J AND M MINISTRIES

(Jesus and Me)

Somewhere along life's journey, people tend to get side tracked in one way or another. Others are on the right track and seem to be doing well, but then they get derailed through no fault of their own. Then there are those who have never seemed to get a fair shake in life. They weren't even allowed to get a half decent start on the journey. They have been sidelined from the beginning, and the rest of the world goes on without seeming to care for them at all.

What do we do with a person who is partially crippled and can't keep up with us at an ordinary walking pace. Well, we just LEAVE THEM BEHIND OR SLOW DOWN! But, it's not everyone who can be patient and kind enough to accommodate themselves to another person's limitations. That's too much like taking up our cross and following Jesus. That entails voluntary sacrifice...a form of 'suffering by choice'. Who in the world would want to do a thing like that? Well, today's message is for two kinds of people ... those who feel limited in life ... and those who love and care about these kinds of people.

It all started with John. John was a young man, but he walked with a pronounced limp. One of his arms seemed to be useless to him. Over the years his condition got worse. John loved Jesus. John had a good heart and wanted to serve others. He wanted to be useful. But, he lived with a lot of frustration. He couldn't be like others. He couldn't even think of finding a normal place of service and ministry in the church or in the world.

And then ... one day ... I was in a group that was praying for the needs of the church and the community. When we finished, John hobbled up to me, gave me a hug and started talking. I had a sermon to complete for the Sunday morning service which was soon to start. But, my message was for normal people who could pursue normal avenues of service to God, church and the world. Where did John fit in?

I took the time to listen to John. He cared about the children and the elderly people who lived in his apartment complex. He was asking me for advice. He wanted to know what He could do to help them. I said something like this: "John, do you have a mouth?" He admitted that he did. I went on to get him to admit that there was nothing wrong with his mouth. He soon began to see that GOD HAS EARS AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HIS HEARING.

Pretty soon we were outlining a plan whereby John could ask God to meet the needs of the people in the apartments all around him. There was nothing to keep him back from loving those people and caring about their needs. John did have what it takes to express that love and concern to a loving and powerful God.

I told that crippled young man that when we pray, God is called into account to see what He will do with our prayers. I told him that when we pray in faith and love, mighty angels have to go into action. I drove a two-point message into his head.

1. God does not have a hearing problem. 2. Angels are not crippled.

I encouraged him to begin asking God to do all the things he could not do himself. I encouraged him to believe that our prayers are not dropped down some kind of spiritual garbage disposal system. If a man will believe, love, obey and persist in praying good prayers HE WILL GET RESULTS FROM GOD. I told him about the scripture which says:

"The 'Eyes of the Lord' go to and fro throughout the earth to show

In the book of Revelation, 'THE EYES OF THE LORD' ARE DESCRIBED AS "THE SPIRITS OF GOD" OR "THE ANGELS". (Rev. 5:6) That tells me that angels are going to and fro, back and forth, in the earth. (2 Chronicles 16:9) Why are they doing such a thing? What are they expecting to accomplish?

The angels are looking for ways to demonstrate their special abilities. They want to use their strength and the mighty powers which God has entrusted to them.

The angels are not deaf, dumb or blind. These mighty spirits of God are not crippled, deformed or helpless. They do not have the same limitations which we have. They don't have speech impediments. They are not worried about their looks and what people are going to think of them. They are not troubled by a lack of finances and transportation problems. The angels can move at the speed of light and go anywhere in the world without a visa or a passport. They can cross borders and walk through armies without being seen. They can talk to people who won't listen to anyone else. They can appear to people in dreams and give them instructions. The Bible calls these angels 'ministering spirits who are sent to minister to the heirs of salvation'. The Bible tells us that they are going everywhere to 'SHOW THEMSELVES STRONG' on our behalf. By coming into a strong union with God, we are also joined to the angels and their powers and their purposes in the earth. When we are in a right relationship with God those angels are joined to us and our weaknesses and our limitations. They are here to help us fulfill our purpose in the earth.

It means THERE IS NO LONGER ANY EXCUSE FOR ANY OF US. We can all have a powerful ministry in the earth. We can believe God. We can pray. Mighty angels will come to our aid and assistance. Powerful angels will go to and fro throughout the earth to accomplish good things that we could never do with our own strength and abilities.

I don't think we can personally tell those angels what to do. They obey God and they can operate only according to the principles and laws of God. Somehow, I think they know what they can and can't do. If we obey a scripture, I think they automatically know what they can do as a result of our obedience. The Bible says: "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD" ...so, I think they know that they are not allowed to help the proud. The Bible says: "GOD GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE" ... and I think that means that they move in and begin to do what they can for anyone who begins to humble themselves before God as well as for those who humble themselves in front of people.

When people begin to pray and ask for help, they are admitting their inability to solve their problems on their own. They are humbling themselves. When limited people begin expressing their desire to do something good in the earth ... I believe the angels have to search for ways to help those people accomplish good things in spite of their natural limitations. Sometimes a crippled person is granted supernatural healing and they go on to use their new found abilities to serve God and others for the rest of their lives.

