PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | Episode 36 – How Can We Change the World – Part 2
Episode 36: How Can We Change the World – Part 2
God not only wants us to be courageous, but VERY courageous.
God not only wants us to be righteous, but UNCOMPROMISINGLY righteous.
God not only wants us to avoid evil, but to ABHOR evil.
God not only wants us to shine, but to SHINE greatly.
God not only wants us to be fruitful, but EXCEEDINGLY fruitful.
More next week.
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Today we are going to continue talking about how we can change the world. Have you been doing that this last week? Even in your home, with your precious children? Every moment that you nurture them, love them, pour God's Word into them, pour His Truth into them, you are changing the world. You're getting ready world changes.
Isn't that exciting? Oh, you don't have an ordinary role in life. You have a most powerful and significant role that has been given to you by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Oh, you have a heavenly commission, a divine commission, a high calling. Oh, rise up, and pour everything into it!
Now today, let's get into our second point. If you missed last week, we talked about how God wants us to be strong and courageous, but no, more than that, He wants us to be very courageous. That word, “very,” in fact I didn't even get a chance to tell you what that word meant in our last session.
The word, “very,” means, it's meod, and it means “vehemently, wholly, diligently, exceedingly, mightily.” So it's not just being a little courageous, or perhaps a little extra courageous, but no! Vehemently courageous, wholly, diligently, exceedingly, mightily! Oh, these are the words that are used in the Word of God. This is the full Hebrew meaning of that word, that little word, “very.”
So we see that we're coming out of living this ordinary, normal, boring, mediocre lifestyle. We, as a people of God, have got to come up to a new level, a new realm, if we are going to change the world.
No. 2: UNCOMPROMISINGLY RIGHTEOUS
In Proverbs 14:19, let me get it here to read it to you...OK, here it is. It says: “The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.” The Amplified Version, which explains the full meaning, says: “And the wicked will bow at the gates of the uncompromisingly righteous.”
It's not enough to just be righteous. We have to be, as God's people, uncompromisingly righteous. There's too much compromise today, too much compromise with the devil's ways, too much compromise with the spirit of the world.
In fact, the spirit of the world seems to have crept into the church today. It's crept in in so many ways. It's crept in in the way the people dress. In fact, you go to church today, and you'd think perhaps you were down on the beach.
I can't believe, I cannot get my brain around the fact that I can go into a church, and I can see women with cleavage. I beg your pardon? It's bad enough anywhere, but church? Bare shoulders, bare backs, half clothed. And they're in church.
These are not people who have come off the street. Oh well, if they were coming in, we'll just be gathering them, and loving them, and embracing them. No, these are the church people. And they're dressing like the world.
The spirit of the world has come in, even in the lifestyle. The lifestyle, apart from the fact that they believe in God, and they come to church every Sunday, they seem to live pretty good lives, but their ultimate lifestyle is not much different than the lifestyle of the world.
Most of the mothers in the church are limiting their families. Oh, they don't want more than two or three children. Oh, no! Most of them are out for their careers. I mean, it's no different to the world. There's such compromise with the spirit of the world.
Today, so many of God's people do not want to say anything against evil, against abortion, against homosexuality. “Oh no, no, I don't agree with it, but, but, but, you know, I can't really say anything to them. I mean, they can choose.”
I beg your pardon? It's time we stood up with truth! Why is evil increasing? Because the righteous have gone into a corner! The righteous are silent! The righteous have become so mediocre and normal that they will never rock the boat!
We will never change the world if we don't rock the boat. Anyone who changes the world will face ridicule and persecution and everything coming against them. Maybe we're not ready for that.
And yet we have so many thousands and thousands of our precious believers who are part of our body who are suffering persecution, who are being thrown into jail, who are being beaten, who are going through incredible torture because they will not deny the Name of Jesus.
Yet here in this land, we can speak the Name of Jesus, and we don't have to face that. Yet we can't even open our mouths against evil. I speak to myself. May God help us, change us, oh, pour out His Holy Spirit upon us! Oh, the church of God, we need to rise up, and be who He wants us to be. To become like the early church, a people who were not afraid of man, a people who feared God rather than man. The people who would not compromise with evil.
So let's begin to be uncompromisingly righteous. It starts in our homes. That Scripture, I love that Scripture in Proverbs where it says how that, let's read it again: “The evil bow before the good.” That's an amazing thing. We don't actually see that happening. I so want to see that happening.
