Part 5: Do You Know Who You Are?
The second part of our calling is to help other people complete their journey toward Jesus (when they’re ready) and then finish the race once they’re on the track (on the path of the “Way”). God equips us for these tasks. They’re not obligations. They are blessed opportunities that we delight in – for others’ sakes and for the glory of God, who has been unquantifiably merciful toward us.
As God’s anointed, we must know that we have been given full authority to baptize any new believer and to pray for them, and if we can, to continue to help them grow in Christ.
Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
Mark 16:15-20 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized” – in water and with the Holy Spirit – “shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth,” – after their conversion on the Day of Pentecost – “and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”
Colossians 1:28-29, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
We are all equal in God’s eyes once we’re born again into the Body of Christ. Even Paul the apostle rebuked the brethren at Corinth when they began to hold different allegiances toward one particular person over another:
1 Corinthians 3:4-9, 21-23 “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building…Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
Baptizing people upon repentance and praying for people (for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, for healing, for deliverance from some kind of burden in their life, etc.) is an act of faith on our part – faith in who we are in God’s eyes (and not in man’s eyes!), and faith in God’s desire and ability to work through us as his instruments. We also have the authority to pray for our brethren. We must know that our hands and our words are the hands and words of Jesus when we are directed by the Holy Spirit within us.
Matthew 9:29 “…According to your faith be it unto you.”
John 14:12-14 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
1 Corinthians 1:25-31 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith...”
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up…”
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
You’ve been made a new creation upon being born again of water and the Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God tells us, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” However, you still live in your fleshly body. Therefore, it’s a daily choice on your part to see yourself as God sees you – and then act upon this vision. The Bible warns us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). So, you must consciously feed your heart and mind with all the good (and simply amazing!) things God says about you in order to flourish and maximize your calling. The ball is in your court, so take it and run! With God on your side, nothing can stop you.
Romans 8:37-39 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”