Economic Growth (4)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us… Ephesians 3.20

Power at work within
Given the straightforward, unadorned way in which Paul makes this declaration, it’s surprising that so few of the followers of Jesus Christ seem to take it to heart.

The power that flows from the eternal throne of our risen Lord is the power which is at work within us – the power of God’s indwelling Spirit. He makes us willing and able to do what comports with the pleasure of God (Phi. 2.13). He is able to do in and through us exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask or think.

This being so, why are so many of us “underachievers” for the Lord? Why are so many Christians failing to thrive? Content to remain babes in Christ? Unwilling to take up the hard work of learning and growing toward maturity?

In any church it’s always a handful of people who make everything happen. Twenty per cent of the people do all the work while eighty per cent simply wait to be served by whatever the leaders choose to do next. Most believers are not growing very much in the Lord, and certainly the level of their service for Christ, or even what they endeavor in His Name, remains pretty much the same, year-in and year-out.

Stuck in our limitations
The problem is, I think, that as human beings, we know our limitations.

And we are trapped there, ensnared in our small vision, limited experience, and doubting minds.

There are certain things we’ve never done before, and so we assume that such things, whatever they may be, are not part of what God expects for us. We might assume that these are not things we should endeavor. Someone else, better prepared and with more experience, will have to take up these callings.

But if the Spirit of God lives in us, and if He is, indeed, able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, should we not expect more of ourselves than merely what we’ve ever known or endeavored in the past? Shall we be limited by our experience when an exceeding abundant power is at work within us? Shall how we see ourselves be the defining terms of our existence, rather than how Christ sees us?

Or shall we push out to the exceedingly abundantly above limits and experience of God’s Spirit?

Stretching out in the Spirit
If you’re beginning to feel stretched to the limits of what you might be able to learn or do in advancing the Kingdom economy, then there’s a simple solution: Stop relying only on your experience and present abilities, and begin stretching out into the vast resources of the Spirit of God!

What does that entail?

First, you have to get to know the Spirit and to discover what He intends to do in and through you. The Spirit is able to bring forth in you virtues and characteristics that are more like Jesus Christ than anything you’ve ever demonstrated (Gal. 5.22, 23).

He can fill you with power to bear bold and consistent witness for Christ with your neighbors (Acts 1.8).

The Spirit can teach you the Law of God and enable you to walk, like Jesus did, within the path of righteousness the Law marks out (Ezek. 36.26, 27; 1 Jn. 2.1-6).

The Spirit is ready to deploy a wide range of gifts and abilities within you, to enable you to serve others in ways you’ve never done before (1 Cor. 12.7-11).

The Spirit can enlighten and empower you to bring the glory of God to light in all your work, all your time, every relationship, role, and responsibility of your life, so that the hope of glory in which you live will become the hope of glory others see more consistently in every area of your life (1 Pet. 3.15).

In fact, the more you learn about the Holy Spirit, and the more you realize that this powerful Spirit is at work within you, to make you willing and able to do God’s pleasure (Phil. 2.12, 13), the more you will begin to venture beyond yourself, beyond your past experience, into new areas of trusting the Lord and relying on His Spirit to do what He is eager and able to do, and not just what you might be willing to endeavor.

We can’t out-think or out-ask the Holy Spirit with respect to how He might use us in advancing the Kingdom economy. The problem with most of us, I suspect, is that we don’t dare to think much beyond what we’re familiar or comfortable with already, and we seldom ask the Spirit to take us further and deeper into new areas of life or ministry.

God is able to do in and through you more than you’re willing to think or ask. When you line up your thoughts and desires with God’s plan for you, you’ll begin to see the Kingdom economy advancing in leaps and strides through your life.

For reflection or discussion
1.  Do you agree that many believers are “underachievers” in their discipleship? Why or why not?

2.  When it comes to following Jesus, how might we be able to tell when we were allowing ourselves to be hindered by our experience?

3.  What might be some ways the Spirit of God could work “exceedingly abundantly above” in your life?

Next steps – Transformation: In what areas of your life would you like to see the Spirit of God stretching out a bit more? Talk with a Christian friend about this question.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is the final installment of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “Kingdom Growth” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here. For a background study of Kingdom economics, order the book, The Kingdom Turn,  from our online store, and learn what it means to enter the Kingdom, not just talk about it.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.