A Christian leader who is not willing to serve is not fit to lead
- Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson, Building a Church of Small Groups (Zondervan, 2001)
Posts Tagged ‘serve’
Fit for leadership?
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Mary’s Faith
Sunday, November 26th, 2006Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION
Read text: Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)
? Jessica
? Kelly
? Beyonce
If you recognize those names it there it is likely you have a preteen or a teen in your home. These are the celebrities who for some fit into the category of ?I wanna be her!? They are pretty. They are successful. They are famous. For some young people they?ll say ?who wouldn?t want to be like them!?
But watch that list and you will find that it changes overnight ? in fact it probably has already changed and I?m behind the times! Names come and go so quickly it can make your head spin. While a few stars have staying power, a girl who is cool and popular today may be forgotten tomorrow.
I want to tell you about a teenage girl who will never be forgotten. She has been popular with every generation and every culture where people have gotten to know her. Her name is Mary, and she tends to get a lot of media exposure every year around Christmas time.
In most ways, Mary did not fit the normal criteria we use in ascribing celebrity status to someone. We know that she was not wealthy. We don?t know how attractive Mary was. And she was unknown outside of her home town. But there was something about Mary that captures our attention and affection. She had an inner beauty that impressed even God! Her inner beauty was so powerful that she was chosen to become the mother of the greatest person of all time: Jesus, the King of kings.
One way to describe Mary?s inner beauty is to talk about her faith, for it was Mary?s faith that caught the eye of God. Today as we read the first part of her story we?ll discover that -
? Mary Was A Teen Believer
? Mary Was An Honored Believer
? Mary Was A Courageous Believer
But even more, through her story we?ll learn that we too can be used by God to change the world. Mary?s story shows us that. . .
? Faith is not age-dependent.
? Faith positions us to be part of the greatest event in all human history.
? Faith means do what God says regardless of the cost.
1. MARY WAS A TEEN BELIEVER
(Faith is not age-dependent)
We are introduced to Mary in Luke 1:26-27
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:26-27 (NIV)
As the story unfolds in the rest of the account one of the things that stands out is how mature Mary?s faith was at such an early age. Mary was a teenager when the angel appeared to her, perhaps between thirteen and fifteen years of age. The message the angel brought would change her life in a radical way but she responded with such strong faith that we have to conclude she had been cultivating it for quite some time.
Mary isn?t alone – many of heroes of faith in the Bible had a strong faith in God at an early age. Think of . . .
? Samuel. God called him when he was but a young boy and he responded with childlike faith
? David. As a teenager he attributed his success over a lion and a bear to the Lord. He defeated Goliath because rather than fixing his eyes on the giant he saw the greater reality of the presence of the Lord of the Armies of Heaven and Israel.
? Daniel was perhaps only 16 when he and his companions were taken into captivity. Yet, despite their youth, they had such a deep faith in the Lord they were willing to face death rather than worship false gods.
Faith is not age-dependent! You don?t have to wait until you are old to become a hero of the faith. In fact, age will not guarantee anything at all. Many young people are more mature spiritually than people decades older than them. The book of Ecclesiastes urges us to start following God when we are young (12:1)!
Mary Believed In The Personal God of Israel!
The key sentence I want to emphasize here is: ?The Lord is with you? (vs28). Mary?s faith was not in a creed or a religion. She believed in the Lord God of Israel. Sadly, the same could not be said of most of the religious leaders of Israel at that time. They had a relationship with their religion rather than a relationship with their Lord.
A ?one on one? relationship with the Lord God is what sets Biblical faith apart from the religions of the world. The writer to the Hebrews, in describing faith said:
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 (NIV)
God is a person (He can be pleased) and faith begins when we believe that He exists and that His desire is that we seek Him! God is love, and the central story of the Bible is His love for His creation and that we would reciprocate that love back to Him and reflect His love to each other.
It is clear that Mary responded to His love and believed in God.
Today, we do the same thing when we believe in Jesus Christ. Reading all of Hebrews reveals that Jesus is God who became a man. The Bible explains that He did so in order to take the punishment of our sins and to offer us eternal life. Jesus Himself said:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18 (NIV)
All the more reason for me to urge you to believe in Him now! You do not have to change your life first. You don?t have to wait until you?re older. In fact, follow Mary?s example ? she had a maturing faith even as a young teenage girl!
Now, in order to appreciate the strength of her faith we must observe that Mary was a virgin when the angel visited her.
Mary Was A Virgin!
The young woman to whom the angel was sent was a virgin ? that is a young woman who had not yet had sexual relations. The Greek word (parthenos) may be translated ?girl? or ?virgin? but, in this context virgin is the correct translation because in verse 34 the fact that Mary had no sexual intercourse is stressed. The angel?s message was that Mary was about to become pregnant by supernatural, not natural, means.
The virgin birth is not an incidental factoid about Jesus ? it is central to the understanding that He was and is at once both God and man!
Only as God could Jesus reveal God to us (Hebrews 1)
Only as God could He take upon himself the sin of the world
Only as man could he identify with our humanity, weakness and temptation (Hebrews 2:18)
Only as God and man can He stand as our advocate before the throne of God (Hebrews 4:14-5:3)
Another related observation is that?
Mary Was Engaged To Be Married
Mary was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph.
This is where we infer that Mary was most likely to be in her early teens since betrothal often took place soon after puberty in the culture of this time-period and place.
This must have been a wonderful time in life for Mary as she made preparations for her wedding day. But the angel?s announcement was going to throw her wedding plans into chaos.
According to Jewish law, betrothal (or engagement) established a legal relationship between a man and a woman, binding upon both parties (Deuteronomy 20:7; 22:23-27). It took place after the conclusion of the marriage-contract between the parents, and was performed by the exchange of something of a certain value between the parties. The interval between betrothal and marriage was usually one year, during which time the woman and her property judicially already belonged to her future husband, and unfaithfulness on her part was considered adultery. How different it is from what we consider engagement today!