I see evil all around, and somehow many of the good are bowing to that evil. That is wrong! That's the opposite of how it should be. “And the wicked bow at the gates of the uncompromisingly righteous.” I believe that when there's uncompromising righteousness, when we're not compromising, and it's not just, you know, gray, but when it's truly black and white, we're standing totally with God. There are no gray areas, but that's when the wicked will come, Whoa! They’ll come to a halt, a skidding halt at the gates of the righteous! Because they cannot enter where there is uncompromising righteousness. So, let's move into that realm, shall we?
No. 3. ABHORRING EVIL
It's not enough to avoid evil. We have to fight, expose, abhor, and reprove all evil. Well, we've really been talking about that already, haven't we? Ephesians 5:11 says . . . I should remember it. Let me just go to it here. Ephesians 5:11 says: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather, reprove them.”
Some translations say: “expose them.” So, OK, I'm sure none of us are wanting to have fellowship with the works of darkness. No, we don't want to get involved with that. But it's not enough just not to be involved in that evil. The Bible says that we are to reprove it! We're to expose it! We are to open our mouths and say something. Let's get into this new year, into this new realm where God wants us to be.
Over in Romans 12:9 it says that we are to “abhor evil.” Not just, “Oh, no, we won't get involved with that,” No, we should abhor it. That word, “abhor,” in the Greek, literally means to “shudder at evil”. When we hear about evil, it makes us shudder. Oh, we grieve, it just hurts us to even hear about it.
Is that our attitude? Or do we get used to it? We're living in a society where abortion is legal. We're living in a society where homosexuality is legal. I mean . . . (sigh) this is evil! Homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God. Of course, we don't despise the person. No, never! But we despise the act, and we do have to speak out.
We've got to teach our children what is evil, and to put in them a fear of God, and a shuddering at evil. We dare not let them get used to it. In fact, as children go into the school system, and into high school, and even more as they get into college, these things are so rampant now that they can think that this is just, this is how, this is what life is all about.
No, no, it's not. We have got to, in the middle of this deceived society, we have to stand up and abhor evil and shudder at it. Amen? I hope you are with me in this.
No. 4. GREATLY SHINING
We are to be a light. But once again, the Bible doesn't only tell us to be a light, but to be a great light. Now it tells us in, now let's see, did I write that down? It's Matthew, chapter four, let me take you to Matthew four. It's talking about when Jesus came and when He began His ministry.
Matthew 4:13: “And leaving Nazareth, Jesus came, and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness, saw great light. And to them which sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.”
So it was talking about how Jesus came into that region, and how that He didn't only come as a light, He came as a great light. Now that word comes from Isaiah, and it was prophesied by Isaiah. Now the word in Matthew four is telling us this prophecy has come. It has come to fulfillment! Jesus has come! And He's not a little flickering light. He is a great light.
That's what He wants to be, in me, and in you, dear wife and mother. In your home, when you go out, when you go to the supermarket, when you go to this meeting or that, wherever you go, you're not to be a little flickering light, but a great light.
You see, here we see another adjective. God always has adjectives with the words that He wants us to be! Are you getting it? We cannot be ordinary, mediocre. No, we have got to be above the norm, beyond the average. He wants us to be great lights.
We go over the next page, to chapter five, and Jesus speaking in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, verse 16, Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.” Our light will be so great that it will be seen by everybody! Oh, may God help me, and you, and our children, wherever we go, that our light, the Light of Jesus within us, will be seen, that everybody who sees us, and who we talk to, will see this Light. Amen?
Let's go over to Philippians, chapter two. (flipping pages) Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, chapter two. Yes, verse 14: “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as light in the world.”
“Among whom ye shine in this crooked and perverse nation.” This is exactly where we're living today. It's a crooked and perverse nation. All around us there is perverseness, there is crookedness, people are deceived. They're not living the life that God intends for us.
But we have to embrace the lifestyle that God intends for us. As we do that, we shine. We are a light. Dear precious mother, even as you embrace motherhood, you are shining. You are revealing who God created you to be, and therefore you are bringing glory to God.
When you function as who He created you to be, and His purpose for you, you glorify Him. If you decide to not live that lifestyle, to turn away from it, you are no longer bringing glory to God. So let's glorify God. That's how we shine.
But I just want to look at this word, “shine.” In my Bible, I talked about this in one of my podcasts. How I love the Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible. It gives me a number that I can look up. I can look it up in the Strong's Concordance, or I can look it up in my Lexicon at the back of my Bible. This Lexicon will give me a full understanding of what this word says.
The number is 5316. So let me look it up. I'm not sure what it's going to say! So you come with me, and we'll both find out together. OK, 5316. OK, and the word is phaino, and it means, “to shine, to appear, to be conspicuous, to be seen.”
