Where do I serve?

I am nearly finished with reading What Are Spiritual Gifts: Rethinking the Conventional View by Kenneth Berding in preparation for my AGTS graduate class, Theology of the Charismata.

When it comes to answering the question, "Lord, what do you want me to do; where do you want me to serve?" some people are at a loss. In finding the answer to that question, I really have to agree with one of the author's statements: "We will often have greater insight on where to serve in the future as we minister in the present." There is no better place to discover God's purpose and plans for self than to be actively engaged in the pursuit with God. We do not need to fear that we will miss God's plan if we are in pursuit Him.

Detail Is Important - Small Matters Count

If you were to fly over the Statue of Liberty and look closely, you would be able to see the pains taking detail of the Lady Liberty's head. The sculptor had spent as much work on the detail of the lady's coiffure as he did any other part of Lady Liberty. Surely, as the sculptor worked on the statue, he never dreamed that anyone would ever see this detail except for the uncritical eyes of sea gulls. However, today we can fly over that Statue and see the amount of critical detail that the sculptor did not overlook. He devoted as much time and energy to what he knew would be seen, by the ships sailing by in the harbor, as he did to that which he never dreamed would ever be seen.

Paul wrote: "Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being Christian doesn't cover up bad work." Colossians 3:23-25 The Message

Tick Tock

Something to think about:

“Every choice we make is an investment in a future we cannot see. Some invest wisely. Some invest poorly. As the clock keeps ticking, the stresses of appetite, applause, and authority expose the state of our hearts and the stability of our souls. May the God of grace strengthen us to invest each tick well.” - Alicia Chole, Anonymous

Getting Out From Under Financial Bondage

We have a responsibility as believers to use discretion and balance in the handling of our personal and church finances. Here are six steps that you can take to assist yourself with getting out of financial difficulties.

1. Make sure you are tithing. This is biblical. Tithe from your "first fruits" and not from the "left overs."
2. Prayerfully ask the Lord to help you separate your personal needs from your wants.
3. Avoid the easy credit trap. If you can't afford to buy it with cash, don't buy it.
4. Learn to say "no" to your appetite for possessions.
5. Communicate with your creditors and apply as much as much as you can monthly to pay off your debt.
6. Live within the reality of your means when it comes to occasional gifts for family and friends.

God wants us to prosper, however, we are to be His servants and not the servant to lenders and debtors. God must always be placed first when it comes to our finances.

Careful Where You Walk

I once heard a story about a properous executive whose work required him to travel frequently, so he decided to buy hisown plane. He took flying lessons and was soon quite comfortabler with this new mode of tramsportation. After a few yearss he decided to also purchase a pontoon (float) plane so that he could fly back and forth from his beautiful summer home on the lake.

On his first flight in this new plane, he forgot which plane he was in and headed for the local airport runway, just as he had always done in the past. Fortunately his wife happened to be with him and when she realized what he was trying to do, spoke up saying, "Pull up, George, pull up! You can't land on a runway. You have pontoons! You don't have wheels!"

Looking flushed and humbled, the business man quickly hit the throttle and veered of toward the lake. Landing safely in the still, blue water, he shook his head ruefully and said, "I don't know where my mind was. I just wasn't thinking. That's one of the dumbest things I have ever done."

He then unlocked his seat blet, opened the door of the plane and stepped out into the lake.

I am sure that we have all experienced some mindless moments in our lives. Some of those moments may be humorous now. Others may have had some serious repurcussions or even tragic endings. Paul reminds us:

Ephesians 5:15-17 The Message
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

Better Run!

Listen to these words:

Ephesians 4:1-3 The Message
In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk — better yet, run! — on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. 2 And mark that you do this with humility and discipline — not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, 3 alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

There is a sense of urgency in Paul's writing. "walk, better yet run." Don't run in any direction. There many roads that we can travel through life. Paul is specific about the road to run. It's the one that God has called you to travel. It's about choices - making right choices - pursuing God and His plan for you.

There's a sense of activity in Paul's words - Do something! "I don't want you sitting around on your hands." Don't be frozen with fear over which direction to go. If you pay attention to God's word, He will lead you down the right path. God led Noah to build an ark and Abraham to to leave his country and family to go to a land that God would show him.

Paul speaks of consistency in our relationships. "not in fits and starts, but steadily" I get tired of walking on pins and needles around some people who think they need pampering. You never know from one minute to the next how they will respond to you. You want to say, "Grow up!"