According to Old Testament Law the penalty for adultery was death by stoning (see John 8 ? the story of the woman caught in adultery)! Due to the fact Israel was at this time under Roman domination, the Jews did not have the authority under Roman law to carry out capital punishment, yet that did not preclude the reality that in some cases it was done anyways ? or the request of permission for doing so would be sought (again see John 8). So, Mary not only faced death but at the very least faced divorce, for that is what it took to terminate an engagement to be married. She also faced the social shame of becoming pregnant out of wedlock.
Joseph was a descendant of David. To the Jewish ear, this was a significant fact, for God had foretold that the King He promised them would be born of the lineage of David (2 Samuel 7:11-16). Although Joseph was not Jesus? physical father, Jesus would have a legal claim to the throne of David through the lineage of His family.
2. MARY WAS AN HONORED BELIEVER
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28 (NIV)
Notice:
The Angel Declared That Mary Was Highly Favored
The angel declared that Mary was highly favored, a declaration that is repeated in verse 30 ?you have found favor with God.? The word favor comes from the root word for grace. Mary was not being rewarded for something she had done but was being selected by God for a special purpose and blessing. The angel would explain that her supernatural pregnancy was the grace gift God was about to give her.
While Mary did not earn the right to be selected for this honor, there can be no doubt that God selected Mary because of character qualities He saw in her and because of her faith in Him.
The Angel Declared That God Was With Mary
The angel said that the Lord was with Mary. This was to reassure her that she would not be alone as she undertook the task ahead. In the story of Gideon (Judges 6) we learn of Gideon receiving a task to go and defeat the Midianite army assembled against Israel by the Angel of the Lord and the message for him was similar,
When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 6:12 (NIV).
The same thing had been said about King David when God the Spirit fell upon him and empowered him to lead Israel.
As an unwed mother, Mary faced the possibility of rejection by Joseph, her own family and the community. But she would never be alone, for the God wanted her to know, HE would be with her.
In a similar way, those who follow Jesus are never alone. God will never send you to do something in service of Him without providing the resources and support you need. When He commissioned us to make disciples of the nations, Jesus reassured us that He would be with us to the very end of the age.
? and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 20 (NIV)
Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:31-39).
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)
Now listen closely?only one person was chosen to bear the child who would become King – but everyone who believes in Jesus becomes part of God?s most amazing work in all human history ? that of bearing the news of Jesus to all the people of the world.
3. MARY WAS A COURAGEOUS BELIEVER
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Luke 1:29-34 (NIV)
The third aspect of Mary?s faith was how courageous she was in obeying God. Last week we looked at the courage of Joseph ? but Mary, too exhibited courage!
Try to imagine what the experience was like for Mary. Her world was about to be shattered.
? She would have to face her fianc?, her family and her neighbors with the news that she was pregnant ? news which meant she could be stoned for adultery.
? But when she tried to explain to them that God was the Father of the child, she could be stoned for blasphemy!
The following scene from the movie soon to be released – ?The Nativity Story? dramatizes how difficult it would have been for Mary to tell her parents and future husband that she was pregnant.
{The Nativity Story
Film Clip: ?I?ve broken no vow.?}
Now when the angel told Mary the news she was Mary Understandably Startled
Mary was greatly troubled, bewildered by the angel?s words and was understandably afraid. We?re not told what form the angel took when he appeared to Mary but when Zechariah, the husband of Mary?s cousin, was visited by an angel he was ?startled and gripped with fear? (Luke 1:12).
The angel told Mary to not be afraid and reassured her that she had found favor with God. Then he made his amazing prediction.
Try to hear his words as Mary first heard them: ?You will be with child and give birth to a son?.
For most of us, it is a joyful moment when we hear that we are pregnant. And today, we can find out fairly early in the process whether the baby is going to be a boy or a girl. But Mary found out she was to have a boy even before she got pregnant!
?You are to give him the name Jesus.?
Mary was to give her baby a name that was very common among the Jews. In Hebrew, it was a form of Jeshua, Joshua or Jehoshua. The name is a contraction of two words ?Yahweh? and ?shua? and means ?Yahweh saves,? or ?Yahweh is savior.? Joseph would be told in a dream that the child was to be names Jesus ?because he will save his people from their sins? (Matthew 1:21).
The angel now declares that this child would be quite literally divine! He will be called great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The ?Most High? is God, as verse 35 makes clear when the angel says He will be called the Son of God! Being the ?son of? someone meant that you shared that person?s bloodline, or as we now know, their DNA. While God, of course, has no bloodline, the statement meant that Jesus shared the same spiritual essence as God. He has Deity DNA!
And He would fulfill God?s promise to send Israel a Messiah, the One who would forever occupy the office of King of Israel.
?The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.? (v33)
Every Jewish man and woman would have recognized these words as referring to the promised Messiah (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 2).
Mary could not have fully understood what she was told. Her human son would be divine and would serve as King over a never-ending kingdom. Luke tells us that when Mary learned something new about Jesus she treasured what she had heard and pondered it in her heart (Luke 2:19).
But first, she wanted to understand how she could possibly get pregnant!
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Luke 1:34-37 (NIV)
All of this was astonishing news. Mary was told that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would have deity in his bloodline and who would one day be king of Israel. Mary asked the angel how this could possibly take place, since she was a virgin. Literally, what she said was ?since a man I know not,? or ?since I have no sexual relationship with a man??
Mary?s question was not one of unbelief! She believed what she was told. She didn?t even ask for some kind of confirmation, as Zechariah had. She simply didn?t understand how she could possibly become pregnant. She did not laugh, as Sarah had laughed when she was told she was going to bear a son. She did not dismiss the angel?s words. She simply asked for clarification about something she believed was going to happen.
The question arises, why did Mary anticipate having a baby before she had sexual relations? Why did she not simply assume that the angel meant she would have a baby after she and Joseph were married? It is doubtful she had Isaiah 7:14 in mind, in which God said a virgin would give birth to a son and call him Immanuel. But something in the tone of the angel?s message led her to understand that she would immediately fall pregnant, before she was married.
