The 7 Realities of Experiencing God Part 3: God Invites You to be Involved with His Work
- Jason Pluebell
- May 12
- 9 min read
This article series covers a book by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King titled "Experiencing God: How to Live the Full Adventure of Knowing and Doing the Will of God," in which seven individual truths are revealed and discussed that must be taken into account when following God's will. Henry and Claude go on a deep search to see what constitutes "experiencing" communication with God. They have created a list of 7 general realities that we will cover in several articles. This book has over a quarter million copies and has changed the lives of many Christians. So far, this book has given me some great insight into what God is actually doing around me, and how I can be able to join him in his work! I hope this series can help you on your journey with Christ and hearing His voice.
Now that we have identified that God is working in the mundane of our lives and actively pursuing a loving relationship with us, we may move on to the next step. That being realising that God invites us into His work, actively redeeming a lost world.
The 7 Realities
Provided is a short list of all 7 of the realities of experiencing God:
God Is At Work Around You
God Pursues A Continuing Love Relationship With You That Is Real And Personal
God Invites You To Be Involved With Him In His Work
God Speaks By The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Circumstances, And The Church
Invitation Always Leads To A Crisis Of Belief That Requires Faith And Action
You Must Make Major Adjustments In Your Life To Join God In What He Is Doing
You Come To Know God By Experience As You Obey Him, And He Accomplishes His Work Through You
God's Redemptive Work
Now that you are seeking God, the best advice I can give you is to read your bible. Try to read it daily if you can, or whenever you get the chance; it is God's word to man after all. When you read your bible, you aren't reading a fictional book or a mere cultural historical record. You are reading the redemptive activity of God in the world, that is, God coming to man. We also see that God always takes the Initiative to Involve His people; when stuck to our own devices, we cannot seek God fully (Romans 1:18). Let's look at some examples to see if this truly is biblical.
When man's sin had come to what seemed to be a max, and God was ready to judge them by water, He came to a man named Noah.
When God was ready to kickstart His new-nation campaign and create Israel, He came to a man named Abraham.
When the Hebrews cried out under Egyptian captivity, God heard their cry, and came to Moses and through him delivered the Hebrew slaves.
When the time in history came for the Son to come and redeem His sheep, He came in the person of Jesus Christ and gave Him 12 diciples to accomplish His will.
When God is about to do something, He always begins by taking the initiative. "For the Lord God does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants, the prophets. (Amos 3:7)" He invites them to adjust their lives to His will so He can work through them.
God will Show When He is Ready
When God is prepared to act, He can and will show you where He is active so you can join Him. This may involve patience (a trait and skill that is very crucial for a follower of Christ), God may spend days, weeks, months, or even years developing your character and relationship with Him. With this in mind, do not feel discouraged or intimidated when you do not receive an assignment instantaneously. God's work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4), and perfect may take time.
Jesus' Example
Jesus was just twelve years old when he was speaking for the Father in the temple (Luke 2), yet it wasn't until over a decade later, when Jesus was around 30 years old, did he begin His public ministry with His disciples. God spent the majority of Jesus' life preparing Him for His mission, so He waited as a carpenter's son until the Father revealed where He was working to Yeshu (a nickname given to Jesus, it is a shortened form of His name, Yeshua).
Let us harken back to patience; God MUST lay some necessary and strong foundations in your life before He can send you on a larger task. Don't believe me? Peter said he would go to prison and death with Jesus, just to have Jesus reply with "the rooster won't crow until you deny Me three times" (Luke 22:34). Trust in Him who knows more about you than you, and what the best you is. God is also more involved and interested in His kingdom goals than you could ever be -- He enables you to. God will also send you tasks that you can handle; it may be a challenge, but you can do it nonetheless, so be His chess piece and let Him move you where you are needed.
Time in Silence: Eisegesis is Confirmed by Exegesis!
When you have no task in the spirit, this should not be an idle time. When you experience silence from God, you should be focused on the Love relatinship you have with God. Let these times be a tool for God to develop and mold you into shape.
Now, a little advice, and many people miss this about Bible interpretation. When you take interpretations to bare bones, there are 2 ways to go about this. Exegesis, and Eisegesis. Neither is inherently bad, but approaching these dishonestly is where perversion originates. Exegesis is letting the text define itself. This involves understanding the literary style, considering linguistic and grammatical tools, respecting the culture of the time of writing, respecting who may have written the text, and defining by the original language of writing. By carefully defining the text honestly, you get the most likely original intended meaning of the author (Not everyone can do this; this is why we have Biblical Scholars).