Paul finishes his discourse by telling us to recognize our differences and mend relationships. It's about love.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Years ago, Stevie Wonder sang a song titled, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." That song popped into my thoughts out of nowhere while reading Ephesians 1:3-14 and as I was coming to the end of this passage in The Message. Here's why. Paul wrote "{13} It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free — signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. {14} This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life."

As I remember the the song started out something like this:

Like a fool I went and stayed too long

Now Im wondering if your loves still strong

Oo baby, here I am, signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours

Between that song and then thinking about what I had just read in The Message, I started thinking about being a fool in love with Christ instead of just a fool, foolishly in love as a teenager. What a difference! Being a fool in Christ these past 34 years has been a blessing for me that I would not trade for anything. The words "in Christ" or "in him" are mentioned five times in this passage. Verse 8 says that he thought of everything and provided everything that we would need. Verses 13 and 14 says that all we read in these verses are sealed by the Holy Spirit - "signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

Your signature is very important. With it, documents and contracts are signed. With it, bank accounts are opened and closed. With it checks are written. With it checks are cashed. The Holy Spirit is God's signature for you.

In Paul's day kings and important officials would seal their letters with wax and implanted signet ring. This seal made the document official. It was a sign of authenticity. What God has done "in Christ" is real! He has made it official by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

It's not enough that a document be signed or even stamped with a seal. It needs to be deliered. That is the final most important action of all. Paul is emphasizing that the Holy Spirit delivers on God's promises. And there is more coming!

A Church of Influence

I have begun a study of the letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians. As I began to do so, I reread Acts 18, 19, and 20 to refresh myself about the background of this church and Paul's relationship with the Ephesian believers. Paul had a tremendous impact in the city. It appears that the believers were very hungry to know and experience all that God had for them. The city of Ephesus had a population of about 300,000. It was a city filled with Jews and Gentiles. There was great deal of immorality, sorcery, and idol worship throughout the city. It was a prosperous city as it was on a trade route. In Acts 19, we discover three secrets for the church today that will cause it to be an effective influence in its community.

1. When the power of God is evident in the lives of the individuals in the church, the community surrounding the church is affected. When Paul arrived, he found 12 men huddled together, powerless to prevail against this large city. As Paul met with these men, he recognized that these believers were lacking something. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is unleashed, the miraculous occurs. When power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed, people speak the word with persuasiveness.

2. People of influence walk the talk. Authentic Christians live like Christ. Paul spent three years living and ministering in Ephesus. He preached in the public and lived out his teachings from house to house. He was the same in public and in private. The belivers got rid of their sorcery and witchcraft materials. They had a huge bonfire. There was a 180 degree turn in their lifestyle. In fact, the latter part of Ephesians 4 and all of chapter 5, Paul writes about the believers walk and living a constant Christian life.

3. It's not said directly Acts 18, 19 or 20, but it is made very clear when Paul writes to Ephesus later from Rome, that impacting a city requires that a church be in unity. He also talks of this need indirectly in Acts 20 when he addressed the Elders of Ephesus.

These three qualities will make for a strong dynamic church in our communities today.

Who is at the center of your life?

As I was reading Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus, his final thoughts captured my attention in Ephesians 1:23.

"The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence." (The Message)

Paul had prayed that God would make the church intelligent and discerning. He prayed that their eyes would be focused and clear in order to know His plan for their lives. He then digresses into the above verse. That word "peripheral" caught my attention. In computer terminolgy, peripherals refer to the external hardware that is connected to the computer. It could be a printer or a scanner. It might be a camera or even an external hard drive. These are peripheral items. They do not run the computer. The computer controls them. Peripheral comes from a shorter word "periphery" which means "edge." We're talking about boundaries. The church is not to be on the edge of the world. The world is to be at the edge of the church. Christ has empowered us - He has given us the authority - to be in control of our lives. The world should not be influencing us, we ought to be influencing the world.

Identity and Purpose

Ephesians 1:11-12 The Message
{11} It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, {12} part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

Identity and purpose is what everyone desires. It can only be found in Christ. God created us with a purpose and plan in mind. Alex Miller wrote, "Authenticity derives its power out of a clear sense of identity." Authentic Christians are those who are living out Christ from within.