The angel answered Mary?s question by explaining that . . . Mary Would Become Pregnant Through The Miracle-Working Power of The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and create the child within her womb. That is why the child will be the holy one who is called the Son of God.
The image of the Most High overshadowing Mary reminds us of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters of the deep at creation (Genesis 1:2). We also recall the cloud of the glory of the lord that descended upon the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34,35).
Although Mary had not asked for a sign, the angel offered proof to Mary of God?s power by pointing out her relative Elizabeth?s pregnancy
Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth?s pregnancy was proof that nothing is impossible with God. Elizabeth had never had children and she was past child-bearing age when the angel appeared to Zechariah and told him that Elizabeth would bear a son (Luke 1:19).
The angel?s visit to Mary took place in the sixth month of the pregnancy of Mary?s cousin Elizabeth. The significance of this was that after Mary was visited by the angel she was able to visit Elizabeth and see another miracle ? that a woman past child-bearing age was pregnant. While not as phenomenal a miracle as what took place in Mary, it nonetheless confirmed the angel?s message.
With quiet faith Mary accepted the angel?s explanation and submitted herself to the Lord.
Then we know from the text that Mary Obeyed The Lord
Lk 1:38 ?I am the Lord?s servant,? Mary answered. ?May it be to me as you have said.? Then the angel left her.
Knowing the enormous price she was about to pay, Mary surrendered herself first to the Lord and then to His plan. Notice that although we have made much of the cost to Mary, she says not a word of it!
She said, ?I am the Lord?s servant.? There?s a wonderfully childlike aspect to her faith. With absolute trust Mary bows herself to the will of God and declares herself to be His servant. Her words must have brought great joy to the heart of God. He has always longed for His people to give themselves so unreservedly to Him.
Mary also surrendered herself to the Lord?s plan for her life, as costly as it was going to be: ?May it be to me as you have said.?
Paul praised the Macedonian churches for following the same sequence when they gave sacrificially to help other Christians in need:
And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
2 Corinthians 8:5 (NIV)
They gave themselves first to the Lord, then they gave their resources. God wants us to first give Him ourselves and then give Him our obedience.
CONCLUSION
In all of history there is only one man who bears the honor of being the first man to walk on the moon. In fact, he is the only man ever to walk on any other heavenly body than earth. No-one else can lay claim to that fame, and no-one else will ever be able to. This unique place in all of human history belongs solely to Neil Armstrong.
In all of history there was only one woman chosen for the honor of giving birth to the King of kings. While generations of women may have desired the honor, it was reserved for just one woman. That unique place in all of human history belongs solely to Mary. But we can participate in the ongoing miracle of bearing Jesus to all the world.
Let?s review what we?ve learned from Mary. Mary?s faith was . . .
? Begun in her as a young woman
? Based upon God?s Word
? Bowed to The Will Of God
The Word of God was designed to lead us into an ever deepening relationship with God. So, let?s follow in Mary?s footsteps of faith.
Do you Believe In God? Has a kernel of that faith been planted in you?
Faith in Him is based upon a historical reality ? God stepped into human history in the person of Jesus, a baby born to human parents but bearing the DNA of deity. As the rest of the New Testament explains, Jesus who was both fully God and fully Man died on the cross and rose from the dead. Those who believe in him are given the gift of eternal life and are adopted as God?s children. In calling us to believe in Him the New Testament confronts us with this historical fact and requires us to make a decision regarding Jesus. It does not begin with our felt needs, it begins with the unveiling who Christ is! Christianity is built not upon ideas or idealogies but upon the historical reality of the incarnation!
The question is: what will you decide concerning Jesus? I urge you to believe in Jesus and begin your eternal life now!
Is Your Faith Based Upon The Scripture?
In this story we see the principle that faith is always based upon the what God has said in His written Word. Biblical faith always has an object, it is not some kind of free-floating phenomenon. Faith is a response to a declaration by God or about God.
For the Christian, faith is never a blind leap! It is always an informed step of trust. Faith always has an objective basis ? it is always based upon the what God has said! Read carefully the description of faith given in Hebrews 11:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
The source of what we hope for and what we do not see is the same source that tells us that the universe was formed at God?s command: the written Word of God! Faith is a choice we make to believe and obey something God has said.
If God has said it ? you can believe it! But do you know what God has said? Go to the source to find out for yourself by reading the Bible daily.
And finally,
Are You Bowed To the Will Of God?
If God has told you to do something ? friends – you can do it! Jesus told us that without Him we can do nothing but that if we connect ourselves to Him the way a branch connects to a vine, then with Him nothing is impossible.
If God has told you to do something ? do it now! Don?t delay ? have the faith of Mary and say simply ?I am the Lord?s servant? Surrender to Him and your life will never be the same.
Equip
Sunday, October 15th, 2006Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION
For the last two weeks we?ve been looking at the beginning of the Christian church in the book of Acts and discovering some verbs (or action words) that describe the character and activity of these people. The reason why I?ve been sharing this with you is because I believe that if we are to fulfill our God-given vision of being a ?City on a Hill? then it?s important that we demonstrate these characteristics in our midst as well.
In a society that is becoming increasingly fragmented, in which people seem more and more separated from one another the church should be a refuge. It?s more than a building, more than a Sunday morning meeting, more than an organization. The church is about community, family, and operates as an organism. Church is a place where people come together; a place where everyone, not just the pastor, cares about and takes care of one another; a place where every person matters. At HPC, that?s what we aspire to be ? a community, a ?City on a Hill?. And we?re not just hoping to be that ? we are taking practical steps to make it a reality. We are developing a process that will result in the body of Christ being equipped to do what ?City on a Hill? people are supposed to do.
