Tag Archives: Strength

How God Gets His Work Done

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One Messed Up Church

The Church of Corinth was one messed up church— they struggled with sexual immorality; and, they fought over the Lord’s Supper; and, their doctrine on the resurrection of the dead was problematic! So, when the Holy Spirit provoked the Apostle Paul to write a letter & call them out, he reminds them of the 1st time they met when he had introduced them to the Gospel:  “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified…. my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

Embarrassed Over The Gospel

 I’m not intending to read into the text; but, it seems like maybe some in the Church of Corinth had become embarrassed over the Gospel. Perhaps they felt pressured to make the Gospel more appealing to their cosmopolitan neighbors by downplaying the cross, the shed blood & the atonement. If so, there’s probably an application here for the western Church— have we digressed so far from our calling that we feel compelled to sanitize the offensiveness of the cross? Have we become so “seeker friendly” that we’ve become “Gospel unfriendly”? Do we crave the world’s approval so badly that we feel compelled to “market” the Gospel by packaging it in a more user-friendly format?

A Doctrinal Reminder

It seems, in the reading of this letter, that Paul is intent on changing some faulty thinking! They needed a doctrinal reminder about HOW God gets His work done. To put it succinctly; and to the point, God doesn’t need our help! He doesn’t want us to figure out how to do church in our wisdom or strength! He will only bless the church whose strategy it is to follow His Sovereign plan! Paul seems to clearly emphasize interactive & relationships building discipleship over any kind of “church program.” Making disciples is all about life-on-life interaction! “…I came to you…I was with you” he said in vs. 1,2.  Paul also emphasizes the power of God over human performance. Human methods will come & go; so, focus on the one constant in the entire disciple-making process— the power of God to minister through us!

Do Your Ministry By God’s Grace

If our ministry focus is on us— how much effort WE need to put into it; or what methods WE create, our results will be sketchy at best! We’ll become neurotic & self-absorbed over whatever ministry we’re involved in because our efforts will center on us & our abilities rather than God & His power to do the spiritual work. Only He can do the necessary spiritual work in someone’s life! Only He can raise the spiritually dead to life, and make the spiritually blind to see again! When we attempt to do the work God’s work in the flesh, we can become very legalistic about it! When you compare doing ministry by “legalism” vs ministry by “Grace”, GRACE wins every time! When we perform ministry in the strength of the flesh it puffs us up; and, gives us the allusion that we’re helping God out; and He doesn’t need our help!

You Can’t Do Anything Without Jesus

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A Regular Rhythm Of Your Life

The beauty of Christ’s Commission, to us, is in its simplicity— “Go…make disciples of all the nations.” As you “go” through life, be “making disciples.” Making disciples needs to be a regular rhythm of your life. That’s what Jesus was getting at! It’s hard to imagine how that could be misunderstood. As a teenage convert, to Jesus, the hard part was not understanding it; but, doing it! I understood the command perfectly well; but, carrying it out terrified me! I’d nearly go into a cold sweat every time I thought about sharing my faith with my high school friends. How could I ratchet up the strength and courage to do it? How would I know the right things to say?

It’s Not About My Ingenuity

It wasn’t until many years later when someone finally shared with me, from Scripture, that I didn’t have to depend on my ingenuity to convince people they needed Jesus! I couldn’t arm-wrestle anyone into the Kingdom if I tried! In John 15, Jesus tells us that plan will never work! No one has ever come to Christ because of a big beautiful church building; or, a “professional” Worship Band; or, a multi-media experience! The work, of regeneration, is God’s work ALONE! We cannot do the work of God in our own strength— “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.  This is at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry; and, He’s preparing His disciples for His departure.  “I will build My Church,” He told them, “And, I’m going to use YOU.”

You Can’t Do It Without Me

But, they had to get one thing straight— “You can’t do it without ME! I am the Vine, you’re just the branches,” He taught them.  All the LIFE & all the POWER & all the RESOURCES to fulfill His Great Commission came from Him! And, the key to being a branch that produces fruit,  Jesus said, was to be connected to Him, the Vine! If we’re not abiding in Him we’ll shrivel up and die, Jesus says in v.6.  We can’t make disciples in our own strength— by reading books about making disciples; or, witnessing to 5 people a week; or, memorizing Scripture; or, making ourselves accountable to someone else. That’s NOT where we find the POWER to do Jesus’ work! He alone is the source! This is one of the most devastating mistakes any Church ministry can make— doing God’s work “in the flesh.” Man’s effort won’t get it done!

God Is Glorified When We Ask Him To Do It

The work of God gets done; and, He is glorified when we ASK Him to do it! Back to John 15, vs. 7-8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified,” Jesus says, “that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Jesus does the work, of God, for us & through us! Making disciples is HIS WORK! Every spiritual work is a supernatural work & only Jesus can do the supernatural! We’re just a branch; but, when we’re tapped into Jesus Christ, the Vine, He does great things through us; and God is glorified! “Ask what you desire,” He says. God is pleased when we pray for things according to His will! “And it shall be done for you,” Jesus says. The work of God can only be done by God! God answers when we ask Him for leading to & wisdom in communicating with unbelievers! It’s God who draws those to Himself who will be saved!