Eisegesis is defined as “the act of interpreting a text by introducing one's own ideas, agendas, or biases, rather than the meaning of the text.” This is acceptable with things like proverbs and wisdom literature. When we read this way, we define and interpret strictly through our lens and mental filters. Well, how can this be an honest art of definition? You back up the truthful value of a concept or idea by using exegesis to find the original meaning! If the concept or idea matches up with the original, then you have a Biblically confirmed thought; on the other hand, if said idea contradicts the original text, then it is most likely arbitrary or fallacious and should not be used to define the text (unless said issue requires deeper study to resolve).
Do not Use Human Standards to Measure Assignments
What this title means is something I feel like I repeat the most. Look at every situation with the backdrop of the Cross. For example, Someone who is fasting might seem like a starving fool to someone who isn’t looking at it through the eyes of the kingdom, or someone who doesn’t party for bible study might seem like a time-wasting, foolish geek to others. If you find yourself confused with God’s work, pray for the eyes from God’s perspective; read your Bible and pray, consult a pastor or friend, a parent, or a family member.
The Revelation of “Where” is the Invitation Itself (Experiencing God ~ H. Blackaby & C. King)
This portion paraphrases a section of the Book:
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working. (John 5:17)"
"So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel." (vv: 19-20)"
What has Jesus said in these verses?
The Father has been working.
God has Me working.
I do nothing on My initiative.
I watch what the Father does.
I do what I see.
The Father loves Me.
He shows Me everything He is doing.
Jesus said He came not for His but the will of the Father. God loved the Son, so He took the initiative to reveal His will to the Son, and the Son searched for where the Father was working so that He could unite His life with the Father’s activity. For Jesus, the revelation alone of where God was working was the invitation itself. This too is Biblical; Elisha's Servant could not see God's work around Him (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha prayed that his servant could see God's presence, and his servant saw Chariots of Fire. Jesus condemned the Jews of the day for forgetting the most important part of life: A love relationship with God. Luke 19 has Jesus weeping for the leaders of Jerusalem after prophesying the destruction of the Temple. We try to find out what God is already doing around us. We believe that He will reveal this to us and that Revelation is our invitation to join Him.
The Assignment May not be Far...
Now, when I mention Assignments, do not be mistaken into thinking of large tasks like starting a church, street evangelism, studies, mission trips, etc. I mean any response from God that involves Action and Faith. Which is surprising, a lot of the time, even small things. Thus, your assignment may be right in front of you, down the street, in a relationship, a family, a friend, a community, a Job, or a Church.
God has made it evident that He works around us at all times, and asks us to adjust our lives to Him. Making changes in your life for God is accepting the invitation to join His work. Jesus says to keep His commandments and to love Him and God, and that a Helper will come to us (John 14). Jesus also says this Helper will convict the world (John 16:8). When you become saved, you enter this love relationship with God Himself. At that point, the counselor, helper, and the Spirit of Truth come and reside in your life. He is ever present and ready to teach you. The Spirit also convicts people of guilt regarding sin, and convicts the world of righteous judgment (Because He is that very standard).
Things Only God Does
God draws people to Himself. (John 6:44)
God causes people to seek Him. (Acts 17:27)
God reveals truth. (John 16:13)
God convicts people regarding sin. (John 16:8-11)
He convicts with righteous judgment. (Psalm 98:9)
What to do Next
How can we find out what to do next? By that, I mean how should we respond?
[{Pray}]:
You start by praying. Only the Father knows what He has willed, He also knows the best way to complete it in a broken world. So pray and speak to the Father, and pray for guidance.
[{Make the Connection}]:
You need to make the connection between prayer and what happens next; if you do not, you may miss God’s answer/invitation.
[{Ask Probing Questions}]:
Ask the types of questions that will reveal what is happening in a person’s, or your life (A person can be your assignment). Questions like: How can I pray for you/myself? Do you want to talk? What is the biggest hurdle in my or your life right now? What is the most important thing in my/your life? What specific burden has God given you/me? These are questions you can ask another person or yourself to find where God is working.
[{Listen}]:
Listen to what the Holy Spirit, Pastors, Friends, Family, etc., say to you in response to these questions. When you want to know what God is doing around you: Pray, and watch to see what happens next; Make the Connection between prayer and what happens; Ask Probing Questions, and then Listen. Be ready and willing to make adjustments in your life to join God in his work.
Conclusion
God takes the initiative in drawing and acting through His people. We do not seek Him on our own accord, thus He enables us to understand the things of the Kingdom. God also works on His own time, not our finite spacetime perspective. God is also at work in the world to redeem the fallen Man, and the revelation of “Where” is the invitation to work itself! And you can know when God does things Only He Can Do. When God reveals His work to you, you must respond and make adjustments to join His work. Have any doubts? What God purposes, He guarantees to complete. We worship the promise-keeping God, Jesus Christ.
I pray that God can provide you with an invitation to a task, and may you grow in the Spirit as you walk with Him in this life. May our souls be fragrant with the Love of Jesus Christ. Amen
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