Two Sunday?s ago we looked at the word inspire. I tried to paint a picture of how the Acts 2 church demonstrated this action word in their composition. When you study the Acts 2 church you can?t help but notice that their impact, and influence had direct correlation with the fact they were both inspired by the Holy Spirit and the miracles of God in their midst and inspiring to those not yet a part of the church because of their connection with the Holy Spirit. Inspire is a provocative verb ? and indeed the INSPIRATION of the church of Acts provoked emotions, and activity wherever it was found. The important observation we make is that the church DID NOT blend in! In our quest to be a City on a Hill we must be inspiring. The only way we can inspire is by knowing, experiencing, and seeking the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the presence of God in our midst. It is our pursuit of Him that will lead us into those places that inspire us and the world around us. Christ truly is the ?light? in any ?city on a hill?.
Last week we looked at the word ?involve?. One word that pops up a lot in the story of the early church is the word together. Involve is really another way of saying together but whatever word is used, the idea is conveyed that this is not a solo endeavor. The amazing testimony of scripture and the church is that God chooses to involve people in the working out of His plan. He wants us to partner with Him in the work he sets out to accomplish in the world and for the most part will not do anything without the involvement of believers. A second component of this action word in the midst of the lives of the early church is that they truly were involved not only in the work of God but also involved together with each other. Not only has God chose to work through people but He has also chose to work through people in community. The conclusion then is first: we must recognize the incredible privilege of partnering with God in His work ? that He can use you and wants you to join Him and second; He hasn?t chose you exclusively out of anybody else. That is where the church comes in. As a community working together to accomplish God?s work and partnering with Him there is truly a beautiful picture taking shape of what the Kingdom of God is like.
The next action word we?re going to look at this morning is hinted at in Acts 2:42,
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42 (NIV)
Notice, that there is emphasis placed on the fact that the people in the early church devoted themselves to what they were being taught by the apostles. The idea conveyed by this word is that they didn?t just listen to what they were being taught but they practiced it. In other words, the word of God that the apostles were teaching was important for preparing the church to live full and complete lives. This then is the third word. The third verb we find evident in the life of the early church is the word EQUIP. Not only did the church inspire, not only did it involve, but through the church people were also equipped.
{show ?EQUIP? video from Sermon Central}
{If video shown: As has been so aptly demonstrated by that short video clip ? being EQUIPPED to do something is very important! Let me share with you another example?}
{approach a member of the congregation and had him/her a hammer and ask them to build something. When they say they cannot, ask why not? Answer should be something along the lines of:
- I don?t have the tools I need
- I don?t have the materials
- I have no clue what to build.
- I don?t know how
- I don?t have time}
The bottom line in this case is you aren?t equipped?that is you don?t have what you need to do what I asked you to do! That?s often how we feel sometimes in life, isn?t it? Sometimes we?re just not equipped for work, for specific tasks. The truth is, we?re not all equipped for just anything, because we?re not all supposed to do just anything in life.
When Jerry Brick shows up on a jobsite to build something, do you think he shows up one day and says, let?s build this? No, he gets all the materials, he gets all the tools, and he gets the people who know what to do with those materials and tools. He comes fully equipped for the job at hand?
Fully equipped: we hear that term related to car sales ? what it means is that a vehicle has all the equipment you could want or need
? A.C.
? CD player
? Power everything
? Maybe electronic remote keyless entry, and remote engine starter
? Maybe a video screen etc.
Equipping is empowerment?being equipped means you have the power to do something. Don?t you like the sound of something that?s power equipped?
When you look at the Word of God, we see that God asks or commands us to do many things. God says, ?Be holy as I am holy.? Jesus says, ?Go and make disciples of all nations.? He also tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are told to rejoice in the Lord always. We are not to conform to this world. We are to bless those who persecute us and do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. The same passage tells us to look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
With many of these things, we might have the same reaction as in our opening illustration,
I can?t
I don?t know how
I don?t? have the tools, the equipment, the ability, the time.
That is, I?m not equipped to do those things. But here?s the kicker. God says that, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are power-equipped to do all that He has asked us to do.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV)
I want to zero in on the one idea, found initially in verse 3 and expanded on in subsequent verses. We first looked at this verse last week when I talked about God?s desire that we be involved with Him in His work on this planet. However, the deeper teaching of this verse is that not only does God want us to be involved in His work but, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness – in other words ? He calls us to be godly, and equips us to be godly?He gives us the tools to be godly.
Now that doesn?t mean it?s easy. Yes, we still struggle with sin. We need to learn to use the tools He?s given us. You could equip me with all the tools and materials I needed to fix my car, and they?d be wasted ? because I don?t know how to use them!!
What this verse is saying, then, is that not only has he given us the tools but He?s also provided a means for us to learn how to use them. We just have to decide to use the tools, and learn how to use them?and we can learn.
How unlike God it would be if He didn?t equip us to learn what we need to learn to be godly, or even to cope with life? But here, Peter tells us that God has given us everything we need for life, He has given us everything we need for godliness. Let?s take a little closer look?
This isn?t any ordinary power.
We?re not talking about the kind of power that can fail and bring blackouts! We?re talking about divine power. Of course, divine means it comes from God. It?s not anything we can develop on our own. It?s not anything we bring to the task ourselves. It?s source is God.
The truth is, in and of ourselves we don?t have the resources, we?re not equipped to live godly lives. That?s something we have to recognize when we come to Christ for salvation. Jesus said, ?apart from me you can do nothing.? The moment we believe we can go it alone, or try that, we?ve failed. But the good news is that once we?ve recognized that we need Him, we have this divine power source we can tap into. A divine power source that equips and enables us to live life, and to live godly lives, before Him. I like how the Life Application Bible puts it,
Because we don?t have the resources to be truly godly, God allows us to ?participate in the divine nature? in order to keep us from sin and help us live for him. When we are born again, God by His Spirit empowers us with His own moral goodness.
In your notes I?ve listed some other scripture references that illustrate this point (John 3:6, John 14:17-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 1:22-23) ? I?d like to encourage you to take a look at these scriptures on your own and discover the truth that this power, that gives us everything we need for life and godliness, is His Divine power.