Growing Up Spiritually In Community

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The Greatest Commandment?

We’ve often pointed out that the world generally obsesses over the “self.” But, God, in the Scriptures, directs us to be “God-focused” and “others-focused”! When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Love God supremely; and love others in the same way that you love yourself! That means looking out for their best interests in the same way we look out for our best interests.

“Self-Centeredness” In Our Churches

Unfortunately, this “self-centeredness” has trickled down into our churches; so, even our spiritual growth is seen as something accomplished as an “individual.” For many modern believers, here in the West, being part of a church or a “community of faith” is seen as “supplemental”, and not “essential”, to our spiritual growth. We believe the Scriptures debunk that individualistic mindset.  God uses our local church— our faith community— to grow us at a deeper & more intimate level than can be accomplished alone.

Build Up The Body

Paul often reminded the local churches (as he did the Church of Ephesus in ch.4:11-16) that they were to function as a “body” functions; not as a group of self-centered, self-absorbed individuals! The “work of the ministry” is to “build up the BODY”, he said. The spiritual growth God intends to accomplish in us individually happens in the context of the local church body. It’s NOT that we don’t grow as “individuals”; we do! But that growth comes, in part, through our interaction with others! God uses our fellowship & even our fights to sanctify us! He teaches us humility, forgiveness, and how to resolve conflicts. When we live an isolated life outside of the church we live as though we are autonomous!

Only God Is Autonomous

Only God, however, is truly autonomous! He alone answers to no one! We must give an account of our lives to God; and, He has devised the church body to keep us accountable! It’s His plan that by holding ourselves accountable to other believers we will be stretched & matured so that we might hear a “well done good & faithful servant” when we stand before Him! We are called to “bear one another’s burdens”; and, those burdens come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes we are burdened by sin. At other times, our burden is physical or emotional; and, God intends to use our brothers & sisters, in Christ, to help mature us!

Why Are We Here?

“Since making disciples is the main reason why a church exists, everything in the corporate body of the local church needs to be aligned in a way that funnels people toward these discipleship environments, the most notable of which is the relational small group”—from the chapter titled “Rethinking Our Practices” p.171 in Jim Putnam’s excellent book,  DiscipleShift.  Depending on the English translation of the Scriptures that you use, there are between 60-65 “each other” or “one another” admonitions in the New Testament. All of them relate to the interaction of believers in the body of a local church! I would conclude that it’s not even possible to obey those “each other” or “one another” commands unless we are part of a local community of faith! God uses even our “bad experiences” in the church to sanctify & grow each member!

Relationship Humility With God!

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–To Know Him Better!

So, God began to reveal Himself to us in the very beginning, Genesis chapter 1. And, as each page of Scripture is turned, we come to know Him better! It follows that we have to be in the Scriptures if we have any hope of really knowing Him & becoming intimate in a relationship with Him! As we come to the Old Testament of Isaiah, we learn that, for us to have a relationship with God, requires humility on our part! We have to humble ourselves before Him! We need to properly assess ourselves—He is God! I am not! You’re not!

–We’re Not That Awesome!

Through the Prophet Isaiah, God tells us that:  “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (40:6-8). Huh! That means we’re not as awesome as we think we are! God compares us to grass that withers & blows away! We can deceive ourselves with our sense of personal sovereignty; but, only God is ultimately Sovereign! Only God calls the shots!  “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,” Isaiah continues, “or who gave Him His counsel? Who did He consult with? Who gave Him understanding and taught Him the paths of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?” (40:13-14). Those are all meant to be read as rhetorical questions. The answer, in other words, is obvious! No one has taught or given God anything!

–No Counsel Needed!

God doesn’t need our counsel! Nor, does He need our permission to do anything! When we lift ourselves in pride we become as insignificant as dry grass to Almighty God! But, when we humble ourselves as Jesus did, we enter into a relationship with the Father. Jesus asked the Father to remove His death, on the cross, from His earthly path. But, He ultimately submitted to the Father’s will in humility! God also gave these words to Isaiah to record:  “I am Yahweh, who made everything; who stretched out the heavens by Myself; who alone spread out the earth; who destroys the omens of the false prophets and makes fools of diviners; who confounds the wise and makes their knowledge foolishness” (44:24-25). We need to humble ourselves before Almighty God! Don’t be so sure of yourself! Rather, be sure of Him; because a relationship with God requires His help. We can’t even relate to God without His help! Our sinfulness & depravity get in the way! We’re hopeless & helpless without Him! Be humble about that!  We can neither save ourselves; nor, can we keep ourselves saved! He is our help! He is our strength when we admit that we are powerless.

