father do something we call it done.
So the Christianity that teaches that God will do everything for you and all you have to do is watch, is endorsing irresponsibility and causing God’s man to malfunction. Where we are failing is, we are not doing what we see the father do. There are not enough men and women in the church who are working tirelessly on what God has shown them till they dominate the earth with it. And yet every one of us in the Church has the potential of dominating the earth with our products and services.
If you are among those who are not seeing what the father is doing, that is your call to prayer! Prayer was never meant to replace work. It is where we get our ‘to do list\’, which then sets the pace for what we do.
I see a new generation of thinkers! I see a new generation of workers! I see a new generation of creators! I see a new generation of rulers!
My Father worketh …
John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Jesus is invariably saying, “My work ethic is derived from my father’s work ethic.” He said my father works before I work. To put it differently, once I see my father do it in the spirit, I will make it happen on the earth. Laziness is ungodly. If every believer worked like God we would literally subdue the earth. Grace is not a substitute for work but the energy for work. There must be a revival of creative and tireless work in the church. Imagine Adam and Eve holding a prayer meeting about dressing and keeping the garden! They were empowered to do it and not pray about it.
Seek First the Kingdom
Seeking first the kingdom is not an apathetic stance on the Word of God to get your needs met. Jesus said the gentiles exert themselves for what to eat, drink and wear but you exert yourself to take dominion. Exert yourself to generate impact and all the things the gentiles live for will be added to you. It’s a life of impact that guarantees the flow of resources to any man on earth. Christians must wake up to this. No impact no resources. The earth was wired to respond to impact (Mathew 6:33).
Take action. Take dominion.
Rule and subdue the earth!