Thursday Night Bible Study

Service (Click on "Service" for audio access)

"How Shall We Then Live"  •  1.26.12  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- When a person comes to Christ, for a time, they are infants spiritually, constantly in need of food and dependant entirely on others to help bring them along. For a time, that's appropriate.

- Over time, a supernatural thing begins to occur: The spiritual baby becomes a maturing believer ready to contribute, hungry for responsibility, looking to exercise their faith!

- He or she goes from being a constant consumer to a full blown participant! God's Word is implanted, the seed has found good ground, and now, the overwhelming concern is fruitfulness.

- The maturing believer goes from asking, "I wonder what I'll learn today," and begins to ask, "I wonder how God will use what I have learned to bless others today!"

- In this final part of this set of studies, I want to direct our attention to what the Bible tells us about service and how that topic might be different than we think.

Text

- First, we need to recognize that all service is the natural outflow of worship. Turn with me to Romans 12. This is an especially famous verse and one that gets us on the right track.

•  Romans 12:1 :  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."  :  "Beseech" is an old world meaning to "appeal." Paul is making an impassioned plea to his audience, based on all the riches of their salvation.

- God has taken our filth and given us His perfection to wear. He has saved us from our sins, solely by His sweet grace. With this as the context, Paul appeals to believers.

- In light of all this mercy, it's right for you to present, to place your bodies at the disposal of the Lord. The sense is, "Lord, do with me as you wish!" You have given your all, now I give my all!

- In this way, the person is a living sacrfice, holy, set apart because of what Jesus has done for them, and viable in the hands of God. This Paul says is their logical, sacred service.

- The ESV translates "reasonable service," as "your spiritual worship." We worship the Lord, we respond rightly to His mercy by seeking to serve Him.

- When we serve, it comes not as a debt that is owed, but as a loving response for what God has done for us! That makes sense doesn't it?

- In the world, you hear of people who give to charities that they once found themselves beneficiaries of.

- In the same way, having received the grace and mercy of the Lord, you are overjoyed at the thought of serving Him! When you come to that understanding, you enter a wonderful fellowship.

- Every great person of the faith that has ever lived, has simply been a servant of God! You are a servant of God's right now. Perhaps you are still in training, but you are a servant nonetheless!

- Paul calls himself a "bondservant" or "bondslave" of God. (Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1) James, Peter and Jude refer to themselves this way (James 1:1, II Peter 1:1, Jude 1).

- This was not false humility on their parts. This was their reality. They considered themselves willing, voluntary servants of Jesus Christ, carrying out His work with all of their lives.

- Think of yourself as an extension of Him. To the person needing wisdom, you are an extension of His wisdom. To one needing a touch, you are the extension of His hands.

- Turn over to Philippians 4. In the world, being someone's servant is considered a lowly or humiliating thing. God shows us that in His Kingdom, it is the servant who is lifted up!

- Paul, in seeking an illustration to demonstrate that truth, points to Jesus, who became the picture, the paradigm of the believer.

•  Philippians 2:5-8  :  "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." : We examined this passage in detail recently, but I draw your attention to it again, as being a servant in God's Kingdom is the highest and greatest occupation that any Christian person could ever have!

- Jesus became a servant in every way. Like Jesus, you and I are lifted up by God when we take ourselves down a notch!

- Turn to Mark 9. The Lord's disciples believed that they would be the greatest in God's Kingdom AFTER Jesus of course, and even argued amongst themselves about it.

•  Mark 9:33-35  :  "Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, 'What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?' But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.'"  :  God desires that we serve Him by serving one another. That is how we serve Him, being a servant of all.

- God has always had this planned for you! This was His intention in saving you!

- Turn over to Ephesians 2. Paul speaks in a similar vein here in Ephesians. First, there is salvation and then there is work to be done.

•  Ephesians 2:8-10  :  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  :  You are God's masterpiece, His poem! He created you in Christ Jesus in order that you might express good works!

- You did not do good works to be saved or to earn His grace. Grace is received. Once grace is received, God opens the door for good works that He always had in mind for you.

- I have often put it like this: Faith is the root and works are the fruit!

- As a group, the church is designed by God to be a "good working" organism. The first of those works is the declaration of the full counsel of God, in teaching the Word of God.

