“Worthy”

    Be it the preacher, the teacher, or the witness, every born again believer must have the attitude of being amazed to have the privilege of representing the Lord Jesus Christ.

     The Christian communicator who does not, as it were, crawl to his pulpit in utter bewilderment that he should be called to speak a word for his Lord is disqualified to speak that word.  Indeed, our sins made necessary the nailing of God’s beloved Son to a cross of shame, sorrow, pain, forsakenness and death.  That God should not only forgive us when we believe, but also commission us as His ambassadors, speaks of a grace that should fill our hearts and minds with awed and broken humility. 

     "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

     The love our Heavenly Father expresses “toward us” is also expressed through us unto others by our lives and our words.  Former rebels become sons and daughters sent forth to a dying world with the only message of hope and life that exists.  We go not as perfected people, but as those who still often fail to be and do the things worthy of our relationship with the One who sends us.  We go nevertheless, perhaps with an even more powerful influence because of our own need for fresh and ongoing grace.

     Indeed, as I travel to meetings, or write, or communicate with believers on a personal basis, the thought often overwhelms me of how completely unworthy I am to speak or pen a word for the Lord Jesus.  That which more overwhelms me, however, is the remembrance that we go not to display our own merit, but rather to declare, “Worthy is the Lamb!”  We go in grace, and for grace, and by grace, to proclaim grace.  So, perhaps the unworthy such as myself are, in fact, suitable candidates to represent the Savior who “came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (I Timothy 1:15).

     Long before witness commands responsibility, it blesses with privilege, the privilege of “the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto His Name” (Hebrews 13:15).  We go forth as those amazed by grace, and thus, as those armed by grace to powerfully proclaim that the Savior who saves us will do the same for all who will receive His free gift of mercy.  This attitude alone qualifies us to speak a word for the Lamb who is “worthy… to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12).

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

(I Timothy 1:12-15)