Saturday, August 26, 2006

Inspired Service

Wow. If you happened to not be at Bash 2006 last night (or for those helping with the activities - ALL night) you missed a phenomenal turn out of many teens, many seeking the truth. The truth...that takes me into this post, being inspired to write this Saturday morning. Truth be told, a conversation I had last night helped to spur the desire to write this, something I have wanted to write for a long time. Too long.

Inspired Service. Not human inspired, but God inspired service. The only fruitful service that we can experience. Fruitful for Him, not us. Being inspired to serve means you have it in your deepest part, your are committed to serve and there is a fire inside that never stops burning, while illuminating all about you. The Holy Spirit causes this phenomena in us.

The nature of the service is not important, as God needs servants in all aspects of our lives and our world around us. Alter workers, youth pastors, lay persons that get into God's Holy Word and take it to the world via their secular jobs, missionaries who take it to the countries you only wish you could pronounce their name; yet in all that the worker must be inspired to do the work, and that inspiration comes only from God through the Holy Spirit.

The hypocrisy of many churches, and a huge failing in my eyes, is the limitations that are imposed on service, inspired or not. I am not super versed in the Bible, still being a young student of study in His Word, but I have yet to find where God has written or said, "If you have sinned, you cannot serve me in the capacity that I inspire (lead) you to serve." I wonder why that is. God took Paul from being a Christian Killer to being a Christian Creator (now I know some will take that wrong, God is the Creator, but through Paul God pulled people to Christ).

Inspired. Paul was a full-bore-to-the-max hater of Christians, killing them and blaspheming God. Until on the road to Damascus. God chose Paul to do great things for GOD, and His Church. God chose Paul. Paul merely Accepted that choosing. In simple kindergarten terms, God asked Paul to be on his team, Paul said yes. Paul could have said no. Wouldn't that have made the Bible interesting, losing all of Paul's God inspired contributions. I would have a much smaller drive to serve had that been the true case. God chose Paul, Paul accepted.

Paul was a full-bore-to-the-max Christian now. Singing hymns of faith and love in the lowest of all low dungeons at midnight, praising God for all things, good or bad in Paul's mind. That, inspired service led to several things. A great quake that opened up the captives to be able to leave, and a great testament to the truth of God. See, Paul kept God's word close, kept the Great Commission in his heart. What happened next?

The guard had fallen asleep, and when the quake happened and he awoke, he frantically was fearful that all the prisoners had escaped. That Paul had escaped. That Silas had escaped. He started to panic, and would have killed himself with his own sword fearful of the punishment he would receive for not having kept the prisoners as charged in Acts 16:23. When from the depths Paul echoed up, "Do thyself no harm: for we are all here." The jailor was saved, and all his house (family) was saved, and baptized.

Even at the worst of times, Paul and Silas gave inspired service, shared the Gospel and the plan of Salvation to whom was just their enemy, their jailor. An entire household was saved and baptized in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. They did not clamor at their situation, they did not whine or complain or turn away from God. In fact they did the opposite, were inspired and God did work great things that night. Very great things. Obedience to God on the part of Paul and Silas showed to God they were inspired by Him to do His Will, not their own will.

The meat of this post. Paul, a confessed murderer, still had inspired service. He had the fire within him of allowing the Holy Spirit to consume him. Lead and guide him. See, once Christ chose Paul and Paul accepted, he was doing the Lord's Will, not his own. Was it God's Perfect Will? I personally believe it was, for to be singing praises of God in prison, the lowest, deepest, darkest, nastiest level, only to have God release you, allow you share the plan of Salvation and an entire family choose is God's Will. In fact, I believe it is His Perfect Will. In 2nd Peter 3:9 "..not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Not willing that any should perish. God, loosed Paul and Silas to testify of Christ to the jailor and his family. They followed what God inspired them to do. Even when so many had told them NOT to testify of Christ, even though they had been beaten and striped, they followed God's Will, what I believe was His Perfect Will.

I once was told, after revealing that I felt called into the Ministry as more than just a person going to Church on Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evenings that I could never be in the Perfect Will of God. I had no clue what level or portion of ministry God wanted me in at the time, but I knew I was to do more than just sit a pew and listen. I was to act. At that point I was told I would probably never be able to be a pastor, a youth pastor, a deacon/elder or anything but maybe a Sunday School teacher or a general helper around a church. I was also told that if I felt I was to be one of those, then it was clear I would never be in the Perfect Will of God because almost no church would allow me to serve in those capacities.

Was I being told to NOT testify of my Lord, of my Christ and what depths he has brought me out of? Or was I just being told HOW I could testify and serve the Lord by someone other than the Lord? Either way, what I was being told was by a man, not God and I knew to listen to God first. Just as Paul and Silas listened to God first.