- Paul calls the assembly of believers the "church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth!" (I Timothy 3:15) The church is meant to proclaim all of God's counsel for men.

- The second of those good works is evangelism, declaring God's word of salvation to every tribe, tongue and people. 

- That is the role of the church in the world, the good works that God prepared in advance for us as a church to do. This is what we walk or set ourselves in.

- Take a moment of practical application here. Wherever you go, you represent God, as His servant, and the church.

- Therefore, in your neighborhood, at your job, wherever they know your name, you are called to represent His interests and act as a representative of our church.

- If you are surrounded by a bunch of heathens, you are called to evangelize. This will take various forms, all of which we have seen in the book of Acts.

- There will be long conversations that endure throughout the week, where you will answer thought for thought. Other times, you will present information, teaching CDs or DVDs.

- Perhaps, in a desire to minister the gospel, you do so by looking to practically assist someone, all with the hope of speaking forth the gospel.

- Ultimately, you will invite those people to come to church with you, perhaps even picking them up from their homes!

- Do not believe for a second that you are not called to evangelize because you are not an evangelist! Paul told Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist." (II Timothy 4:5)

- We do not need to be evangelists to do the work of one, namely evangelizing!

- On the other hand, you may be surrounded by other Christians. At that point, you are one who adds to the teaching of God's Word, bringing scripture to bear on various topics.

- Your work place, neighborhood or local hangout is either a nesting ground for new believers or a place of encouragement for fellow believers!

- In these ways, you perform the work of the church microcosmically! By doing this, you begin to understand what church and the teaching of God's word is for in the first place!

- It is the place where you are equipped for every good work that God has you to perform! These are the works that you are called to perform in the world, but what about the church?

- God's people do good works towards those in need within the body, looking around always for opportunities to serve each other.

•  Galatians 6:9,10  :  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." : Note the word "especially" is not the word "exclusively!"

- Sometimes it's a meal for a person who is hurting. Sometimes it's a prayer for a brother or sister in need. Sometimes it's offering people a job or keeping an ear open for others who need one.

- We are meant to serve the Lord by serving one another. Usually, one only needs to open their eyes and look around, and God will direct you to the nearest need.

- We are to present our bodies to him and we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. Beyond these general things, what does God specifically want me to do?

- Here again is a wonderfully broad topic that every new believer and many old ones tend to spend their lives working out. Let me assure you now: God will work it out in your life!

- As much as He has been sovereign in your salvation, He will be just as gracious and powerful to move you into the position that He wants you to operate in.

- In speaking toward what capacity you might be useful to the Lord in, it's of paramount importance that we discuss the contents of I Corinthians 12.

- The scripture asserts that God has given each of His people, the body of Christ, gifts for service. They are what they sound like: Received operations of grace for service to the body.

•  I Corinthians 12:4-11  :  "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."  :  Within the church, there exists certain gifts that God has given to each of us. The Spirit gives them and God is the Lord of them.

- Let that hold your heart as you consider this topic. Gifts are a sovereign work and are nothing apart from the Spirit who gives them and the God who chooses to use them in you.

- As the Trinity involves itself in this enterprise, we also understand that there are diversities of gifts or varieties of graces. There are differences of ministries or varieties of the works.

- Paul is saying that these gifts will work out in your life in a unique way as you are unique! God is woking, Paul asserts in all of His people, for the profit of all!

- Your gift is meant to encourage and bless all. It is not meant to be a glory for you. At this point, Paul gives a few examples of the gifts that he has in mind.

- He begins with the word of wisdom and related to it, the word of knowledge.

- One speaks to intelligence given that comes from God's Word, the other an insight that cannot be known except by God's revealing.

- Paul then speaks of faith and gifts of healing. Faith being the ability to believe God in a given situation, for His work and healings for cooperation with Him in bringing a supernatural touch.

- From there the working of miracles and prophecy. Miraculous signs were given in the early church to authenticate their message.

- Prophecy could be considered forthtelling, or speaking to something yet future and unknown or it can be speaking of God's Word, the latter being the predominant case.

- God's spirit has given His body the discerning of spirits, a check in the spirit to confirm or deny something. I call it "God's Sensitivity Detector."

- Finally, Paul talks to the Corinthians about tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

- Today, tongues are often uttered in prayer meetings and people have interpreted by praying and agreeing together.