Throwing Off The Cloak

It has been a few days since I last left a blog. I am still in the midst of traveling to our sectional councils. I have traveled some 2100 miles in the past week and half with little opportunity to post my thoughts. Two more councils to go and I will be done and hopefully can get back into some routine.

As I was reading Mark 10:46-52, the calling of the blind beggar, I was struck by what he did. When he was told that Jesus was calling him to come to him, the beggar threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus. How odd. I would think that a beggar would be very protective of the very few possessions he had, especially his cloak. It was probably the most important piece of clothing he had. It provided him warmth and possibly some protection from the elements. Yet, at the invitation of Jesus, he threw it down. I don't think that blind Bartimaeus would have thrown his cloak down if he didn't believe that Jesus had something better to offer him.

The Hebrew writer wrote: "Let us throw off everything that hinders . . ." (Hebrews 12:1).

What cloaks are hindering your faith? Pride? Fear? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Unbelief? Worldly allurements? Worldly possessions? I'm sure you can think of possible some more cloaks to add to list that can interfere with our running to Jesus to receive from him what he has to offer. What Jesus has to offer is much better than what we already have.

Faith to Believe

This morning I was reading from Mark 8:22-26. This passage is about the healing of the blind man from Bethsaida. This healing is a little unusual. Generally, Jesus did his miracles in a public setting. This one is unusal in that it is only one of three that Jesus did privately. Why?

The incident begins with some people bringing this blind man and begging Jesus to heal him. Could it be that these people were more interested in seeing a miracle than they were in seeing Jesus meet a need? Could it be that Jesus recognized that those present were not interested in the man but in a show. It may have been more like a circus atmosphere with everyone waiting for the show to begin.

Instead of responding to the those that had begged Jesus to heal the blind man, Jesus chose to take the blind man "by the hand" and led him outside the village, some distance away from the crowd. There would be no show the people. Jesus wanted to establish a one-on-one relationship with the individual in need.

I think this is an inportant element that we in the church cannot overlook. If we want to impact people's lives and make a difference in their circumstances and situations we must first establish a one-on-one relationship. Relationships with people will encourage the person in need to have faith to hope and faith to believe for in Jesus for their healing.

Humility or Self-Promotion

I'm still traveling around Northern New England attending our sectional councils. Attendance has been good. The fellowship has even been better. As our Superintendent said at one of the meetings, "Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto." Individuals who stand alone or apart for any length of time will find themselves falling. One of the benefits of fellowship is accountability. Another benefit is the ability to get things done (success and achievement).

I was recently reading an article on the web about leadership. I am subscribed to "Leadership Wired" by John Maxwell. In this particular article, he used to New England Patriots as an illustration. Because I am a Pat's fan, my interest perked up. I quote from Maxwell's article:

"In one of the greatest Super Bowl shockers of all time, in 2002, the New England Patriots topped the St. Louis Rams 20-17. As defending champions, the Rams entered the game as the heavy favorite to win. Dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” their electrifying offense had been unstoppable in the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Patriots had limped into the Super Bowl with two narrow playoff wins. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas listed New England as 14-point underdogs heading into the game. In fact, in the Super Bowl’s 41-year history, only two other contests were predicted to be as lopsided as the Rams-Patriots match up.

One memorable moment of the Patriots’ upset win occurred before kickoff when the teams took the field. As the pre-game excitement built into a fever pitch, the starters of the St. Louis Rams were introduced individually. One by one the Rams’ players strutted onto the field for a moment of personal glory—each player’s face prominently displayed on the stadium’s jumbo screens. Minutes later, in an unprecedented statement of togetherness, the Patriots broke with years of NFL tradition by choosing to enter the field as a team. The PA announcer simply introduced them as “The New England Patriots,” and the entire team, both starters and backups, raced onto the field as one. As the architect of the Patriots 2002 Super Bowl team, head coach Bill Belichick had ingrained the value of teamwork into his squad. The Patriots may not have had an equal level of talent as the all-star performers on the Rams, but their effectiveness as a team carried them to the title.

As the architect of the Patriots 2002 Super Bowl team, head coach Bill Belichick had ingrained the value of teamwork into his squad. The Patriots may not have had an equal level of talent as the all-star performers on the Rams, but their effectiveness as a team carried them to the title."

This story about my Patriots got me to thinking about Paul's words in Romans 12:3-8.

[3] For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. [4] Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. [7] If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; [8] if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.