GODLY CHARACTER ABOVE GIFTING
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[ others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
(Luke 10:1-2-0)
In the above passage, Jesus appoints 72 disciples to evangelize in various towns. The 72 disciples performed miracles and cast out demons wherever they went. Upon their return, this is what they said to Jesus:
‘“Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” (Luke 10:17)
The disciples came back and I am certain that they returned to Jesus with great excitement due to the fact they were able to perform many supernatural acts. Jesus replied to their excitement by confirming the following:
“ I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:18-19)
And then Jesus added: “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
As disciples of Christ, we ought to prioritize our entrance to Heaven above the signs, miracles and powers that we receive from God. I am not saying that signs, gifts,miracles and power from God are not important. Those things matter. However, it is interesting to see that Jesus tells His disciples ‘not to rejoice that the spirits submit to you…’
Jesus goes further and tells His disciples to rejoice that their names are written in Heaven.
When a name is written in Heaven, it means that the person whose name is written in Heaven is also guaranteed to be admitted to Heaven on Judgement Day.
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said:
““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
There are people who were born again in the Lord. As they came to Christ, they received gifts in the Spirit. Unfortunately, as time went by, many of those Christians kept on living without nurturing a personal relationship with God while maintaining the exercise of their gifts. In the passage of Matthew 7:21-23, the rejected people were individuals exercising their gifts without maintaining a personal life of holiness. Those people would perform miracles, signs and wonders but in secret they would live a life of iniquity.
When a person exercises a spiritual gift, it does not necessarily mean that their personal relationship with God is on good terms.
In Romans 11:29, the Bible says: ‘ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.’ When God makes a gift, He does not recall that gift. In other words, when God drops a gift in the life of a Christian, that Christian will be able to use that gift for the rest of his/her life.
Don’t be fooled:
It is possible to preach good while not praying for months. It is possible to effectively operate in ministry while living a double life of iniquity. There is nothing that will cancel a God given gift or a calling. Those who solely rely on the effectiveness of a God-given gift can place themselves in grave danger of concluding that ‘gifting’ is everything. Due to such poor judgement, many of us have prioritized gifting above Godly character. The people in Matthew 7:21-23 were gifted but they lacked Godly character.
And this is why Jesus was clear: ‘ “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
What’s the point of impressing the world with gifts if it will all end in hell?
As much as our gifting is important, our personal relationship with God also matters. As much as we could help others with our God given gifts, we should also take care of both who we are and our personal relationship with God when the spotlights are off and when nobody sees us.