Greater Things

 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” ......"Our God is able. Our God will. But even if He does not we will not stop serving Him, or praying in His name, or caring for the sick, or serving even those who oppose our God and threaten us....A church like that could bring pagan kings to their knees. A church like that would do greater things than Jesus." Mark Buchanan

I'm both deeply inspired and deeply convicted by the above Scripture and Buchanan's words concerning it. I'm inspired because of my desire to live out the stance of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I'm inspired because I know the words Buchanan speaks are true. Such a life, such lives, would bring forth a witness and testimony that would bring the "kings and rulers" of this world to their knees. Such lives of faith would be accompanied by such Kingdom power that His church and the people that comprise it would indeed do "greater things than Jesus." My heart soars at the thought......My deep conviction comes because I know, deep down, there are days I live below the truth of these words. Days when I'm too distracted, or self-absorbed, or pursuing my own desires to live out their reality. On too many days, so are you. You know it. We know it. It need not be so. It must not be so. The days we live in demand such a witness. Will we, you and I, meet this demand?

In the book of Esther, Esther, a Jewess, is made Queen of the Kingdom of Persia. Her people, the Jews, are under threat of extermination from an evil and highly placed enemy in the court. Mordecai, her uncle, urges a fearful Esther to intercede with her husband the King on behalf of her people. When she hesitates, Mordecai admonishes her by saying that she very likely had been placed in her position by God for "just such a time as this." She interceded, and her people saved and their great enemy destroyed. We, who call ourselves His, are also placed where we are, no matter how insignificant we might feel that place to be, for such a time as this. A time where the need of the world, the nation, and especially the church, is beyond desperate. We need to be His light, His witness, His presence in the midst of that need. We need to be the Body of Christ in every sense of its meaning. If we will, pagan kings will bow, and He will bring life out of death. But here's the even deeper reality for us; we must be that even if He does none of it. So our question is, can we, will we, be that witness and presence whether the outcome we desire comes about or not?

Buchanan, a gifted writer and longtime pastor said of himself, "I talk and write better than I live. I write pretty, but I live messy." Yet his heart was and is set on his living matching his writing and preaching. May ours be as well. In whatever we do, in what we say, preach, teach, sing, or give witness to, may our lives be less messy and more beautiful. If this will be our true hearts desire, then pagan kings will bow, and we surely will do greater things than did our Lord.....just as He promised.

Blessings,
Pastor O