But ... I am convinced that many cripples who are not healed can accomplish a hundred times more in the earth than those who are! I believe that the power of faith and prayer coming from a limited person can activate these powerful spirits of God and cause them to SHOW FORTH THEIR STRENGTH IN MANY MIGHTY AND SUPERNATURAL WAYS! And I'm also convinced that all of those good results will be chalked up to the account of the poor frustrated person who couldn't find a normal place of usefulness in the earth. Someday God will say: "BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH AND PRAYERS ... THESE THINGS WERE DONE. I WILL REWARD YOU JUST AS THOUGH YOU DID IT YOURSELF."

Can anyone dispute my word? Can you tell me for a fact that this is not so? Then, if there is the possibility that we in our weaknesses can be joined to a Holy God in His unlimited strength, why don't we seek to make that union more complete and more sure and more powerfully productive?

I challenged John to begin praying for everyone in that whole apartment complex. I challenged him to believe that people could come into a right relationship with God just because poor weak John was praying. I appealed to John to ask God to heal others even if healing was not granted to himself. I told him how he could ask God to meet the financial needs of some of the really poor people he saw and that God would delight to do it.

He soon began to see how prayer could activate even people who had talents and abilities that he didn't have and their strength would have to be used to help those kids that he felt sorry for. We went on to see how government agencies would have to obey the will of God just because one crippled young man was praying night and day. Church groups would suddenly have their eyes opened to the needs of many because John had faith in God. And the possibilities went on and on and on. That's when I added the worldwide possibilities which were right in front of him. He didn't even have to leave his apartment to be able to bring help and salvation and healing to many around the world. Whole mission organizations would be called into service because one poor limited man had the faith and courage to ask for great results in the earth. Talented and gifted people would suddenly be called to the mission field because one frustrated soul decided to find his place of usefulness in the church and in the world.

I became excited. I said, "John, do you realize what this means. You could have business cards printed up, saying, THE J & M WORLDWIDE MINISTRIES. The "J" would stand for Jesus and the "M" would stand for me. It would be 'THE JESUS AND ME WORLDWIDE MINISTRIES'! What can be more powerful than one man tied in to Jesus?

My excitement grew even stronger. "John!", I exclaimed, "Just think of it. You may have crippled legs. But your faith doesn't have to be crippled. Your personal abilities may be limited but your faith doesn't have to be limited. Is there any law that says a man who can't walk can't believe? No way! Is there any law that says a blind person can't see their prayers answered? I don't think so. And there is no law that says a weak person has to sit around forever feeling sorry for themselves.

They can rise up in their mind and in their heart and they can begin to believe for things that they had never even thought about before. They can become powerful by being joined to someone who is powerful." Something inside of me came alive. I don't know if John was getting anything out of my words ... but I sure was! God was showing me the great and vast potential that is out there for thousands of troubled and frustrated people. No one should ever have to go on feeling useless and worthless because they can't do what some other people can do.

Faith in God can create a usefulness and purpose for our lives. By exercising that faith in God we can CREATE MOUNTAINS OF GOOD IN THE WORLD! And if we can ... then we must! Let's get on with it! Sure, there are going to be obstacles to our faith. And we may have to overcome several minor problems first before we can believe like we should. But, what's the harm in trying? Can God condemn us for reaching for more faith? The Bible says: "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him." That means He wants us to have faith. He wants us to have a strong faith. Let's get our eyes off of our present problem and begin to look beyond our limitations. Let's look at all the things that are possible for God and His Holy Angels. And then let's consider how we can fit into their world and cause them to go to work in fulfilling a purpose for our lives. You don't need your own church to be a pastor to thousands of hurting people. You just need to be welded into a strong union with Jesus who is the GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GREATEST PASTOR THAT EVER WAS. You and Him together can accomplish a lot of good.

Where ever you are right now ... it's time to look to Jesus whom the Bible calls 'THE AUTHOR AND THE FINISHER OF YOUR FAITH'. Look up and tell Him, "Jesus ... it's just You and me here right now. I'd hate for You to waste anything You've got. And I know You have great love and great power. So I'm going to give You something else to go with what You already have. I'm going to GIVE YOU ME ... JUST LIKE I AM!

I'm going to give You my body, my soul and my spirit. I'm going to give You my past, my present and my future. I'm going to give You my weaknesses and my strengths. I'm going to give You my good points and my sins. I'm going to give You my mind, my will and my emotions. I'm giving it all to You, Jesus ... everything. I am now Yours. And from now on, Jesus, We are as one.

I've never had a worldwide ministry before, so I need all the help I can get. I'm not going to compare myself with anyone else. I'm not going to worry about what they have and what I don't have. I'm going to look at what Jesus is and I'm going to think about what Jesus has and I'm going to look to Him for the answers to life and it's problems

I have found my place in life ... it is WITH JESUS! His purposes have become my purposes. His will is now my will. His desires are becoming my desires. His power is being added to my faith and my prayers. I am now a 'worker together with God'. God is now a 'worker together with me'. From now on ... it's JESUS AND ME AND OUR WORLDWIDE MINISTRY. Now ... let's see what I can do for someone TODAY - BY FAITH IN JESUS and by the power of His word and His Spirit!