God’s Tool Box

Jesus was brought up under the leadership and direction of his earthly father, Joseph, who was a carpenter by trade. The toolbox they used in their daily work probably contained rulers, markers, planes and compasses among other tools.

Right after Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, “Upon this rock (the fact that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Carpenters of his day not only made furniture, they also built houses. If God is in the process of building His church, what kind of tools do you suppose He is using?

Let’s take a look at what’s inside His toolbox.

Believers

The first few chapters of Acts tell us that 3,000 believers were added to the original 120 (Acts 2:41) and that a few days later another 5,000 men were saved and baptized (Acts 4:4). The number of disciples increased so much that the original 11 could not handle all the responsibility of the work. So, deacons full of the Holy Spirit were appointed from the body of believers to take care of the needs in the church. Stephen was a regular guy, a believer through whom the Holy Spirit did great wonders and miracles. Church leadership, that is the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have been given to equip (Ephesians 4:12) and prepare believers to go out and do the work of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20).

The believer is the most important tool in God’s toolbox. Without you, God’s command to go into
all the world and preach the gospel could not be carried out.

The Holy Spirit

Like tools, believers can become rusty and ineffective if they are not used and taken care of properly. One definition of rust is “any growth, habit, influence, or agency tending to injure, deteriorate, or impair the mind, character, abilities or usefulness.” The best way to prevent rust in a believer is to constantly apply oil.

Japan lacks natural reserves of oil, which is perhaps the most sought-after commodity in the world today. However, there is an unlimited supply of spiritual oil in Japan — the Holy Spirit. Speaking through the apostle Paul, God says to the Ephesian church, and to the Japanese church today, “but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

Communication

The word “communication” comes from the Latin word communicare, which means to share. Thus, communication is a meaningful exchange of information between people through sharing thoughts via messages, visuals, signals and/or behavior

We communicate by sharing meaning with our friends, acquaintances, spouses, and children. Did you notice the “uni” in the middle of the word “comm-uni-cation”? It signifies the unity of thought between believers. Psalm 133 celebrates this unity:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:

for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.

Communication with God is called prayer. Prayer does not just involve presenting one’s requests. David poured out his heart and soul to God at times. He shared his intimate feelings with God. You can let God know in detail how you feel. This is your soul communicating with God. “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).

But communicating with God also includes making your requests known to him. God is a very favorable person. Through the apostle Paul, he says, “Be careful for nothing [don’t worry about anything]; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

A key to communication with God is a thankful attitude. “Hey, God, thanks for taking time to listen to me. I’m so glad I could cast all my worries and concerns on you. Thanks for worrying for me.” Giving thanks is God’s will for you. Paul tells us to “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

There is another side to prayer, of which we Christians should perhaps be more aware. Genesis 3:8 tells us, “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Adam and Eve both heard the voice of God with their ears. In other words, they understood His language. Today, God speaks to us through his Word, the gift ministries of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, and the Holy Spirit. Simply put, God wants us to speak with Him, but He also wants us to hear what His Spirit is saying to the church. Communication with God is a reciprocal affair. Each of the seven addresses to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 ends with a call to hear what “the Spirit says to the churches.” How often do we give God a chance to communicate with us?

God uses believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, communicating together in unity, communicating with God by pouring out their hearts, making requests, thanking him and listening to him. These are the tools that God is using to build his Church.