So this isn?t any ordinary power ? and God?s divine power is the source whereby full, abundant and godly life is possible. However there is an important word helps make the distinction between those who tap into His power and those who don?t. Notice the word ?through? in this passage. This word indicates cause and effect. It means ?the channel of an act?. It means ?of the mode, manner, state or circumstances through which anything, as it were, passes, that is, takes place or is produced.? This is important because of what comes next which is the phrase ?knowledge of Him? ? Him being God in the person of the father, son and Holy Spirit. What is effectively being said then is
We ?tap into? or are equipped through our knowledge of Him.
The way God has given us this, the means through which God has equipped us with His power, is through, because of, produced by, our knowledge of Him. Please don?t miss this. This knowledge that Peter is referring to is a more intense kind of knowledge that we use when we talk about knowing facts. This knowledge expresses a more through participation in the acquiring of knowledge on the part of the learner. It?s a knowledge that influences and results in activity and demonstrates the relationship of the learner to the object of his knowledge.
In other words, then, Peter is saying that through our increasing awareness and understanding of God at work in our lives and through our lives ? and our participation with Him, His divine power provides everything we need for godliness, and abundant life. It?s not just enough to know about Him, but our knowledge must increase through our partnership with Him. So there?s this more intense usage of the word knowledge that implies learning more about God and learning more about God with Him.
Now the primary means that God has given us for knowing Him is through his Word. We also know (through scriptures!) that we can draw closer to God through prayer, and worship. But there?s another aspect of this word knowledge that directly relates to verb equip as found in the church of Acts.
The connection can be made when we look at another scripture that uses this same word (as in the original language) for knowledge.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)
Notice these distinctive truths found in this passage:
i. God gave (gifts, blesses) apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers to the church.
I?m just going to briefly highlight what I believe each of those gifts are ? I don?t have time to go into detail. ?Apostle? means someone sent as an authoritative delegate. I like to think of them as pioneer missionaries or church-planters. Some as ?prophets? ? New Testament prophets provided edification, exhortation, and comfort to the church (1 Corinthians 14:3). Some of them conveyed new authoritative revelation to the church (Ephesians 2:20; 3:5, Acts 11:28; Acts 21:10-11). Most of the prophets, however, simply ?spoke forth? truth that God had previously revealed (cf. Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 11:5; 14:26-33).
Evangelists are also listed. Evangelists preached the gospel and served as modern missionaries both at home and abroad (Acts 21:8; 8:6-40; 2 Timothy 4:5). Their ministry was short-term.
Finally pastors and teachers. The Greek construction seems to suggest that this is referring to one function with two aspects. That is, a person involved in shepherding and teaching . The ministry of the pastor-teacher happens among settled congregations in contrast to the itinerant ministries of the apostles, prophets, and evangelists (cf. 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9;)
ii. They were given to prepare God?s people?
This is often taken to mean (and I?ve been guilty of this as well) that the pastor equips the church. But that?s not what this says. This says the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers prepare or perfect people for works of service ? in other words they help people discover what God has already equipped them with and use what they?ve been given for service. In this sense then the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers both teach people about God and what God has done in us (from the Word of God), model what serving God is like, encourage people to service, and help point out the opportunities that God is giving people to serve.
In my reading, I came across this advertisement ?
WANTED: Minister for Growing Church
A real challenge for the right man! Opportunity to become better acquainted with people! Applicant must offer experience as shop worker, office manager, educator (all levels, including college), artist, salesman, diplomat, writer, theologian, politician, Boy Scout leader, children?s worker, minor league athlete, psychologist, vocational counselor, psychiatrist, funeral director, wedding consultant, master of ceremonies, circus clown, missionary, social worker. Applicant should be everyone?s friend, but cannot have close friends. Helpful but not essential: experience as a butcher, baker, cowboy, Western Union messenger. Must know all about problems of birth, marriage, and death; also conversant with latest theories and practices in areas like pediatrics, economics, and nuclear science. Right man will hold firm views on every topic, but is careful not to upset people who disagree. Must be forthright but flexible; returns criticism and backbiting with Christian love and forgiveness. Should have outgoing, friendly disposition at all times. Should be a captivating speaker but should not get upset if people can?t remember what he spoke about only a week ago. He should be an intent listener. Will pretend that he enjoys listening to people talk. Education must be beyond PhD requirements, but always concealed in homespun modesty and folksy talk. Able to sound learned at times but most of the time talks and acts like good-old-Joe. Familiar with literature read by average congregation. Must be willing to work long hours, subject to call any time day or night but not receive any overtime pay ever. Must be adaptable to sudden interruptions. Will spend at least 25 hours preparing a sermon that people will forget in less than 1 hour and must spend an additional 10 hours reading books and magazines. Applicants wife must be both stunning an plain, smartly attired but conservative in appearance, gracious and able to get along with everyone, especially women. Must be willing to work in church kitchen, teach classes, baby sit, never listen to gossip, and never become discouraged. Applicants children must be exemplary in conduct and character; well-behaved, yet basically no different from other children; decently dressed. Opportunity for applicant to live close to work. Home provided; open door hospitality enforced. Must be ever mindful that the house doesn?t belong to him. Directly responsible for views and conduct to all church members and visitors, not confined to direction nor support from any one person. Salary not commensurate with experience, education, or need. All replies kept confidential. Anyone applying will undergo a full investigation to determine sanity. (Quoted in Equipping Them! By Joey Nelson)
Now, this ad is pretty funny but the sobering thing about it, is that some it is true in many people?s minds. Many cultural expectations have come to be attached to this role of minister or pastor while the biblical aspect of this position is often ignored. In fact, the job description didn?t even mention one key area of a pastor?s job!
