Articles
Will Be Impossible for Them
Ministry is like herding cats to safety away from the cliff of culture that is crumbling beneath their paws. In the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11:1-9, God reveals a spiritual insight in verse 6 that can help the church move forward: “And the LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.'”
I. Luke 22:31-32. Told to fill the earth, mankind stayed all together and wanted to make a name for themselves rather than glorify God’s name. In this behind-the-scenes heavenly insight similar to Job 2:3-5 or 1 Kings 22:19-23, God tells us that we should not put limitations upon what we can do in His kingdom for His name. Yet, beaten down by the world, the church keeps the gospel contained within the walls of our buildings.
II. Ephesians 4:1-16. It takes unity to do so. If Christians today were united as one people of God and spoke the one language of His Word, then we could have the unity of the Spirit centered around the seven “ones” of this passage. If we could “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” to “the fullness of Christ,” then what we’ve already done as the church would be the beginning of what we would do.
III. John 14:12-14. We believe that “with man it is impossible” (Mark 10:27) rather than “all things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23) and so shrink back (Hebrews 10:39). We must believe that Jesus can with us and our churches and ask in His name so He can do it. And then we must live the impossible with others by doing all, in word or deed, in His name (Colossians 3:17) every moment of every day of our lives.
What can we do together to make a name for God and not ourselves? … if we were united in Christ with one direction, purpose, and goal? … if we believed that God could do the impossible through us working together?
