Chapter 6: God Working Through You: Rest vs. Striving

Introduction: The Paradox of Divine Empowerment

Christian growth and effective ministry are not outcomes of human striving or self-effort, but rather of divine enablement. While commitment and discipline are vital, the underlying principle of spiritual fruitfulness is allowing God to work through us. This chapter explores the liberating truth of resting in God's ability rather than struggling in our own strength. We will examine the call to cease from self-effort, cultivate trust in God's grace, understand the principle of abiding in Christ, and see how this leads to operating effectively in the gifts of the Spirit for service.

6.1 Ceasing from Self-Effort and Human Strength

One of the most challenging transitions for believers is moving from a mentality of "doing for God" to "letting God do through me." Our natural inclination is to rely on our own abilities, but God's way is radically different.

6.1.1 The Futility of Human Striving for Spiritual Results

Many believers, with good intentions, fall into the trap of trying to achieve spiritual results through human effort, willpower, or religious performance. This often leads to burnout, frustration, and a lack of genuine fruit.

• Self-Righteousness: Attempting to earn God's favor or achieve holiness through our own works leads to self-righteousness rather than true righteousness. "For by the works of the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16). While this primarily refers to justification, the principle extends to sanctification if we rely on legalistic effort.

• Burnout and Exhaustion: Ministry and Christian living driven by self-effort are unsustainable. Jesus invited, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

• Fleshly Imitation: What appears to be spiritual fruit produced by human strength is often a fleshly imitation that lacks true divine power and lasting impact (Galatians 3:3).

6.1.2 Embracing Our Weakness and God's Strength

God often uses our weakness to demonstrate His power, ensuring that the glory goes to Him alone.

• God's Strength Perfected in Weakness: Paul understood this profound truth: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

• Not by Might, Nor by Power: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6). This foundational principle applies to all areas of spiritual life and ministry. It is the Spirit's enabling power, not our human ability, that accomplishes God's work.

• Self-Denial and Cross-Bearing: Jesus called us to "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). This includes denying the self-reliant nature that seeks to accomplish things in its own strength. As Andrew Murray insightfully taught, "The believer's first business is not to work for God, but to let God work in him" [1].

Practical Lesson: Identify an area in your Christian life or ministry where you feel consistently weary or frustrated. Is it possible you are relying more on your own strength than on God's?

Action Point: Confess any self-reliance or striving to God. Ask Him to help you release control and trust His enabling power in that specific area.

6.2 Trusting in God's Grace and Divine Power

The antidote to self-effort is a deep and abiding trust in God's grace and His limitless divine power. Grace is not just God's unmerited favor for salvation, but also His empowering presence for daily living and service.

6.2.1 Understanding Empowering Grace

Grace is active and dynamic, enabling us to do what we cannot do in our own strength.

• Grace for Living: "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:11-12). Grace is the divine instructor and enabler for holy living.

• Grace for Service: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul recognized that his tireless labor was a result of God's empowering grace, not his own might.

• Access to Divine Power: God's power is limitless and available to believers. "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3). This power is accessed through faith and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.

6.2.2 Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Trusting in God's divine power means walking by faith, believing that He will accomplish His purposes through us, even when circumstances seem impossible.

• Faith as the Currency: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the avenue through which God's power flows.

• Resting in His Promises: Instead of worrying or striving, we rest in the certainty of God's promises. "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their own work, just as God rested from his" (Hebrews 4:9-10). This "rest" is a spiritual cessation from self-reliance.

• God's Sovereignty and Ability: We acknowledge God's absolute sovereignty and ability to fulfill His plans, releasing our need to control outcomes. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). As Charles Spurgeon preached, "It is not the Christian's great might, but the great might of the Spirit which is in him" [2].

Practical Lesson: Recall a time when you saw God work powerfully despite your weakness. How did that experience build your trust in His grace?

Action Point: When faced with a task that seems beyond your ability, consciously surrender it to God, confessing your dependence on His grace and power.

6.3 The Principle of Abiding in Christ: Resting in His Ability

The core principle that underpins God working through us is "abiding in Christ." This metaphor from John 15 speaks of a continuous, intimate union with Jesus, from whom all spiritual life and fruitfulness flow.

6.3.1 The Vine and the Branches

Jesus' teaching in John 15:1-8 provides the clearest illustration of abiding: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener... Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

• Source of Life and Fruit: Christ is the sole source of spiritual life and fruit. Our role as branches is not to produce fruit independently, but to receive life from the Vine.

