Head 'em Up and Move 'em Out

[HKHaugan]

Epi.19 Head’em Up and Move ‘em Out

Are you getting all you feel you need to live a thoroughly spiritual life? Is there something more? Are you wanting more than just the feeling of being a believer? Are you looking for something to do with your life that is deeper than just attending church, being around other believers, being in a Bible class, living a consciously-serving-God life? Those questions are exactly why the Lord has given spiritual gifts. They are the disciple's new way to function in His spiritual family.

Spiritual gifts give you the nerve to serve and not swerve when fear throws a curve.

That curve usually comes in the form of feeling inadequate, looking for excuses, avoiding possible conflict, timidity, not good enough and so on. Spiritual gifts do not depend on your adequacy or inadequacy. They depend on the Holy Spirit. This is where faith takes you forward. Faith is when you step out and let the Spirit lead you. It’s one thing to believe, another to trust, but it’s faith that gets you to put one foot in front of the other. When the psalmist said God’s Word was “a lamp for my feet and a light for my path (119:105),” it was to put belief and trust into motion.

There are three steps: move out, move on, move in.

You move out. In the old ‘Rawhide’ series on TV, you knew the story ended when the trail boss said, “Head ‘em up and move ‘em out.” Set your head on the next part of the cattle drive. It was reminiscent of the old Westerns. Some cowboys ride on the side, others in the back, others check for strays and others check on the trail ahead, its condition, the water stops and where to rest for the night. And when night came some were posted on the edges of the herd to guard against wild animals and possible rustlers. Cattle were edgy and easily scared. Stampedes could happen at the slightest sound. But the destination was always the main concern in spite of the adventures on the way.

Jesus was always moving out. If you follow His life in the Gospels He went from one situation to another. He was always telling His disciples to go to the other side of the lake or to go from one town to another. He led the way. He was always one step ahead in how He thought, what He taught and who He caught. He set the disciples’ course when He said that “The Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Mt.8:20).” Move out from where you are just as He did, especially if you just had a great feeling of accomplishment or found a resting place for an emotional experience. There is never a time to ‘rest on your laurels.’

You move on. Regardless of the unexpected events along the trail you may have been held up for, moving on was what you knew you had to do. A disciple is always on the move, moving out from where you were, consciously expecting, and even looking for, a way to be a witness for the Lord and a servant ready to act. It’s not sitting on the fact of having survived or felt satisfied about the moment you just went through. You are building a life of expectation. It’s an attitudinal thing. It’s part of the training of being a disciple. You stay on the spiritual alert. The anticipation that the Spirit is going to put you in a position, a place, a moment, when who you are will be called upon.

Jesus was always moving on. He was ‘a man with a mission.’ “Let us go somewhere else---to the nearby villages--- so I can preach there also. That is why I have come (Mk.1:38).” Everyday we are going from one place to another. People dot the paths we take. Everyone is an object of spiritual awareness. One of them just may be the one you are to have some kind of encounter with. Sometimes you get a nudge to do that. Others you just make for yourself. It’s staying spiritually alert wherever you are. Jesus is the primary example of someone who was totally alert in the Spirit.

You move in. When that moment of contact happens there is that sense of knowing when to speak and not to speak. You ltet the circumstance direct you. Remember, you have already been spiritually alert. The Holy Spirit is not only your counselor when you’re alone. This is the moment He is giving you the prompting and the confidence to do what is necessary to meet the need of this moment. This is precisely where faith kicks in. When you move in is when faith kicks in. It may be to offer to pray with someone. Suppose you have started a conversation and you stumble onto a problem that you think ‘is above your pay grade?’ Now we are talking faith, depending on the Spirit, followiing the Word in the words you are given at the moment. Perhaps it’s a specific need that arises. You will be given direction.

Jesus was always moving in. These are the moments when decision is put in play. He was confronted by His disciples about the need for food when thousands had come to hear Him preach. A boy with five loaves and two fish appeared and He took them, prayed and multiplied them so that the whole assembly ate (Mt.14:13-21). He moved into their hearts and the hearts of the gathered crowds. Or take His reaction when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him. Did He flinch, get angry, tell them to wait while He thought about it? Absolutely not! He looked at the crowd and the challengers and said in the Spirit, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone (Jn.8:7).” He moved right into the woman’s heart, her need for compassion and forgiveness, and challenged the hearts of the accusers. Remember their reaction? He moved into the human neighborhood “Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord...(Zech.4:6).” We move into the neighborhood of another person’s heart by inviting them into ours first. We open the door of who we are which is letting them know we come in concern for them. It’s not that we say that. It’s that they will sense we are on their side. When the door of their heart opens is when we ‘move in’ with the good news of the Lord’s Presence.

Spiritual gifts are the moving out, moving on, moving in functions that give spiritual gifts their purpose. 

Head 'em up and move 'em out!