Six Categories of People Jehovah Jireh Wants to Empower

Global School of Ministry
Introducing Jehovah Jireh - #7

Truth No. 7: Jehovah Jireh needs extended hands through which He manifests His Kingdom authority and sufficiency in the now on earth!

This thought certainly sounds out of this world and it truly is! The God who sits on the Throne of Majesty is looking for human vessels on earth through which He will manifest His person and nature. On the other hand, He is looking for vessels through whom He demonstrates the sufficiency of His Kingdom as a tangible entity in itself!

The Kingdom of God is real; but in this present time, it is manifested through individuals who wilfully respond to the invitation of the King of Kings. Luke 17:21. In this present life, although such citizens of the Kingdom live with others who are not part of it, their source of sustenance is their King -- not their jobs, businesses or other mundane activities of life.

Citizens of the Kingdom are called not to love this world, but to be separate from it according to 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 1 John 2:15-17. That we are a Kingdom separate from the world around us is sealed by this revelation in 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

The Lord is serious about this search, because the days of dropping manna or quails from the sky ended with the wilderness experience of Israel. We are in a dispensation when God has purposed to work through human vessels to deliver His personality and goodness. Those human vessels are essentially ambassadors of His Kingdom, who need to demonstrate its self sufficiency. Ambassadors depend on their home countries and its leader, not their hosts, for sustenance. We are a “sent people,” and He who sent us has all that it takes to sustain us and decorate our lives to manifest His glory! John 15:16; John 17:9, -18, 20; Acts 1:8.

Let us remind ourselves what was shared in Truth No.6:

“In His own Word, God states that He gave this very piece of real estate called planet earth to man as an inheritance! Genesis 2:15; Psalm 115:16. For that reason, God, who exalts His Word above His own name, has a track record of doing things on earth in partnership with mankind!”

Today, we shall examine six profiles of the kind of saints God is actively looking for to supernaturally empower as vessels of manifesting His personality and His Kingdom wealth. When the Lord finds such people, He uses them as channels of distributing His largesse to the less fortunate both in the household of faith and in the society so that none of His creation will suffer lack.

Six Categories of Saints Jehovah Jireh Looks to Empower:

1) He looks for saints who love Him above all else.

There is one rule of God which has not and will never change on this side of eternity. That rule is that His children will be known by a supreme love for Him above all else, including their own lives and the blessings He releases to them. This supreme love translates into willing obedience of His Word and submission to His will.

In the days before the flood, God found this attitude in Noah and preserved him and his family alone. Genesis 6: 1- 8. In the days of Abraham, God found this in him, though the man lived amongst people of extreme idolatry. God separated him from his roots to start a peculiar ethnic group. Genesis 12: 1- 4; Genesis 17:1-4.  

When God found it necessary to give the Law to Israel, the very first commandments articulated in Exodus 20: 1 – 7 focused on loving God supremely. Jesus was to echo this principle in answer to the question of the Scribe who inquired on what is the great commandment in the Law in Matthew 22:35-37. In laying out the ground rule of the Kingdom He came to inaugurate, Jesus made it clear that anyone who sought to enter therein must willingly deny his or her soul pre-eminence so that He alone would be enthroned as Lord. Matthew 16:24 – 26. Love of God is thus possible only when the self life of the soul is willingly surrendered to be crucified!

2) He looks for saints who genuinely love all kinds of people.

Love of God must translate into love of human beings. True love is unconditional and we must press into this realm! Jesus summed up the second great commandment as, “Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself” Matthew 22:39. For good measure, Jesus proclaimed in verse 40 that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

One deficiency of modern day denominationalism is that saints can love those who fellowship with them in the same local congregation or who are under the same label but hate or despise those of different persuasions. Love of saints must be without precondition John 13:34, 35; John 15:12. "He who loves God," says John, the apostle of love, "must love the brethren too." 1 John 3:10 – 23; 1 John 4:7-17,20,21

3) He looks for saints who seeks first His Kingdom above all else.