It was never God?s intention for one individual person to meet all of a congregations needs (i.e. visiting all the sick, comforting all the bereaved, preaching to all the lost, or teaching all of the newly converted). While the pastor should model some of these things, it is his job to prepare the congregation to be engaged in ministry as well. Which is what the next part is all about ? the pastor is given to prepare God?s people?
iii. ?for works of service
Do me a favor, when someone asks you, ?Whose your minister at HPC? Answer them: ?We all are.? Ideally, a pastor-teacher is to work himself out of a job! Who are God?s people? That?s anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. That includes me too, of course. Friends I have been prepared by others and equipped by God to serve you in this assembly as a gift from God to be your pastor and help prepare you for service in God?s plan. Now the use of the word ?gift? in reference to myself does not puff me up, because I know that Christ is the gift-giver, not me, and He is the one who has made me what I am so that He might give me to you, and that you might make proper use of the gift given. I fully recognize I am a clay pot. Nothing more or less.
This is what the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers did in the church of Acts. Yes, you notice that they are ministering ? but for the most part they spend a lot of time preparing God?s people to serve. The fruit is evident in all the things the church of Acts was involved in. People?s gifts were recognized and put into practice and they learned to serve God in whatever sphere of influence God had placed them as well as through and in the church.
We need that kind of example at work in the church of our society today. However, I can?t tell you how many people I?e talked to over the years, who tell me they?ve visited every Christian church in town, and they still aren?t satisfied. They don?t care about doctrinal distinctives, in many cases I don?t think they?ve ever bothered to learn the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. They want to be appeased, they want to be emotionally stirred, they want to be entertained, they want to be coddled, they want to walk out feeling good about themselves? they are spiritual sloths, perpetual babes ~ if indeed they are born again believers at all ~ and they will not ever recognize the equipping God has given them let alone be prepared for work of service, if they have to run home and hide under the bed to avoid it! On a side-note I?ve also talked with people who move because they?ve been skinned and burned emotionally or because God has specifically called them to use their gifts elsewhere but I?m not talking about these kind of people. Folks, each and every saint of God has an individual responsibility before Him to build on their relationship with Him, and study His word, and avail himself or herself to the kind of training and leadership that would develop them and mature them and prepare them for service.
However, there is also the responsibility of the preacher. When a preacher let?s the thinking of the world dictate his message, when he falls into the snare of thinking he must address the social and political issues of the day, and decry the treatment of animals or bemoan the latest government maladies, or tout the praises of humanitarians and reformers of society; when he is afraid to preach the whole counsel of God because he might offend some big givers or incur the wrath of some portion of his congregation who might respond badly to truth; when a pastor, slothful himself, wants to get by, plucking a feel-good text out of the New Testament, smothering it in several cutsie ?Reader?s Digest? illustrations and patting his flock on the shoulder and sending them home smiling and talking about what a charismatic speaker he is?that man is not preparing the saints for the work of service!
And so there is the dual responsibility. God equips, my job is to prepare, and your job is to minister ? but then Paul goes on to talk about the fruit?
iv. As apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers do their job and people begin to serve the body of Christ is built up towards unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God
There?s that word knowledge ? connect it with the passage in 2 Peter and you are left with this astonishing insight. When the church functions as it should they will grow in knowledge of God ? the same kind of knowledge that Peter tells us will connect us with the divine power God has equipped us with for godliness and abundant living. Is it no wonder then that the result of this is?
v. The body of Christ (the church) is marked by maturity and attains the complete fullness of Christ.
In other words ? the fullness of Christ (godliness) is resident in every believer (and correspondingly the church) at the point of salvation but still needs to be applied to every aspect of our life (your thoughts, your actions). And so when the church is functioning as it should ? people recognize their equipping by God, they are prepared for acts of service, and the serve. The cool thing is that as you serve, and as you minister in whatever area God has equipped you?you tap into God?s divine power that gives? ?us everything we need for life and godliness?
CONCLUSION
Let me tell you what I believe so strongly and what I know about our church. HPC needs to be a church that demonstrates the action word ?Equip? in our midst. I want everyone of you to know what your spiritual gift-mix is and where you enjoy serving; to know that God has equipped you to serve. I want HPC to be a place where you are enabled to use those giftings He?s given you. I want you to know how to put together a satisfying devotional life; to know how to explain why you believe the Christian faith; to know and understand people and how to develop relationships with them; to know how to lead an exemplary life in the marketplace; to know how to build a strong family; to know how to be a servant-leader in a church; to know how to develop a positive attitude in life; to know how to bring someone to faith by sharing the gospel; to know how to read and understand the ?big-picture stuff? of the Bible; to know how and be able to disciple a new Christian; to know how to move children successfully through the stages of life. When all this stuff happens, then when we come together in corporate worship, we come together ready to celebrate what has taken place in ministry outside of the church. Worship services are celebration services. We will be so much more effective in every area if our church is like the Acts 2 church was in preparing God?s people for service.
Being an ?equipping? church must be a continual process. A farmer once said, ?The hardest thing about cows is that they never stay milked.? We?ll always be engaged in preparing God?s people for works of service because everyone is not at the same level of growth. We all come in at different heights on the spiritual growth chart. The work of preparation is never complete, so we must commit for the long haul. And this requires commitment. Commitment on my part to do my job as your pastor, and commit on your part to avail yourself of the opportunities to serve, and grow.
What?s the upside? An equipped, and prepared congregation will outlast any one leader. You all know that pastors come and go. Members come and go. We hate to see that happen, but a congregation that recognizes how God has equipped them and who are prepared can keep moving forward and not lose the momentum of what is happening in the church.
So here?s some tough questions:
Has your spiritual life made significant strides in the last five years?
Would you like to live differently with some new tools at your disposal to help you do this?
Would you like to be outfitted with some neat ideas that will help you connect with God and His people?
Nobody can ?do church? all alone. It will take all of us ? that?s all of you and all of me!
[Show the Bible] With the help of God?s word and the willingness to be involved, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we can discover where God has equipped us, and grow in our knowledge of Him. In the process we?ll tap into His divine power that ??gives everything we need for life and godliness??!
Amen.
