"Go Out!"

by Shaynne Ricarte

For those of us who were not able to attend the joint Sunday church service in KL, we were not at all left empty. No, we weren’t. In fact, thanks to Pastor Steve Wheeler, we were spiritually nourished with God’s word. The Music Team joyfully led us in our praise and worship and Kuya Joule Bonus excitingly encouraged us to challenge God in blessing us by giving our tithes and offering. It was, and as always, a fulfilling Sunday. In all these, Matthew 18:20 was again manifested: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” What an Omnipresent God we serve!  

The moment we gladly gave our tithes and offering, we got more enthusiastic in hearing what God prepared for us. And if you may, please allow me to share it with you.

When someone tells you “Get out of my way!” or “Go out!” it doesn’t just disturb you, so much as it provokes you to anger, right? But when God tells you “Go out!” how does that make you feel? Challenged? Embarrassed? Guilty? Honored? Proud? Thrilled?

Well, I had mixed emotions. I was embarrassed, yet challenged by the words “Go out!” It was like saying “What are you still doing here? Move! Do something!” (I might be exaggerating that, so please excuse my overstatement).

Looking back at the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-32), would you have done the same thing? I mean, the walking-on-the-water part, not the sinking part. Would you also have gotten out of the boat and walked on the water? You see, most of the time we tend to stay within our comfort zone. We are afraid (humans as we are), reluctant to do something we are not used to. To quote Pastor Steve, “We are bound by fear.” Even when Peter decided to step out of the boat, I bet he had fear. But the difference is, not only did he hear God said “Come,” but he also did something about what he heard. And take note, he was the only one who responded - he got out of the boat and walked on the water! Indeed, hearing and doing are two different actions that define the result. “Speak to God and hear from God,” then “be obedient to the voice of God” and see the amazing things He will do to your life! 

To sum it all up, we can always experience God’s power, if we choose to:

1. Walk in faith

2. Respond in faith

3. Focus on God   

When the service was concluded, we found ourselves telling each other “Go out!” And somehow, that was an encouragement. A challenging one! Now that might be an odd thing to say to an unbeliever, but it should be reinforcement to a fellow Christian – who is a believer, a hearer and most importantly, a doer. Happy “doing” everyone!