When we thinking of ministry gifts in the church, we usually think of the "five fold" gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher (Ephesians 4:12). Most Christians would not readily claim any of those gifts, and quite rightly so, but that does not mean each believer has not been blessed with at least one spiritual gift that should be used for the glory of God. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds them, "God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!" (12:4,7, The Message).
It is true that the gifts given to ministers and Christians in the early church were for the spreading of the gospel and the conviction of unbelievers, and what was true then is still true today. However, some of the gifts bestowed on some believers can be exercised in everyday life with people we meet. We can encourage someone who needs an encouraging word, help someone with a task that few would probably notice, be an organizer where those skills are needed, pray, intercede, and comfort. These are just some of the ways in which God's people can impact the spheres of influence we find ourselves in, if we take the time to look out for and recognize the opportunities that God has placed before us to represent Him. Maybe a young mother could use some help, your local food bank another volunteer, your child(ren)'s school another pair of hands in the lunch room, and your local church another helper; the opportunities are endless. As ambassadors of Christ, the only Jesus that some people will ever see is the one they see in us and the things we do.
God expects us to be productive (John 15:2), and for that we need to use our gifts. For some of us that gift may be underutilized, and in some others, dormant. Isn't it time to "stir up the gift of God which is in thee"? (2 Timothy 1:6, KJV). The appeal of Jesus was, "Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35), yet "the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few" (Matthew 9:37). Every committed Christian has a responsibility to answer that call, and to become harvesters of souls for the kingdom of God.
There is an area of service for which you have been gifted, and which is waiting for you to step into. What has God gifted you to do?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Spending Time in God's Waiting Room
Wait. Some Christians would rather cut off an arm. In addition to words like "forgiveness", "patience", and "submission", the word "wait" has to be on the Christian's top ten list of most disliked words! Whether in the doctor's office, the supermarket line, or stuck in traffic, most of us are galled at the idea of waiting. Advances in technology have ensured that to a large degree, we are living in the age of the instant. We want things done and we want them done right now. Patience it seems is no longer a virtue, and in corporate circles the saying is that time is money. No one wants to wait.
Unfortunately, most Christians bring this "instant mindedness" to their spiritual life. While it is true that God can and often times do the instant miracles, the prevalence of certain teachings have blinded some to the sovereignty of God; His right to do as He pleases, when He pleases, and with whomever He pleases. The Scriptures are filled with accounts of godly men who spent very long periods in God's waiting room. For example, who can argue with Abraham's faithfulness, yet he who was a friend of God spent 25 years waiting for the promise of a son. Joseph endured 13 years of trials, tribulations, and jail before realizing the fruition of what God had ordained for him. Moses waited 40 years in the wilderness. David, a man after God's own heart, waited 15 years to become king. It is true that these men were not always poster boys for lessons in unwavering patience, but no matter how many times they wavered, they always found their way back into God's waiting room where they waited patiently for Him.
In many of the places we are required to wait, we have the option of leaving. We can go to another store, another doctor's office, and so on, but with God there is no other God or gods to go to (Isaiah 45:5; 14). When we need for Him to do what He is the only one capable of doing, we have no viable option but to wait.
In Psalm 37 David encourages believers to, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" (v.7), but not before setting the groundwork for this trust. "Fret not thyself" (v.1), "Trust in the LORD" (v.3), "Delight thyself also in the LORD" (v.4), and "Commit they ways unto the LORD" (v.5). Until we have done those preliminary steps, and until we come to truly accept God sovereignty in and over our lives, waiting upon Him can become a long and frustrating experience.
But there is good news. Jesus said unto Mary, "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God" (John 11:40). The same truth applies if we "wouldest" wait. Waiting is not easy, especially when it seems like nothing is happening, but He promises that "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). If He says it, or promises it, we can believe it; no matter how long it takes. He is that kind of God.
Unfortunately, most Christians bring this "instant mindedness" to their spiritual life. While it is true that God can and often times do the instant miracles, the prevalence of certain teachings have blinded some to the sovereignty of God; His right to do as He pleases, when He pleases, and with whomever He pleases. The Scriptures are filled with accounts of godly men who spent very long periods in God's waiting room. For example, who can argue with Abraham's faithfulness, yet he who was a friend of God spent 25 years waiting for the promise of a son. Joseph endured 13 years of trials, tribulations, and jail before realizing the fruition of what God had ordained for him. Moses waited 40 years in the wilderness. David, a man after God's own heart, waited 15 years to become king. It is true that these men were not always poster boys for lessons in unwavering patience, but no matter how many times they wavered, they always found their way back into God's waiting room where they waited patiently for Him.
In many of the places we are required to wait, we have the option of leaving. We can go to another store, another doctor's office, and so on, but with God there is no other God or gods to go to (Isaiah 45:5; 14). When we need for Him to do what He is the only one capable of doing, we have no viable option but to wait.
In Psalm 37 David encourages believers to, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" (v.7), but not before setting the groundwork for this trust. "Fret not thyself" (v.1), "Trust in the LORD" (v.3), "Delight thyself also in the LORD" (v.4), and "Commit they ways unto the LORD" (v.5). Until we have done those preliminary steps, and until we come to truly accept God sovereignty in and over our lives, waiting upon Him can become a long and frustrating experience.
