Controlled by the Unseen
1996
Something to think about, you guys that are getting back into the world work system and for those that are already there. This will be a little easier for you that are just now becoming subject to unbelievers again in terms of your employment. It will be a little easier for you because you can see the contrast. Those of you that have been doing it forever, it’s going to be a little harder to see this and function in it, but you need to anyway. I made the transition while I was there. You don’t have to come out of it and go back in and do it right this time. You actually can do it while you’re there.
The growth in your ability to do it the way God wants is in direct proportion to the revelation you have of the Person of Jesus and the realities in the unseen world as being that which controls the seen world. It really does freak out an engineer with his PhD to say, “Excuse me, I have to pray about this problem. I’ll be right back.” That really does fry their mind, but it’s still true. The seen world is controlled by the unseen world. Heaven reigns, it says in Daniel. Ephesians 1 says that the nations are ruled for the church by Christ. The seen world is just a shadow, it says in the book of Hebrews, again and again, of the reality that’s in heavenly realms. Colossians 2 says the same thing.
When you get right down to it, the fact is that the economy, the weather, and the law of gravity even, all of these things that seem so tangible and real to the carnal mind are in fact just but shadows. A breath from God’s mouth is all that sustains the law of gravity. All things consist and are held together in Him. In Him the law of gravity is only the product of the breath of God’s mouth and can be eliminated that fast at the Word of God. It’s not a law at all. It’s a temporary holding pattern for a material world. By God’s current thought it’s sustained. Only now, for now, because of His current thought.
That’s why the sun can stand still in the sky. It can do that because it is totally within the realm of God’s control at any given moment in time. That’s why Elijah, a man like us, could command the clouds not to rain for three and a half years. That’s why. It’s because the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The prayer of faith makes a man whole. It’s faith that allows the seen world to be controlled by that which is in the unseen world.
All that to say, do not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do not be ashamed of that which is the only reality. Again, and once you go back in there it’s a little easier because you have a fresh outlook on it. You guys have spent time on your knees praying about problems at work, things that aren’t working, or situations that are challenges. You’ve all had that experience and you function that way, those of you that have been doing it for a while. The world doesn’t do that.
It became quite a shock in my workplace as I began to relate to that. I would pull an employee aside and say to them, “Now here’s what I need to tell you from a management standpoint, or from a corporate viewpoint, but let me tell you the real scoop. Here’s what Jesus said about it.” The ability to consider reality in front of them as opposed to being religious on Sunday or some ridiculous idea like that. It either has everything to do with everything or it really has nothing to do with anything. The sooner you can function that way, if they want to think you’re a little bit strange, so be it. What you will find in the end is a lot of respect. I got several promotions after I began to live that way. I didn’t get fired. If you happen to be fired for such a thing, so be it. God’s still in control. They can’t fire you if He doesn’t want you to be fired. They couldn’t possibly do that. When the Israelites got thrown out of Egypt, they got thrown out carrying all the gold and silver
they could carry, because God said so.
That’s the way it is. The sooner we can grasp that, whether you are a nurse or an accountant or an engineer or a restaurant worker, the sooner you can grasp that you are a servant of the Most High God and that is your primary role, you’re an ambassador of His government, of His power, of His love, of His righteousness, that is your primary role. Anything else that you do beyond that is extra. You need to function out of the hub of who you are in Christ, not in these spotty, departmentalized issues of life.
“Well, that’s a nice person.” “Yeah, she is kind of a nice person. I think she’s religious, too.” If that’s what they say about you, you’re really missing something. That means that they don’t see who you really are, and you’re not functioning in who you really are if they think, “Well, there’s a nice person.” “Yeah, and I think she’s religious, too.” Because you’re going to be talking about it. Not in terms of trying to “witness” to them or trying to “share your faith.” In that sense, you’ll probably do that too, but not in the way that they would probably be anticipating. Living in the reality of saying in a board of directors meeting, “This is what Jesus said about the situation…and by the way, the reason why there’s chaos in the room right now is because we’re not functioning according to the words of Jesus. That’s why. Jesus is the author of life, and this is death right now. It’s unproductive. It’s wasting company time, and the reason why it’s that way is because the lives in this room, some, if not all, are not submitted to Jesus. It couldn’t be this way if it were under God’s government. It will definitely help our profit and loss statement, our bottom line, if we would function according to Jesus’ way. We’re wasting time and money right now.”
To be able to say that and then you see people kind of kicking their feet under the table, and flipping through stuff and then there will be a couple of people just stare at you, like, “What is this?!” But, you’ll hear from them eventually. It’s not like you’re trying to say, “You need to come to church with me.” Or, “If you’re not a Christian you’re going to go to hell.” That’s not what you’re saying to them. You’re displaying to them the seriousness and the reality of “on earth as it is in heaven.” The Creator of the Universe who put the spin on the planet and slung it out there, He’s the one that calls the shots and makes the rules. The sooner we get the idea that that is the way it is, the more functional we’ll be. The more peace we’ll find. The more reality and fullness and the more the hopes and dreams that we tried to achieve some other way will actually be fulfilled.
So, that’s the first thing that I wanted to say about you guys that are going back into the work place. Don’t lose what you’ve gotten. Don’t give up that ground. Because it’s just as real on this job--your robotics not functioning correctly is just as subject to the hand of God and the mind of God now as it was six months ago. It’s not less so because there happens to be a pagan pushing a little red or green button instead of a believer. This isn’t about religion. This is about reality.
Continue to walk that way courageously. Not some gooky, hyperreligiousness, but just the simplicity of, “By the way, one of these days as you come to know the Creator, the One who is the author of all such things, you’ll have better access to information that will allow that to be fixed.” And then go on. Drop it. You’re not inviting them to church. You’re inviting them to see God the way He really is. The rest of everything will take care of itself as they begin to be faced with reality rather than the illusions and the images, the things that are not really what they appear to be in the seen world.
The second thing I wanted to mention was that both of these brothers have asked that we would pray seriously about their situations, and it brings to mind what some of you have heard about importunity and prayer. A shameless persistence, a bold audacity in prayer that Jesus has called us to. I mention it again now, because I sensed it at the time, and I’ve seen it since then and several other people have seen it since then as well, and I’m just kind of reporting this, that now is the time. Now is the time to learn this lesson. God’s patience for sloppiness has run out, I’m firmly convinced of that.
A brother asked recently about taking notes of things to pray for. It feels so awkward or so unspiritual to actually make a “prayer list.” I mentioned to him that if that’s what it takes to be persistent in prayer, then do it. Whatever it takes. You’re never going to be a slave to that piece of paper anyway. As you have a list of things in front of you to pray about, you can skip any one you want to skip. You can pray to any degree of intensity and length on any of those that you choose to as you look to heaven to see what might be on God’s mind at a particular moment to pray about. You might wear yourself out on number 3 and you’re done, even though there are 8 more on there. Don’t be afraid to write it down to refresh your memory. The spirit is willing. But the flesh is weak, and you need to do what you need to do in order to help bridge that gap of the weakness of flesh in order to discipline yourself and to bring your body under subjection, as Paul talked about doing. Whatever it takes to do that, to run the race, then please do that.