• Absolute Dependence: "Apart from me you can do nothing." This statement is a stark reminder that all genuine spiritual fruitfulness is a result of our connection to Christ. This frees us from the pressure of performance.

• God's Work of Pruning: The Father, as the gardener, prunes branches that bear fruit so they will be even more fruitful (John 15:2). This process often involves trials and challenges that remove hindrances to greater spiritual growth and effectiveness.

6.3.2 What Abiding Entails

Abiding is more than passive inactivity; it is an active, relational dependence that involves several key elements:

• Obedience to His Commands: "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love" (John 15:10). Obedience is not a burden but a pathway to deeper intimacy and fruitfulness.

• Constant Communion: Maintaining an ongoing, conscious awareness of Jesus' presence and communicating with Him through prayer and listening.

• Meditation on His Word: Allowing His words to dwell richly within us (Colossians 3:16) and to shape our thoughts and desires.

• Resting in His Love: Being secure in His unconditional love and acceptance, knowing that our worth is found in Him, not in our performance. As E. Stanley Jones emphasized, "The secret of soul-winning is not the strain of trying to be a soul-winner, but the repose of a soul that has found the Rest-giver" [3].

Practical Lesson: Reflect on your current connection to Christ. Are there times you feel disconnected or like you're trying to produce fruit on your own?

Action Point: Spend time meditating on John 15:1-8. Ask God to help you deepen your abiding relationship with Jesus, consciously connecting with Him throughout your day.

6.4 Operating in the Gifts of the Spirit for Service

When we cease from striving and rest in God's ability through abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit is freed to operate powerfully through us, particularly in the manifestation and exercise of spiritual gifts for the benefit of others and the building up of the church.

6.4.1 Spiritual Gifts as Expressions of God's Grace

Spiritual gifts are divine empowerments given by the Holy Spirit to individual believers for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). They are not earned but freely given by grace.

• Diversity of Gifts: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). This emphasizes the diversity and the divine origin of all gifts.

• For the Common Good: Gifts are given to bless and edify the body of Christ, not for personal display or self-exaltation. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12).

• Channels of God's Power: Gifts are supernatural channels through which God's power flows to meet needs, confirm His Word, and demonstrate His presence.

6.4.2 Yielding to the Spirit's Impulses in Ministry

Operating in spiritual gifts involves a continuous yielding to the Holy Spirit's promptings, allowing Him to manifest His power through us.

• By Faith and Obedience: We step out in faith when the Spirit prompts, trusting that He will provide the utterance or action (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 14:26).

• Love as the Governing Principle: "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Love is the most excellent way and the motivation for all spiritual gifts.

• Humility: Recognizing that the power is from God, not ourselves, keeps us humble and dependent (2 Corinthians 4:7).

• Pentecostal Perspective on Manifestation: From a Pentecostal standpoint, the Holy Spirit's manifestation through gifts like prophecy, healing, and tongues is expected as an ongoing part of normal Christian experience and church life, demonstrating the vibrant, active presence of God among His people (1 Corinthians 14:1, 26). As David Petts explains, "The gifts of the Spirit are not mere human talents, but supernatural endowments intended to bring a taste of heaven's reality into the earthly sphere" [4].

Practical Lesson: Reflect on a time you felt God used you to bless someone else. Was it through a spiritual gift? How did you sense the Spirit's leading?

Action Point: Pray that God would reveal your spiritual gifts to you. Seek opportunities to step out in faith and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you to minister to others.

Conclusion

The journey of Christian growth involves a profound shift from struggling in self-effort to resting in God's ability. By ceasing from our own striving and embracing our weakness, we open ourselves to the limitless divine power available through God's grace. The key to this dynamic is abiding in Christ, maintaining an intimate, dependent union with the Vine, from whom all spiritual life and fruit flow. As we release control and trust in Him, the Holy Spirit is empowered to work effectively through us, manifesting His presence and power, particularly through the exercise of spiritual gifts for the edification of the body and the advancement of God's Kingdom. This is the liberating truth of letting God work through you, rather than struggling in your own strength, leading to genuine fruitfulness and lasting impact.

Bibliography

1. Murray, Andrew. Abide in Christ. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1884.

2. Spurgeon, Charles H. The Treasury of David. Baker Books, 1869-1886. (Volume 4, Commentary on Psalm 119).

3. Jones, E. Stanley. The Christ of the Indian Road. Hodder and Stoughton, 1925.

4. Petts, David. The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit. Sovereign World Ltd, 2005.