THE PORTRAIT OF A USEFUL BELIEVER

 

THE PORTRAIT OF A USEFUL BELIEVER

Written by Rev Emma Chimaobi Innocent PhD

Son 8:8-10 KJV 8 We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? 9 If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar. 10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

This song is an inspired one and we shall be drawing spiritual meaning from it. 

First, it talks about a woman who has brothers. Her brothers worry she has no breasts. Sad to it, is a defining question which they are not sure of the answer. Their doubts was, IS SHE A WALL OR A DOOR? To be a WALL means, she is chaste or a virgin while to be DOOR means she is promiscuous. And their answer is, if she is a door, they will strengthen and encourage her but if she is a door, they will shut her off from meeting men. 

Then in verse 10,she replied; "I am a virgin and my breast are full. And when my lover sees me, he will be contented."

How does this scripture relates to us? Here is the breakdown. 

Her brothers rep angels, the company of heavenly witnesses. 

The sister rep the believer, the 'bride of Christ'. 

From here, we can deduce the portrait of a useful believer. 

First of all, who is a *useful believer?* 

👉He is the believer that has align his will and ways to please the Lord. 

👉He is the believer that God can trust with His assignment of saving mankind from sin and hell. 

👉He is the believer that is conscious of the will of the Father. 

👉He is the believer that accept God's pruning 

👉He is the believer equipped for kingdom purposes

👉He is the believer that Hell fears 

👉He is the believer that heaven respects. 

Having known the definitions of a useful believer, what then is the criteria that makes a useful believer. 

The answer is in the scripture above. 

*Two portraits of the Useful Believer*

1. A Sanctified Person:

This is the first question being asked: ARE YOU A WALL OR A DOOR? 

If you are a chase virgin, angels are ready to decorate you. 

2 Tim. 2:20-21

It is your duty to purge yourself, not God. God's job is to sanctify you i.e set you apart. 

*Sow how do you purge yourself?*

By taking heed to God's Word.(Ps.119:9, John 17:17,  Eph. 5:26).

The more you allow God's Word rule your life, the more you purge yourself from habits, thoughts and words that doesn't glorify God. It is a deliberate work. You must make efforts and submit yourself for pruning. This is possible by daily meditation of God's word (Ps.1:2, Josh 1:8)

 

Another way of purging yourself is through prayer. (1 Tim. 4:5, 1 Cor. 14:4a). As you pray in tongues in the line to know Him (and not just to ask things from him), you get purged in His presence. 

Back to Songs of Sol.8:10. She answered that she is chaste. That is the qualification of one who God will adorn with grace. As believer, if you are a door where anything can pass through, God will shield you in the fold, and be weary of using you in the palace. He won't announce you to the world. This invariably means your impact will be limited. (vs 9 NLT). 

A door believer cannot reap the nations to Jesus. You got light as a believer but that light can't lighten the world, so He keeps you among brethren for more pruning. It is actually God's mercy that He shields us from the world, hoping we will wake up and make ourselves ready for the revealed glory.

Beloved, are you a wall or a door? 

Cry out to God for help to purify yourself. The more we cleanse ourselves, the greater our sanctification and usefulness to God. God is more willing to advertise us to the world as His ambassadors than we are willing to. Pray that He works in you speedily to make you ready for your reigning with Him (Philip.2:13).

2. An Equipped Life:

The 2nd statement was not really a question but an assertion, a correction. The brothers said, she got no breast but she corrected them, that she now has full breast. 

Being full breast means, you are equipped with divine realities to serve your lover. The breast is for feeding, satisfaction and pleasure. The sanctified saint is be equipped in revelation knowledge of:

i. Who he or she is IN CHRIST

ii. Who Christ IS

iii. And How to release the glory in him/her.

It is not enough to be sanctified. You got to be a son. You got to be able to distinguish between acceptable and perfect will of God. 

The two criteria will make our lover find satisfaction in us. The popular saying that God doesn't call the qualify but qualify the called. It is true in the sense of being called into the kingdom but to be sent, you got to go through some qualifications. You can come in as you are but never permitted to remain as you are. You got to change garment. (Mt.22:11-14). 

The truth is, anytime God has an assignment to carry out, he looked out for these two criteria. If you are sanctified but not equipped, your chance of being selected is less to the man sanctified and equipped. The only thing that will disqualify the latter is, if he or she is not available. 

Having only one attribute will not make us fit for the palace. Sadly, we have lots of equipped believers but not sanctified. This class of believers are dangerous & they are the ones spoiling the Gospel. They produce results but thinks results is same with approval. When urgent need is to be met, if God sends such believer, He is at risk. Some of us are risk God sends, hoping, we will represent Him well. 

However, the dilemma of being sanctified but not equipped is not good. This set of believers are faithful but not faith-full. Reliable but less efficient. Nonetheless, God is more willing to walk with such believer than the former. And if He finds the qualified available, that's God's perfect choice. This is what made Paul greatly used of God. He was well equipped in knowledge and when he surrendered to Jesus at Damascus, he immediately, became a vessel of great honour. 

Beloved, the call for sanctified and equipped believers is on. The lover wants satisfaction, not just service. Those who will hear; WELLDONE, thou GOOD and FAITHFUL servants are those sanctified and equipped for every good work. The good thing about this is, if you are willing and obedient, He will lead you through. The nations will see Him through you. He is working in us to make us like Him. 

PRAY THIS WITH ME:

Father, perfect the work you are doing in me speedily in Jesus' name, amen. 

God bless you! 

~ Rev. Emma C. Innocent

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President, ALL FOR CHRIST WORLD OUTREACH