That's really what that Scripture said, isn't it? Shine, let your light shine so that everyone can see. They can see, they actually see your good works. And then they can glorify God. That's the meaning of this word—to be conspicuous.
So we're not going to hide our light. When we go out into this world, dear mother, be conspicuous! OK? Conspicuous! Have you got it?
So, you've got all your little children around you. You do not have to feel ashamed, as though you're some freak, because you've got maybe three, four, five, six, or even more children. By getting out of your van, and people look at you, and they say, “Oh, are all these children yours?”
Don't feel in any way condemned. No! You're shining! You're being conspicuous! Yes, lift up your head, and put a smile on your face, and say, “Yes! These are mine! These are the children God has given me. We're so blessed!” Yes! Make it an opportunity to speak forth the Glory of God! Because this is what it is. You are doing what God wants you to do. You're bringing glory to Him.
Or you could say, perhaps, “Oh, yes, we love children! Don't you?” And then what are they going to say? They see these beautiful children, and they're not going to say, “No, I don't!” They're going to feel a little bit ridiculous asking you such a question, because how can they help but love children?
Even people today who have been turned off having children, who limit their families, they still love children. It's in us to love children.
So we're being a voice. We're being conspicuous. Do it with a smile. Tell your children before you go out, “Children, we're a testimony to Jesus.” Pray with them before you go out. Gather all your children around you, and pray, and ask God to fill you all with His Spirit, with His Shining Light. Encourage the children to be good, and obedient, and smiling to everyone they meet. So you're all going to be a testimony. Amen?
You're going to shine. Let's go back to Isaiah 60. Let's see, Isaiah 60:1, 2: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come. And the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people. But the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”
Do you notice that again, His Glory is to be seen? It is to be conspicuous. So shine, dear lovely ladies, with the glory of the Lord. Let your children be a testimony if you go out into your neighborhood, into the city, or wherever you go, because every time people see you with your children, it is a testimony to God's plan! Amen!
All right, what's our next one?
No. 5. EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL
God wants us to be fruitful. But once again, He doesn't want us to be fruitful, but to be exceedingly fruitful! Isn't that amazing? God is always wanting more. Let's go, shall we, to John, chapter 15. Here Jesus is speaking, and here it is the chapter about Jesus being the Vine. “I am the True Vine.” Verse 2: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit is taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth, so that it may bring forth more fruit.”
Do you notice? We started with fruit, and then it talks about more fruit. Now herein this passage, it is speaking about spiritual fruit. God is not satisfied with our having some fruit in our lives. He wants our life tree to be filled with fruit.
Sometimes He allows things in our lives, difficulties and challenges, to purge us, and to cut away all these unnecessary branches, and all these extra things—things, things, things, things—that we get involved with. Oh, we can get involved with so many things. We’ve got so many branches, but we don't have so much fruit.
Oh ladies, it is so true that trees have to be pruned if they're going to bear a lot of fruit. Now I know this from experience, because I am the worst pruner in the world. I planted all these fruit trees, and some of them, I just had to cut down. They just got so bad. But I really didn't know how to prune them. I really must learn how to prune properly.
But these trees, they had so many branches, and they grew so big. They never had any fruit because I didn't prune them. Then you look at these trees that are pruned way down. Oh, yes, you can't even believe it! Help, they cut all these branches and they prune it right down. But then the next season, wow, they're just laden with fruit!
And especially vines. Do you notice that after the season of the harvest, they then go back in the spring, and they prune the vines? They prune them right down. They look so ugly, because they've been pruned right down! But then they grow, and then the harvest time comes. And they're just absolutely laden with these beautiful, big bunches of luscious grapes! But they don't get them without being pruned.
Often we have to be pruned. Sometimes we can just prune ourselves and cut back on a lot of junk that we’re involved in. Well, maybe it's not junk, because a lot of good things, a lot of good things we have to prune away too, because there's nothing wrong with them. There's nothing wrong with all those branches on the tree. Nothing wrong with them at all.
But they're just stopping the fruit. They've got to be cut away if there's to be more fruit. We can have a beautiful tree of leaves and leaves and leaves, but we want fruit. We have to prune.
Now if we won't prune ourselves, sometimes God has to do the pruning for us. Because God is not even satisfied with the much fruit. We keep reading, we go down to verse five, and Jesus says: “I am the Vine. You are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without Me, you can do nothing.”
Do you notice the progression? Fruit, more fruit, much fruit. And then we go to verse eight: “Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit.” This is repeated two times, the much fruit. And then it says: “So shall you be my disciples.” If we're really one of Jesus' disciples, we will be bringing forth much fruit.
