You have a spiritual territory. It would be good if you were to consider this: what is that territory? What specifically is my territory? What does God require of me to do in that territory? And if I don't do it, what happens? Those are good questions to ask aren't they? What is my territory, what am I supposed to do in that territory, and if I don't do it, what are some of the things that happen as a result of that? Those are good kinds of questions to ask isn't it aye? Alright then, so the first thing is we'll read in 2 Corinthians 10, Verse 13 and Paul is writing. He says we, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere God has appointed to us - a sphere which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though our authority did not extend to you, for it was to you that we came with the gospel, not boasting of things beyond what God gave to us or our measure, not boasting of other men's labours, but having hope that as your faith is increased, we shall be enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and we not boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment.
Now it's not easy language to get to understand, so we're just going to identify a couple of words that he uses there, and then explain what he's saying. Now he uses the word measure, will not boast beyond our measure. That word measure is a word in the original language called metron, from which we get the word metre, a metre rule. The word metron is like a measure, it's like if you want to measure our something to someone, you would just stick the cup in and you'd measure it up, and then you had an idea this is the bit that I measure out to you. So you can imagine I might have several different cups, so there's a glass over there and this glass can hold a measure of water - but if I had a jug, a-ha, now I've got a bigger measure of water. So the measure then - what he's saying, the word metron there means a measure, something that's apportioned by God to a person.
So God measures out to you, something for you, so your measure is different to mine. It's unique to each person, and he says we won't boast beyond our measure, but within the limits of the sphere God has appointed to us. That word sphere is the word canon, and it means a bounded area that God has measured out for you to operate in - so Paul's saying something like this: I have been given by God an area or territory. It's been measured to me by God, for me to operate in. That's my responsibility. He says: so my measure reaches and includes you, but he says I won't go beyond what God has given me. I'll stay within the sphere God has given me. Getting the idea? So he's saying God has measured to me an area of influence, and that territory or area of influence includes you, and we've brought you the gospel. We're praying that your faith will grow, and if your faith grows then the influence will grow, and my territory will increase.
So he's saying: I didn't go into anyone else's territory. I've actually pioneered, and this is my own territory, so he's identifying I have a territory God measured out for me to minister in, and bring God's life into, and I don't go past that. Jesus Himself, you notice when the woman, the Phoenician woman came to Him and said, could you heal my daughter, and He said I'm not sent to the Gentiles, I'm sent to the house of Israel. So in other words He's saying my sphere of operation in this period of history is for Israel, but her faith was so strong she literally pulled Him out, and He ministered anyway, and she got the miracle because of her faith. So faith was what enabled her to pull a miracle out of the sphere of influence into where she was, but Jesus defined His sphere of influence: it was Israel. Now after He rose from the dead, He's now sent the gospel to go everywhere through every believer, so you have a territory, a sphere of influence.
So you have a particular territory God has measured to you. Now this would help Christians stop being competitive with one another, if they recognised actually I have my own territory that God's given me, I have my own area I'm responsible for, I should mind my business and not be worried about someone else's business, or even envious of what God has given them. So what God has measured to Bryan, He's measured to Bryan, not to me, so why should I be envious of that? Am I going to get angry with God because God did that? No, God knows what Bryan is capable of, and God has given him giftings and a sphere of influence and that's his to operate in. I should rejoice in it and encourage him in it, see? Otherwise we look at what others have, their giftings and their influence, and we get jealous of it - oh, how come they've got that and blah blah blah. We get into that negative thinking.