The reason I was told I would not be able to serve in any of those capacities, and that I would probably never be in the Perfect Will of God? I married a woman who had been divorced.

Next post I talk about Sin, how it is viewed by the world, some Christians and God. I also will reveal why limiting boxes imposed on inspired service can shrink and kill a church, or at least kill the servitude of the church. I will also reveal how it has affected myself, sharing where I am at now in my Christian walk, my faith, and my service to the Lord.

Oh, and Paul and Silas were given leave of the prison. Released. Set free. Do you suppose God had placed them in prison for one reason only? To witness and share the plan of salvation to the Jailor and his family? That's what I believe. When John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I believe that he would put someone in prison just to reach a jailor to share how to receive everlasting life. I believe that is part of the Great Commission of His Call to us as Christians and I believe answering that call strongly and courageously for God is his Perfect Will for all of our lives. Not serving as a pastor, a deacon, an elder, a youth pastor, a Sunday school teacher or any other "churchy" title. But sharing the Gospel, the plan of Salvation and following what Christ has commissioned us to do. And I believe anyone can do that if they accept Christ's choosing of them to do it for Him.

Scripture for this post (KJV):
Acts 16:23
And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
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Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
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And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
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And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
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And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
Ac 16:28
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
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Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
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And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
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And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
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And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
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And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
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And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
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And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
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And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Fruit of a Small Study Group

We had our small group last night, and I have to say it was amazing. It is unreal to understand the profound effect that this type of setting can have on an individual as well as the entire group. Our group was comprised of 11 people, and each shared very personal, yet so very real details of their life, their faith, inspiration and acknowledgement of how God is real in their lives, and how he is acting upon them, their families and guiding them. Important points given the reality of how many Christians view God today, interpret God today, or respond to God today.

I think for me , it was very real in the fact that many times I pray about things in my life, or the lives of others, thinking to myself that God won't answer, I am not worthy of an answer, God doesn't think I should be blessed with this, or that, or that I am not strong enough in my faith to have God listen to my prayers for others.

A few of our group members discussed feeling the same way as I have at times, and still do at times, and I didn't feel so alone, so alienated from God anymore. I also did not speak up at the group as I should have done. But it also occurred to me to think about the paragraph I just wrote, and analyze it in terms of keywords, to get a glimpse into why many I feel the way I do sometimes. Below is the same paragraph with keywords pointed out in parenthesis:

I (keyword: I) think for me (keyword: ME), it was very real in the fact that many times I (keyword: I) pray about things in my (keyword: MY) life, or the lives of others, thinking to myself (keyword: MYSELF) that God won't answer, I (keyword: I) am not worthy of an answer, God doesn't think I (keyword: I) should be blessed with this, or that, or that I (keyword: I) am not strong enough in my (keyword: MY) faith to have God listen to my (keyword: MY) prayers for others.

See, it sums up my problem. MY problem. The entire paragraph was focused on me, myself and I. Not on God, or others, even though I may pray for others, about others and try to commune with the Lord, I have focused my attention on myself (which in this case seems to be something I do more than I should). Myself. That is the problem so many of us face, is we feel inadequate to go before God to seek His wisdom, His answers, His blessings. Satan tells us that we should focus on ourselves, our apparent (or not so apparent) short-fallings and the fact that by nature we are sinful creatures that are not deserving.

The word of God, however, tells us differently. Why would the Lord instruct us to Pray without ceasing, if he had no intention of answering them (according to His will of course)? If we truly believe that the Bible is God's true word, why do we doubt that He will keep His word to us? Because Satan is the father of fear, doubt and lies.

The other aspect that should be examined is the fact that we focused our prayers, expected results and ultimate satisfaction upon the wrong focal point, ourselves. It is easy to pray that God's will be done, but it is just as easy to not truly believe and want that, especially when focused upon ourselves (many times not even knowing what we are focused on). If we feel that we are not worthy of what God wants to give us, do for us, or allow us to do, we fall right into Satan's plan to pull us away from our Heavenly Father, the Creator, the one who promised never to leave or forsake us. We are sinful and unworthy, but the price for that has been paid, surpassing comprehension many times. God's Grace Is Sufficient. With that grace comes the promise that we are held to higher things than what is on this Earth, yet we can still receive the true Blessings of God spiritually, physically and mentally while working His will in our life on Earth, to glorify our King in Heaven. The reward? The greatest gift of all (if you are a saved child of God) eternity in Heaven with our Lord. The perks? Untold blessings here on Earth, even while we may be persecuted, suffering, and feeling like we are losing the battle.

Scripture for this post (KJV):

Matthew 7:7-11
7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
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For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
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Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
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Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
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If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

And in this passage the word evil, in my interpretation, equates to sinful, though if you have discussion about that, feel free to leave a comment, or email me.