1 KINGS 20:13-15 – And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the LORD, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.

THEME OF THE DAY. THERE ARE NO SPECTATORS OR CONSUMERS. Today’s scripture is an exciting account. It begins in the opening of 1 Kings 20 with the King of Syria, Ben-hadad threatening Ahab, the King of Israel. He promises to attack and plunder the land to include taking all its silver, gold, and the wives and children. And the King of Israel feels the heat. He gathered the elders of the land and sought counsel (1 Kings 20:7). They decided to resist this invading king and as they laid out their plans, fear and timidity gripped them as Ben-hadad and his armies take positions against the city (1 Kings 20:12). Then, we come to today’s scripture and the great promise of the Lord. He promises them victory, but it won’t be a time to sit back and watch what happens. Listen to the dialogue between the Lord and King Ahab. The Lord says, “Have you seen this great multitude? Yes, it is a big army. Yes, it looks formidable, but don’t fear. I am going to give you victory over these enemies of yours and mine.” I can imagine the king letting out a deep sigh of relief. Then King Ahab asks a logical question, “Lord, by whom is this victory going to occur?” Again, more relief in Ahab as the Lord says, “By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Now King Ahab is on cloud nine. I wonder if he whispered to himself, “No more war room meetings. No more sleepless nights thinking out battle plans. No, the Lord has come and He is going to use people to defeat my enemies.” But the relief soon went back to concern . . . the king asked the Lord one more logical question, “Who shall begin the battle?” And our God gives a one word answer, “You.”

The lesson we gain from this account with King Ahab is significant and timely. God will do His work. God will save souls. God will repair marriages. God will comfort the widows and widowers. God will visit the orphans and fatherless. God will defeat our enemies. But God uses means and His work is done through His people. We are not a people of “let go and let God.” That is not only poor theology; it is also an excuse to not fulfill God’s expectations of us in the world where we live. Friends, we are the hands, feet, and voice of the Lord Jesus. We serve the poor. We serve His people. We proclaim the Gospel. The tasks of the church were not given to angels but us, redeemed children turned servants.

The Christian life is not a “spectator sport” where we stay on the sidelines of church life. Nor is the Christian life one of consumerism where we come to our churches for the purpose of what we get. These two concepts are foreign to Jesus’ call to discipleship and commitment to His church. Every Christian has a responsibility to engage, not observe, in the spiritual life of a church and that goes beyond mere attendance. Every Christian must see that in contributing sacrificially to the spiritual life of a church, the community witness to the Person of Jesus Christ and His Gospel is strengthened. To be a spectator and consumer in the Christian life is a failure to understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Christian, are you a consumer or contributor in the life of your church? Are you a spectator or participant? Yes, God will give us victories in our battles, but we have a responsibility in the battle – to be engaged soldiers in the mission of His church; serving His people and reaching those yet to be His people.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to see I am not only privileged to be in your church but responsible to serve in your church.”
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QUOTE: “No Christian is a spectator in the work of the Gospel and Christ’s church. All of us have a vital role to fulfill.”