GOD DOES NOT REALLY NEED YOU…OR DOES HE?
“You need God but God does not need you” is one very popular mantra pastors would always throw around when I was growing up in church. This of course makes sense, why would an all powerful God who created the heaven and the earth need little old me for anything.
However, if you open up the Bible, you quickly see that God is always looking for men. The first ever question He asked, “Adam where are you?”(Genesis 3:9) sets the tone for the entire Bible. God’s quest for man.
God begins by finding Abraham then Isaac, then Jacob (from whom came the nation of Israel). Ahead of the worst seven years of famine the world had ever seen, He sent a man, Joseph into Egypt to preserve Israel.
When the nation of Israel were enslaved by the Pharaoh who did not remember Joseph, He sent a man, Moses to deliver them. He brought them into the promised land by a man, Joshua.
After the days of Joshua when Israel would worship other gods and get into trouble, God would raise up men and women to be judges over Israel.
When Israel asked for a king, He gave them a “man” after His heart, David. Then when Israel started to commit idolatry and break the law in the days of the kings, God sent prophets, who were men, to warn them.
When it was time for the Messiah to be birthed, God needed the womb of Mary, a woman, to birth, Jesus, a Man.
Jesus, the Man needed disciples, both men and women, in order to spread the message of the gospel after His resurrection (Matthew 28:20, Mark 16:15–19, Acts 1:8). He relied (and still relies) on men to spread this message today. The angel that appeared to Cornelius could not preach the gospel to him, he needed to be referred to Peter because the preaching of the gospel message (the message most central to the heart of God) is the exclusive preserve of men.
So while God has saved men, He relies on men to spread this salvation message. Jesus Christ or God or an angel WOULD NEVER preach the gospel to any man, at best He would refer them to other men.
Even within the church (the congregation of those already saved), there are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers which are given to the church as a gift in order to equip those within it to fulfill their own purposes within God’s overall agenda.
So what have we learnt? God has been looking for men since the beginning, God dealt with Israel through men and women, God needed a woman to be born as a man on earth, Jesus (God in the flesh) needed and relied on men to preach the gospel after His resurrection, Jesus still needs and relies on men to preach the gospel today, Jesus needs men to equip His church to carry out their functions within His overall agenda.
God needs you my friend!