But there is good news. Jesus said unto Mary, "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God" (John 11:40). The same truth applies if we "wouldest" wait. Waiting is not easy, especially when it seems like nothing is happening, but He promises that "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). If He says it, or promises it, we can believe it; no matter how long it takes. He is that kind of God.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Always On Time
When Jesus received news of Lazarus' illness, John was careful to note that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days" (11:5-6, The Message). Finally declaring Lazarus to be dead, He then proceeded with His disciples to Bethany "only a couple of miles away" - exactly fifteen furlongs (v.18, KJV) or approximately two miles - but somehow by the time Jesus got there, Lazarus had already been buried for four days! Jesus' delay seem orchestrated for a reason. Earlier He had said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (v.4), and again when Martha pointed out why the stone could not be moved from the grave, He reminded her, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (v.40).
Obviously, Jesus' delay was deliberate, as was John's emphasis on the four days Lazarus was dead, but why was this significant? Back in the day the rabbis taught that resurrection of the dead was only possible within the first three days after death, and it was only the Messiah that could resurrect anyone that had been dead longer. Lazarus' resurrection was for the glory of God and the glorification of the Son, and so as Jesus called he who was dead by name and he came forth from the grave, it would affirm what Martha had confessed of Him,"thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world" (v.27).
During the course of His friend's illness and subsequent death, for those looking on, Jesus was detached. Some even protested, "Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (v.37). Little did they know that God had something greater in mind, and for the most part, we are much like them. We look at our individual circumstances and feel that God has fallen asleep on us, or has lost our address, yet nothing could be further from the truth. In every situation He is in control, and if we believe, despite the evidence, we too shall see the glory of God. It is important to understand however, that all of this happens in God's time. His timing and purposes will not be hindered by our wishes for the immediate. The resurrection of Lazarus would do far more to advance the purposes of God, and the glorification of both the Father and the Son than his healing could.
Be encouraged; nothing is over until God through Christ says it's over. Equally important, He is never late. What we consider late, dead and buried is His playground, and it is in those situations that His glory is best displayed. Lest we forget, everything is all for His glory. Do you have the faith to trust Him?
Obviously, Jesus' delay was deliberate, as was John's emphasis on the four days Lazarus was dead, but why was this significant? Back in the day the rabbis taught that resurrection of the dead was only possible within the first three days after death, and it was only the Messiah that could resurrect anyone that had been dead longer. Lazarus' resurrection was for the glory of God and the glorification of the Son, and so as Jesus called he who was dead by name and he came forth from the grave, it would affirm what Martha had confessed of Him,"thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world" (v.27).
During the course of His friend's illness and subsequent death, for those looking on, Jesus was detached. Some even protested, "Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (v.37). Little did they know that God had something greater in mind, and for the most part, we are much like them. We look at our individual circumstances and feel that God has fallen asleep on us, or has lost our address, yet nothing could be further from the truth. In every situation He is in control, and if we believe, despite the evidence, we too shall see the glory of God. It is important to understand however, that all of this happens in God's time. His timing and purposes will not be hindered by our wishes for the immediate. The resurrection of Lazarus would do far more to advance the purposes of God, and the glorification of both the Father and the Son than his healing could.
Be encouraged; nothing is over until God through Christ says it's over. Equally important, He is never late. What we consider late, dead and buried is His playground, and it is in those situations that His glory is best displayed. Lest we forget, everything is all for His glory. Do you have the faith to trust Him?
Alive & Stinking No More
When Jesus stood before Lazarus' tomb and asked for the stone to be removed, we can only imagine how shocked the crowd must have been. For sure Jesus had lost it, and just in case He was overtaken with grief and had some momentary lapse, Lazarus' sister Martha was quick to reminded him, "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days" (John 11:39, KJV). Ah, the stench. Martha's claim was legitimate because after 4 days in the grave, the body was in a state of decomposition and its smell would have been very foul. However, that did not stop Jesus who was intent on demonstrating the glory of God (v.40). We know how the narrative ended. They rolled the stone away, Jesus called Lazarus by name, and "he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (v.44).
There must have been a wave of emotion on the part of those watching; shock, bewilderment, tears, laughter, and possible relief. But nowhere in the narrative was concern about the smell mentioned again. In the presence of Jesus, and the resurrected Lazarus, it was a non-issue. A stinking smell was representative of something that was dead; Lazarus was alive! The power and glory of God was revealed.
In this story is a snapshot of ourselves. Dead in sin, and stink to the core, God was nevertheless determined to bring us back to spiritual life. Jesus, sent by the Father, came to sin stained earth, not as a spectator, but that through His obedience we "might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b). He ignored the stench, called us by name, and God “who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us … quickened us together with Christ, ... raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Alive and stench-free! God called us out of our stink and funk to sit in heavenly places with Him. That's more than enough for me to shout and rejoice over. How about you? I believe today is as good a time as any to give God some praise.
There must have been a wave of emotion on the part of those watching; shock, bewilderment, tears, laughter, and possible relief. But nowhere in the narrative was concern about the smell mentioned again. In the presence of Jesus, and the resurrected Lazarus, it was a non-issue. A stinking smell was representative of something that was dead; Lazarus was alive! The power and glory of God was revealed.
In this story is a snapshot of ourselves. Dead in sin, and stink to the core, God was nevertheless determined to bring us back to spiritual life. Jesus, sent by the Father, came to sin stained earth, not as a spectator, but that through His obedience we "might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b). He ignored the stench, called us by name, and God “who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us … quickened us together with Christ, ... raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Alive and stench-free! God called us out of our stink and funk to sit in heavenly places with Him. That's more than enough for me to shout and rejoice over. How about you? I believe today is as good a time as any to give God some praise.
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