Getting in On the Creator’s Work
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006Podcast: Download
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Read at beginning of service:
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
INTRODUCTION
Every now and then I come across statements that are used often in Christian circles but when I think about it are really things I wish we would be more careful in saying. One of those statements is?”God wants to use you”. To me the word “used” can be a bit negative. At least it is without explanation. Why? Well for one, we live in a very “user” oriented world. In this context there?s the sense of “using” something for personal gain ? in some cases when that something is “used” it is then discarded because it becomes useless. In other cases something is used over and over again until it is worn out. When talking about using tools, instruments, medication, food etc. it?s just a descriptive verb. However in it?s most negative contexts the word “used” is associated with being taken advantage of. How many of you have ever said (or heard someone say), “He/She used me!”
Now with that being said, let?s really think about the statement, “God wants to use you”. You see where I think we need to be careful about what we say sometimes? I mean how many husbands would dare say, “yeah I want to use my wife.” Or wives say, “I want to use my husband”. It smacks full of egocentric bullying and sounds incredibly selfish. So when we say, “God wants to use you” there can be this immediate association with how God is out to use people for His own personal gain and then they?re discarded or that we are just brainless “tools/instruments” in God?s hands. The sad thing is ? there are people who believe that.
Of course for the most part, when Christians use that statement that?s not really what we mean. What we really mean is that God wants to work in and through your life to transform you, to influence others through you, and to glorify His name. Is this for His benefit? Yes ? but the difference is, it?s also for your benefit. When God “uses” us it doesn?t deteriorate us but instead enriches us. The people God “uses” experience great blessings in their lives and are a great blessing to others and bring great blessing to God. In a real sense, God is blessed when we are blessed.
I believe that seeking to be “used” by God is really endeavoring to partner with His work. And friends, His business is the best thing we could ever be a part of.
People all over the world can testify to the richness of their lives when they “get in” on the creators work. Recently there has been an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a revival at Bethel Pentecostal Church in Sarnia Ontario. Some of the reports that I?ve been reading coming from the revival are really exciting. People getting healed. Lives being transformed ? and you know what the cool thing is? It?s not just happening in the church building. What?s really inspiring for me when I read about this is what?s happening in ordinary people?s lives who are getting in on what God is doing. Let me just share one example ?
At the beginning of June Candice, a 17-year-old girl had a broken hand. Some of the youth who were attending revival services went to her high school and were praying for healing for students at the school. Candice was healed through their prayers and went to church on a Thursday night to check it out. At church God convicted her of sin in her life and she dedicated her life to Christ.
The next day (Friday) at school a friend complained of pain in his ear, and she prayed for him. The power of God touched the young man and healed his ear.
On Saturday Candice joined an outreach team in Canatara Park to share her faith. That night as a result of the Word of God she had heard preached, she went home and filled two garbage bags with drug paraphernalia, alcohol, clothes, posters, and other things that she believed were strongholds in her life. She has completely turned her life around, has been set free from bondage and is stepping out in power and authority for the cause of Christ. (originally published on the website of Bethel Pentecostal Church, Sarnia, Ontario, June 2006)
This is exciting! And that?s just one example of many of the kinds of things God is doing as they partner with Him in His work. What does the Bible say is the fruit of his kingdom?
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? –Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
I?ve got to ask you the question, who wouldn?t want to be a part of something like this? Who wouldn?t want to partner with our creator in His work to advance His kingdom, and see His power at work? Who wouldn?t want to experience the fruit of the Spirit in their lives? Hopefully there is a kernel of desire awakened in your spirit to partner with God in the incredible work he?s doing. If so, then I want to share with you 5 keys to inviting the powerful work of God through your life.
Embrace the Dream – Believe that God wants to work in through you.
This is so important ? until you actually believe that God wants to work through you it isn?t going to happen. If you are going to be used by God, you will have to believe that God will use you. God has already made it abundantly clear in His word that His desire from day one has been to work in and through man to accomplish His greatest works.
In the beginning, He set Adam and Eve over the rest of His creation and Adam even named the animals. He walked with them and talked with them. What do you think they were talking about?
Reading through the Old Testament you?ll find story after story of how God took ordinary people and accomplished great things through them.
Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service.
(The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, p. 233)
Something is common in every story of a person used by God is that they first must come to a place where they embrace God?s dream for them ? where they actually believe ? “Hey! God wants to use me!”
Discover the hangups – Realize/recognize that He can?t use you unless sin/pride is dealt with
There is a problem however and that problem is sin. At it?s root sin is simply that state of pride that declares “I don?t need God. I am God” With that delusion everything moral is a matter of relevance and the door is closed to God?s blessing in our lives.
At it?s utter core all sin is traced to the single characteristic of pride. That is why the greatest hindrance to God working in your life is pride!
James 4:6 (NIV)
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
The more you die to yourself and live to Christ the more “useable” and effective you are for God?s work.
Every single one of us have “hang ups” in life that we pride fully hold on to. Things that we might say are off limits. Friends if you really want to be used by God you have to surrender everything to him. Everything. All your hang-ups ? everything. It?s not just all the bad things ? but it means all the good things as well ? there must be nothing that you hold back from God. Why is that? Because anything you say is off limits becomes an issue of pride.
So before you can be used by God you need to ask Him to show you all those hang-ups in your life. To show you the sin in your life. To show you the pride in your life. And He will. We need to pray the prayer of David,
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
It?s a simple truth ? Holy God can?t partner with Sinful and Prideful Man. Until we realize and recognize the sin/pride in our own lives we?ll never make it to/follow the next principle.
Repent of Sin and Release Your Hang-ups – Signing up for the adventure
Once you are aware of your sin and your prideful hang ups two things need to happen ? we confess our sins, and release our hang-ups.
I want to make something clear in case you?ve got it all wrong ? becoming a Christian isn?t just about praying the sinner?s prayer or raising your hand when the speaker invites you to respond. Becoming a Christian involves receiving instant change and commitment to a process. There are two things that happen when a person becomes a Christian:
Instant Change
They receive forgiveness for their sins and receive the life of Christ in exchange for their old life of the sinful self-nature apart from Christ. There is spiritual awakening that takes place where we are made whole and perfect before God. On the spiritual side of things we are no longer slaves to sin, and it?s bad fruit.