- These are gifts that we employ in serving one another. They come from the Lord and are for the benefit of His body, God giving them to His believers as He desires.

- God looks at us and says, "This person is in the position to use this gift and it won't puff them up! They'll use it in the right way and when they do it will bring joy to them and glory to me!"

- Through the rest of I Corinthians 12, Paul illustrates how necessary the use of these gifts are for the church. It's akin to a part of the body not cooperating with the rest of the body.

- You not using your gifting, Paul says, is like your arm refusing to work because it doesn't get to see, or your eyes refusing to see because it can't throw!

- Without you employing the gifts that you have or living as the gift that you are the church becomes a place of dysfunction. Paul closes things up in verse 27 and following, when he says:

•  I Corinthians 12:27-31 : "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way." : Turn now to Romans 12. Paul includes another list of gifts.

•  Romans 12:3-8 : "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." : Note again that Paul is reminding us that gifting is to be received humbly and used with humility so as to bless the body.

- Our gifts are not hammers, they're chisels, to be used for gentle work among each other.

- Additionally, Paul let's us know that it's our responsibility to allow them to function within the church for the body of Christ, because we are in Christ together.

- Because each individual is different and each individual group of believers is different, God places gifts within the body that minister appropriately there in that local church expression.

- Paul repeats the gift of prophecy, which here is the teaching of God's Word, bringing forth it's meaning for the congregation.

- He adds the term "ministry," meaning service. Teaching, which means instruction in the things of God. Exhortation being encouragement to live in what has been taught.

- Giving from the spirit refers to resource, either financially or with wisdom. It's from the spirit when it is is given with liberality.

- Leading refers to adminisration and getting things done logistically for the meeting of the body and mercy refers to those with an eye toward those who are suffering within the body.

- Now, with this quick summary as our background, think of these scenarios that may give you a sense of what gift you may possess.

- When you walk into a group of people, what is it that you perceive? What are your first thoughts? Perhaps you see one who is alone and you want them to feel included. That's mercy.

- Perhaps you feel that there is time that is wasting and you have the urge to gather people for prayer, knowing that God is about to do something. That is leading.

- By the end of the service, you have heard that someone is struggling with something personal and you want to encourage them in the word. That is exhortation and prophecy.

- At the same time, you see a bunch of work that needs to be done at the end of the service, so you jump right in and ask, "How can I help?" That's the gift of...HELPS!!

- As we close, you might be wondering what gifts you have and how they might begin to manifest. You might ask, do I just start doing something?

- The answer is yes! Be involved. Church is where you practice for the mission field that is your job, your neighborhood, your family! Think of it as a launching point, but not the only point.

- One of the major mistakes that people make and I am wanting desperately to avoid this, is to consider ministry, service or serving as something to compartmentalize.

- I serve God at church, but that's all. Or, just as bad, I serve God at home. Either way, we have missed the point. We are full time, full life servants!

- For each person, your service to God will be made clear to you by the priorities that you already have. For example, you belong to Christ and your first ministry is to Him.

- if you are married, your second ministry priority is your spouse. If you have children, that is your next priority. Then comes the job that God has placed you in.

- Because each of these is God given, ministering and serving these ministries is of the greatest importance. When all of that is in balance, find how you can minister within the church!

- The healthiest person is the one who has learned how to minister to the Lord. The healthiest couple are the couples that learn to minister together.

- The healthiest family is the family devoted to God! The healthiest churches are those filled with people who live their priorities rightly.

- The church will always have need, but will also always have God's provision! It's His church you know! For those with those right priorities consider these thoughts.

- Whatever God is going to make you, you won't see the end at the beginning! Let me give you two examples. Stephen and Phillip were both men of great renown in the scripture.

- Stephen was a mighty preacher and Phillip was a great evangelist. That's how they ended up. Where did they start? They were busboys in the early church!

- Think of Gideon in the Old Testament, who defeated the Midianite army with 300 men in a mighty route. Before he could be that, God got his feet wet by having him destroy his Father's idol.

- God gave him a baby step and he took it. Wherever you are, look around and whatever takes all your faith to do, do that first!

Conclusion

- Service is not something that is confined to the walls of the church. Service is a lifetime commitment to Christ, to express Him to every person you come into contact with!

- Start where you are and watch what God makes you!