By Jerrel Venable

How are doing with the goals you set for this year? Are you still on track? There is a lot in writing about setting goals, setting time tables for accomplishing those goals, and being accountable for the goals you’ve set. Most goals are about getting a better number: Increase your sales by 10%, make $5000 more next year, lose 20 pounds, or increase attendance in church by 50 people. I was praying about the goals that the Lord would have us set for Emmanuel Church and I felt I was directed to this Scripture:

Matt 10 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

7 "And as you go, preach, saying, ' The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

8 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

As I meditated on the text and pondered about the goals which the Lord had given to the disciples, I thought of the fact that Jesus didn’t tell them how many cities to visit, how many people to talk to, how many prayers to pray, or how many conversions to work toward … He just told them to proclaim and to pray. They were given a specific task to do and a specific locale in which to minister, but the results were left up to the power of God!

Apparently the goal in Christianity is still the TASK and not the RESULTS!

I thought about some of my past goals: I’ve set goals of how many pages of the Bible I should read each day, I’ve set goals of how many people I wanted to have accept Christ in a year’s time, and I’ve set attendance goals for church services and average attendance increases for a year’s time. Perhaps these are all worthy goals but I often found myself driven to reach them … and often frustrated if I failed! So as I prayed this year about my goals I wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.

I think what He has said to me … and to the church … is that we are to be consistent in proclaiming Christ as Savior, and to be continual in prayer as we pray for those who have needs. Then we are to leave the results to God.

In Luke 10, Jesus sent the Seventy out to ministry and gave them similar instructions as to what He had given to the Twelve.

Luke 10

1 The Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

2 And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

9 heal the … sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' NASU

Again their goal was to go to the cities ahead of Jesus and prepare the people to receive Him. Their task was to heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom! They were not given a number of people they should reach, a number as to how many people to pray for, or how many were expected to be in attendance to their services. They were sent to proclaim and pray! They obeyed Jesus in the task they were given and left the results up to the power of God and not to their own abilities. And their experience was exhilarating!

Luke 10

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

18 And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit … NASU

When the Seventy did what Jesus commanded them to do … the results were supernatural! Not only were the sick healed but the demons were cast out! The disciples got excited about it and Jesus got excited about it, too! “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning!” Then verse 21 says that Jesus “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit.” He was excited about the results and about the victories the Seventy had experienced!

When we obey Jesus … when we live in His strength and not ours … then the results are in God’s hands … and He will bring blessings into our lives. The disciples had reason to rejoice, Jesus had reason to rejoice, and all of heaven was rejoicing! Isn’t that the way we want to live?

Notice that Jesus brought their attention to a balanced approach in life. Don’t rejoice because the demons are subject to you. In other words … don’t let that become your goal in life … don’t let counting the number of souls saved be your goal … don’t let the number of people healed be your goal … but let your relationship to Jesus be your goal! Let the thing that causes you the most joy, be your personal salvation and the hope you have in heaven!

Now understand this, God does count results! Jesus called 12 and sent them out. He sent out 70 at a later time. There were two multitudes which were fed miraculously by Jesus, one with 5000 men, not counting the women and children, and the other one had 4000 men. There were 120 people present on the day of Pentecost and when Peter preached 3000 people were born again. Then couple of days later there were 5000 people who got saved! The Book of Acts declares that God “added to the church” and then later the believers “multiplied.” God does take a head count!

It is our responsibility to obey … and it is God’s responsibility to create the results! But His goals for you and for me are not in the numbers … they are in the ministry of praying and proclaiming! If you have a goal, then make it to be continual in praying for those who are in need … and to be consistent in proclaiming the Gospel! Pray and Proclaim!

Notice that Jesus told the Seventy that there was a shortage of laborers!

Luke 10:2 The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

There is still a shortage! Too many of the saints have accepted the grace of God as a privilege which carries no responsibilities! Our primary task is to pray and proclaim! There is a large harvest field still waiting to be brought in but the laborers are few. Will you be a part of the harvest?

Our responsibility is to obey, but to also receive the power of God which Jesus has delivered those who are born again!

Matt 10:1
Jesus … gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. NASU

Luke 10:19
" Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. NASU

There is a sense of powerlessness among many Christians … I think it is because we don’t “feel” powerful. May I ask you just what you are supposed to feel? Jesus didn’t ask the disciples if they felt powerful, He simple gave them authority.

 

After you are born again there is no waiting period for receiving the power of God! And after you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit there is a greater awareness of the power of God … but God has not limited His power in anyone’s life! All that He asks you to do is to acknowledge His power within you … and then use it as directed! Paul wrote this to Philemon …

Philemon 6
I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake. NASU

We need to acknowledge every good thing which is in us for Christ’s sake! If you think and say, “God will never answer my prayers.” You are not acknowledging the good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake! BE EFFECTIVE! Acknowledge the power of God within you! Acknowledge that the sick will be healed when you pray for them! Acknowledge the testimony of salvation which God has given to you as being a powerful word when shared with an unbeliever! Jesus Christ lives in you and He is more than a conqueror! He is the King of all kings … the God of the ages! He is powerful in you and enables you to pull down spiritual strong holds in His name! Be effective and acknowledge these good things in you!

Make this your goal in 2007 … to acknowledge the power of God which is in you, and obey what God gives you to do! It will somehow involve you in praying and proclaiming. Perhaps not in all the same manner … but it will minister to the need of people and God will give the increase!

 

                       By Jerrel Venable