And we will be allowing Jesus to prune us, to prune off the unnecessary branches, the unnecessary things we get involved with, things that are not necessarily wrong, but they're not going to help us bring much fruit for the kingdom of God and to bring glory to Him.
This is how we glorify Him. We don't really glorify God by, you know, getting involved in so many things. We've got our hand in this, and our hand in that, and our hand in this, and we're doing that, and we're doing that, but we're not really bringing forth much fruit. We've got lots of branches and leaves, and that's all.
I have found, in my own life, that I have to continually do this. I have to continually say No to a lot of things, because they're going to hinder what I know I am meant to be doing in God's Kingdom. I have to say No to that. It's not that it's anything wrong, because, you know, it could be something good, something everybody else is doing, but I haven't got time for that, because I have greater things to do.
Dear precious mother, you have the greatest thing, the greatest purpose, the greatest mission that anybody could ever have, of embracing children that God wants to bring into this world. To train them, and prepare them for Him, what He has for them, His destiny for them in this world, and for the eternal kingdom. Because motherhood is eternal.
And also, what God has for us, and His purpose for us in His kingdom, is for eternity. Yes, so this speaks to us, both spiritually and naturally, because we are meant to be fruitful in every area. Fruitful in the spiritual realm, yes, but fruitful in the natural realm.
I have had people come to me, and say, “Well, you know, God's not interested now in how many children we have. You know, that's not the point. We have to have spiritual children now, so I'm interested in getting spiritual children.”
Well, I'm so glad that they want to have spiritual children. But the Word of God does say, “First that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.” And, can I ask you this question? How can we have spiritual babies if we don't have natural babies?
If God's people stop having natural babies, or even the people in the world stop having natural babies, there would be no people to then evangelize and bring into His Kingdom to have spiritual babies! Even spiritual babies start as a natural baby! You can't get a spiritual baby from out of the air. A spiritual baby starts with a person, a person you lead into God's kingdom.
So, the more people we bring into this world, the more people there are to evangelize, and to draw into the kingdom of God. It's first that which is natural, and then that which is spiritual. So God's picture for the spiritual is to bring forth much fruit.
But it's the same picture in the natural. That's how it actually, originally, started. In Genesis 1:28, where the very first words that God ever spoke into the ears of man were: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.” The very first word! Fruitful. Be fruitful. That's on God's heart.
You see, God is not Someone who is normal. No! God doesn't want a little fruit. He wants more. God wants much fruitfulness. He said: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.”
As we close this session, let me give you just one little example. We'll go to Exodus, and I'm always amazed at this passage. Exodus chapter one, and this is talking about the children of Israel who are in Egypt, and at this time, they're under the servitude of the Pharaoh. They're living a terrible life with hard taskmasters who are whipping them and beating them and making them serve with hard bondage.
They're going through an incredible, terrible time of their lives. It says here, in verse seven: “And the children of Israel were fruitful.” More than that, they “increased abundantly.” More than that, they “multiplied.” More than that, “they waxed exceeding mighty, and the land was filled with them.” Verse 9 says that they became “more and mightier” than the people of Egypt.
You see, dear precious saints, dear lovely mothers, this is God's intention for His people right now, in the USA, in every nation where His people live. He wants His people to be “more and mightier” than the heathen around them.
Today, we are in a neck and neck race. It's a fight between the righteous and between those who are unrighteous. It's not how it's meant to be. There should be an absolutely, overwhelming filling of the land with God's people. If His people will embrace His very first commandment, that's what will happen.
Now of course, the Egyptians, they got scared. They got mad. They didn't know what to do. They thought, “Wow, these people are going to overtake us. So we're going to afflict them. We're going to make it harder for them.” Verse 12 says: “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.”
My, we don't even have persecution today. We still can't even multiply. What is wrong with us?! But that's what the children of Israel did. And they were more and mightier than the Egyptians.
That's what God wants us to be. Come on, ladies, let's get to understand God's heart. Let's get off the fence. Let's get off being mediocre, boring, and mundane, and just the normal. Let's be the people who God want us to be. Amen?
“Dear Father, I do thank You so much for every precious one listening today. Young persons, mothers, grandmothers, bless them, Father. I pray that You will pour out Your Spirit all over them and make them fruitful. Not only fruitful, but very fruitful, exceedingly fruitful. Much fruit.
Lord God, help us to be those who shine with Your Light, and who bring glory to You, and who bring forth much fruit. Help us to bring forth fruit in the natural and in the spiritual, so that we may glorify Your Name. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”