Process of Transformation
However, while there is this “instant” change that takes place there is also a process in which that change is worked into our physical, emotional, and mental lives. Paul calls this process “working out your salvation”
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
It?s like a blind man who?s been blind from birth. All of a sudden He is healed and instantly he can see! However, he still needs to go through the process of learning everything he?s seeing and working that change into his life.
That?s where commitment comes in and frankly a lot of Christians get stuck on the commitment part because the process can be hard at times.
The key is availability – when you commit to the process of the “working out of your salvation” then you are making yourself available to God?s work. When you say and believe with your heart, “You know what, this isn?t some passing fad or fancy?this isn?t a ?trial-run??I?m in this for the long haul.”
Here?s the cool thing. When you confess your sin, your pride, and release your hang-ups ? God doesn?t leave you alone to the process of transformation in your life. Did you catch what Paul said? “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose!” The truth is, you can?t do it on your own.
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I love what Rick Warren shared to a group of leaders about Moses, he said this,
Remember how God told Moses to throw down his staff? When he did, what happened? When he did, the staff became a snake, a living entity. Then he told him to do what? That’s right! Pick up the snake. At that moment, it became again an inanimate object. Warren said that the staff, when first held in the hands of Moses, represented his identity as a shepherd. It represented his income as one who was paid to take care of his father-in-law’s sheep and goats. It represented his influence. It was the instrument with which he guided and protected the flocks entrusted to him. And it even represented his infirmities, his broken dreams, failures of the past and sense of inadequacy for the future. When he was willing to lay down his identity, his income, his influence and his infirmities before God, the staff came alive with potential for the future. And when he picked it back up, it was no longer just a shepherd’s staff. It was known as the “rod of Moses.” When this uniquely gifted man, humbled by life, let go of all he had, laying the staff humbly before God, he was able to pick it up and, with God’s help, begin, at age 80, what was the most productive era of his life
Getting in on the agenda ? spend quality time with God.
The purpose of this principle can be restated in this little nugget that you can remember: Spend more time with God and God spends more time with you. To see God?s powerful work in your life and to understand His unique purpose for you requires getting in on His agenda through prayer and absorbing His word.
Matthew 4:1-2 (NIV)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Jesus started his ministry after a forty day fast in the desert where he encountered temptations from Satan. What is true of all great men and women used by God is the passionate love they have for Him and the time they spend with Him.
Any ministry done that is not birthed by a relationship with Jesus Christ, a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit, is counterfeit before God?s eyes. And hear me, success in religious activity does not constitute being used of God. Someone may minister to thousands, be a world known minister and still not be truly used of God. Being popular in religious circles didn?t impress Jesus Christ during his ministry. He rebuked the religious spirit every time he faced it.
On the flip-side even the seeming most insignificant things can be given incredible importance when a person spends quality time with God and gets to know HIS Agenda!
What does spending quality time with God entail? Reading the Bible, Praying, and making a point of meeting with Him.
What happens when you do this? What happens is you begin to recognize the voice of the Spirit of God. You begin to learn His agenda for your life and are more aware of His direction in the areas He wants you to partner with Him on.
Here?s something else to remember: Finding out what God is doing and getting in on it is much easier than trying to figure out what you think God should be doing.
Ephesians 5:8-11 (NIV)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Obey God-given opportunities – put some rubber on the road.
As you get in on God?s agenda by spending quality time with Him specific focuses and interests will begin to surface that capture your attention. As you make yourself available to him opportunities will present themselves for you to experience His hand at work. Then you are simply faced with the choice of whether you will act on those opportunities or not.
A couple important things to remember though:
- Not every good opportunity is God-given.
Sometimes even the most logical and obvious chances that present themselves can be things that aren?t what we should be doing. How do you learn the difference? Hint?I?ve already told you (Spend Quality Time with God). Bring every opportunity to God before acting on it and then go where your gut leads you. If you are spending quality time with God, and if you are willingly surrendered to His will your “gut feeling” is going to be the direction of the Holy Spirit. God speaks to everyone in a unique way folks so for me to give a formula for hearing the voice of God is pointless. What I can tell you is that as you spend time with God you?ll learn to recognize His voice in your life. (Share about David inquiring of the Lord in 2 Samuel 5)
2 Samuel 5:24 (NIV)
24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”
2. Just because something seems insignificant doesn?t mean it is.
Friend?s God doesn?t always use us in huge flashy ways. In fact, it is much more likely that the majority of His work in your life will be in the small unnoticed stuff. One story that quickly comes to mind is an event in the life of Christ. It?s a story that some of you are probably familiar with ? and one that illustrates this perfectly. One of the greatest miracles of Jesus recorded in the New Testament is His feeding over 5000 people with a little bit of food equivalent to a couple of McDonald?s Value Meals. Let?s zoom in on a section of that story in John:
John 6:5-9 (NIV)
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
A little boy had in his possession something seemingly insignificant that day that ended up being instrumental in one of Jesus? greatest miracles. I want to caution you, don?t ignore the small barley loaves and small fish in your that show up in your life because you don?t think it?s important to God! Sometimes the right word, or the right act at the right time, in the right place can have a powerful kingdom impact in eternity.
CONCLUSION – Living HIS Lead.
Do you know who has the lead role in the play of your life? You do! But never forget who the director is. The director gives you cues and instructions on playing your part. Following His prompting can mean the difference between a stellar performance or a grating show. There is nothing better than being involved in the incredible and extraordinary work of God and it can happen when you Live His Lead.
So in closing this morning I invite some of you to embark on the most challenging, yet-rewarding adventure of your life as you embrace the life God has for you in Christ and welcome His work in and through you. And to those of you already embarked I encourage you to keep believing that God can use you, release those hang-ups that are revealed by His spirit, commit to the outpouring of His grace in every area of your life, continue to find and treasure quality time with God where you “get in” on His agenda, and finally, put the rubber to the road when those God-given opportunities come your way!