The Kingdom of God is the realm of life under the exclusive primary rule or authority of God. God is looking for people who will: make it the very core of their life and pursuits on earth to advance the cause of the King; expand His dominion amongst men by proclaiming the good news of eternal life for as many as will embrace the saving grace in Christ Jesus; live daily by the provisions of His Word, which is the Constitution of the Kingdom; and consciously walk as His ambassadors to their generation and community.  

The lifestyle of the Kingdom in them distinguishes them from other people in their neighbourhoods and workplaces/businesses. When the Lord finds those who walk in the four dimensions of the Kingdom, He takes it upon Himself to be their source and to provide for all their needs.  

This is the import of the words in Matthew Chapter 6. In verses 9 and 10, Jesus made it clear that considerations of the Kingdom should precede our need for bread and butter. The reason, as Romans 14:17-19 states, is that the Kingdom of God is not about what to eat, drink or wear; but essentially a lifestyle or culture of being clothed with the righteousness of God, living in His Peace which passes all understanding, and being joyful because we know that all things work together for our good -- even those things that seem adverse at the moment! Romans 8:28.

In the same Matthew 6, we see that from verse 25 – 34, God has ordained that as Kingdom citizens focus on their primary assignment of living out, representing and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, they will be provided for by their King, and even decorated with all the things that people around them strive for. What an exceptional deal which calls us to abandon arm of the flesh and rely on Jehovah Jireh to provide all our needs!

4) He looks for those filled with the spirit of compassion on the poor.

God desires to provide for the needs of His own children as well as all His creatures. He is in heaven and we are on earth. We are His Ambassadors on earth, through whom He fulfils all His good pleasure. If we allow ourselves to demonstrate His heart, which is compassionate and full of tender mercy, the needs of other people – both in the household of faith and in the society will touch us deeply. We cannot see a need in the life of a brother or sister and be insensitive if we truly are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the mind of Christ.

This tendency to see the need of brethren as our need and empathizing with them in their troubles was a core hallmark of the early Church. The Lord was well pleased with them, and consequently showed up big time among them in signs, wonders, and in manifesting His glory upon them. Acts 2: 41 – 47; Acts 4:32-37.  

In Psalm 41:1-3, God says those who consider the poor are blessed of Him. In Proverbs 19:17, it is written: “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord and He will pay back what he has given.” James 2:14-16 decried so-called faith without corresponding work of mercy. 1 John 3:16 – 23 also emphasizes this principle.

 5) He looks for those who will regard themselves as stewards of His Providence.

The Lord is also actively looking for those who will not seek wealth for its own sake or as a means to fulfil their lusts of the things of this world. Those who love money in this way will sin against God. 1 Timothy 6: 6-10.  

Money is not to be idolized or served. Money is rather meant to be a servant of the purpose of God for the redeemed. Those who will use money as a servant are those who realize that God is the source and giver, while they are mere stewards of His grace! To the rich, God charges in 1 Timothy 6:17 – 19 that wealth can actually be deployed effectively to do good on earth which will amount to a good foundation for the eternal phase of the Kingdom.

6) He looks for saints who will believe His word and trust Him to fulfil them.

God is trustworthy and faithful at all times! He is the Covenant-keeping God. Those who come into Covenant with Him are always assured that He will fulfil His part. When He entered into a Covenant with Abraham, God manifested Himself to the man who became the father of the faithful as Jehovah Jireh, the Great Provider! With the children of Israel, God told them that He is the Only Source, and that it is He Who gives them power to get wealth. In effect, covenant people do not get wealthy by struggle, but by receiving what the Lord has packaged for them! Deuteronomy 8:18. A study of the whole of Deuteronomy Chapter 8 is needful to understand the context of Jehovah Jireh to the nation of Israel.

If God did this for His children under the old Covenant, how much more shall He do the same for us of the New Covenant which is founded on better promises? In Matthew 7: 7 – 11, Jesus guarantees that the needs of citizens of His Kingdom will be met if they trust God and release their faith in prayer. That is why the Lord said that we should never be anxious or worried concerning material needs! Matthew 6: 25 – 34
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Next Study: Global School of Ministry Course 125 - Finances