by Rogath Henry | 31 January 2019 08:46 pm01
Luke 19:37-40
“When he came near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen.
Saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest.’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’
And He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out.’”
In the past, I believed that if I did not do the work of God, then God’s work would stop in my area. That is how I thought for a long time. I believed that when we preach the Gospel, it was as if we were helping God, and without our dedication, many people would not be saved. That is what I was taught.
But I thank God, I came to understand more… that God does not need help for His work, He is not overwhelmed by it, and He does not require assistance from humans. When God created the world and humanity, He did not leave it without plans like we humans do, thinking we are limited by responsibilities that give us headaches until sometimes we give up.
God is not like that. When He created every creature under the sun, He already assigned its place in the world, how much food it would need to live until death, how much air it requires, and so on. All of this God already determined before the creature was even born or existed.
Likewise, for every human born under heaven, the Lord already determined where they would be born, how many years they would live, how much food they would eat, when they would be saved, and when they would die. Therefore, when a person is born, it is as if they simply come to fulfill what has been written.
So no human being can help God with His responsibilities… He Himself carries out His work according to His plan. For example, if He planned for the population of Tanzania to reach 60 million by the end of 2019, whether we like it or not, that number will come! Even if some refuse to have children, it does not stop that number from being reached—God will use others to fill the gap.
Similarly, when it comes to people being saved, the Lord Jesus said:
John 6:44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
This sentence shows that salvation is for the chosen. Not everyone can receive it. One must first be chosen and then called/drawn to the Lord to follow Him. This means that if a person has not felt any inner pull or prompting to follow or receive the Lord Jesus, they can never believe Him, just as you cannot force a newborn child to speak.
Therefore, if the Lord intends for a certain number of people to follow Him this year in a certain city, perhaps Dar es Salaam, no one can reduce or increase that number, nor can anyone stop His work.
He will raise His people (His servants)—women for men, youth for elders. For example, let’s say 5,000 servants are sent to the city of Dar es Salaam. They are sent to preach the Gospel there. If they are to reap the number of 20 million people intended for eternal life, and that number is reached, their work in that city is complete and they will be sent to another city. But if out of those 5,000, 2,000 are lazy and do not produce results, the Lord will remove that work from them and give it to others. Yet, at the end, the 20 million destined to be saved will still be reached! It will happen regardless. The lazy will be replaced by diligent workers.
So, brothers and sisters, this is not the time to think that God’s work will stop if we (you and I) refuse to carry it out today. That would not be a loss for God, but a loss for us. Our place will be given to others who are diligent, and we will miss the reward in God’s sight that day.
If you refuse today to witness to others about the good news of salvation, do not think you have affected God’s work in any way. God’s work will continue, and those destined to be saved will be saved. The Lord told us to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, not for His benefit, but for ours. We are sent to gain benefit ourselves, not to help Him—He does not need it.
If you refuse to preach the Gospel in your neighborhood, city, or country, God will raise someone else to do it there, and those destined to be saved will still be saved. But you will lose your reward.
Do not think that God needs our help. He does not rely on our resources or efforts. He already has everything; the work He asks us to do is for our benefit, not His.
It is like a wealthy company owner with a successful business and many satisfied employees. If he sees a poor person and out of compassion gives him a job, it is not because he lacks employees, but because he wants to bless the poor person. If the poor person refuses the job, the loss is not to the owner but to the one who refused. The same applies to us in serving our Heavenly Father.
That is why when the Lord Jesus was entering Jerusalem, He told the Pharisees:
Luke 19:39-40
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out.’”
You see? The Lord wanted to show that God is not lacking in praise. Even if they did not praise Him, the stones themselves would cry out.
As the Apostle Paul also said, by the power of the Spirit:
2 Timothy 2:13
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
Therefore, knowing this, it is time to serve God with all our strength and talents, understanding it is for our benefit, because that day is coming in the new heavens and new earth where the Lord will show no favoritism. Everyone will have their place based on the talents they used on earth. In the new heavens and new earth, kings and ordinary people alike will have their eternal positions. So we must strive diligently as Paul anticipated.
Revelation 22:10-14
“And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city.”
Let us be diligent, serving the Lord in the positions He has placed us, and He will preserve us by His goodness.
May the Lord bless you.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2019/01/31/if-they-keep-silent-the-stones-will-cry-out/
Copyright ©2025 Wingu la Mashahidi unless otherwise noted.