-The Everlasting God!

Inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, Isaiah also wrote:  “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint” (40:28-31) God never sleeps nor slumbers! He never takes a day off or goes on vacation! He’s always available to help! He is the Creator and the Sustainer of everything! Why do we insist on living for ourselves; and, trying to fix life’s problems all by ourselves? That’s faithless! God is big enough to carry our load; and, the other 7 billion people circling the sun with us! Throw your weight on Him! He is the everlasting God!

Trip Hazard!

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-We’re Our Own Biggest Problem!

There are several verses, in the Old Testament book of Psalms, that bring “trip hazards” to mind as I read them! This wisdom literature points us to ourselves! We, ourselves, are probably the most problematic “trip hazard” that we face as we attempt to walk with God. For example, Israel’s King David says that any unconfessed sin we hold onto will harm our health! “When I kept silent, (about my sin),” he says, “my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat” (Psalm 32:3).  Even our bones become brittle when we hold onto our sin! Our strength is sapped like every day is a 100-degree day!

-God’s Heavy Hand Against Us!

God’s hand is heavy against us as long as we refuse to confess our sin to Him! “But,” he says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You took away the guilt of my sin” (v.5).  I vividly remember carrying the burden of my sin as a 13-year old boy. But, when I confessed my sin & accepted Jesus’ payment for my sin, by His death on the cross, I remember how my guilt vanished! What a great Psalm! Mark it in your Bibles! You’ll need it when Satan comes to accuse you of your sin— ”You say you’re a follower of Jesus? And, look at you! You’re nothing but a sinner!”  Rebuke the devil! Remind him that you’ve been forgiven for every sin you’ve ever committed! Once & for all they were nailed to Christ’s tree of crucifixion. Your sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus! God promises never to count them against you again! He makes you righteous in Christ!

-You Really Aren’t Strong Enough!

But, there’s another way that we are our own worst “trip hazard.” We get in the way when we think that we can do life in our strength! One of the clearest signs we have a problem, in this area, is our lack of prayer & our lack of time spent in Scripture! When we fail to pray & when we fail to read His Word, we’re telling God—by our actions—that, “I Got This! I don’t need your help, God!” We erroneously think we’re strong enough! We’re wise enough! We trust our resources! The nation of Israel’s failure, in this area, should serve as a warning to us:  “A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be delivered by great strength. The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power” Psalm 33:16. Large armies won’t save us!

-Fear God!

The great strength of a warrior will not deliver him! A horse’s great power offers false hope! Our strength & intelligence & ingenuity is a curse when we depend on it to save us! Rather, “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him—those who depend on His faithful love to deliver them from death and to keep them alive in famine. We wait for Yahweh; He is our help and shield” Psalm 33:18. We need to fear God for His great power! Depend on His faithful love to deliver you! He alone should be our help & shield! Though it’s never fun when our world is crashing around us, it proves to be a blessing when we see God turn things around! And, He’ll only do that after we’ve come to the end of ourselves! When all our resources & all our strength & all our wisdom just isn’t enough! It’s incredibly freeing to stop trying to be your own Savior; and, everyone else’s Savior too! To let God be God; and, admit you don’t know what to do next!

Upside Down Leadership!

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-What Is True Greatness?

According to Jesus, true greatness, in God’s Kingdom, is counter-intuitive to the world’s definition of leadership:  “You know,” Jesus said in Mark 10:42-45, “that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” If you want to be considered “great”, in heaven’s economy, you’ll become a servant in this world!

-Unqualified Leadership!

The Apostles wrote to the local churches, in the New Testament, and declared anyone “unqualified” to be an Elder, in the church, if they “lorded over” the congregation. In this world, leadership is top-down— rarely does the “BIG MAN” in the corner office make himself easily available to those under him! Jesus flipped that leadership style on its head— He discipled His followers to be bottom-up instead! Leaders are to be servants who seek out opportunities to minister to others! Matthew’s Gospel includes a story about 2 blind men who call out to Jesus for help.  And, there’s one word that is easily overlooked in the story. But, it’s saturated with meaning & it illustrates Jesus’ brand of leadership:  “Two blind men shouted ‘Lord, have mercy on us!’ Jesus stopped and called them.  ‘What do you want me to do for you?’” Matthew 20:30-32.

-Jesus Stopped!

Notice Jesus’ response? Matthew says, “…Jesus STOPPED…” He stopped & made Himself available to 2 blind men who were probably perceived, by the rest of society, to be a nuisance. They probably stood on street corners with signs— ”Would work! If we could only see!” But, Jesus STOPPED! True greatness, in God’s Kingdom, is a willingness to be interrupted! To see people as more important than our agenda! Just do a study of the Gospels; and, you’ll find that most of Jesus’ ministry & most of His miracles happened because of an interruption! In the Gentile world, no one interrupts the “BIG BOSS.” Not so in God’s domain! True greatness, in God’s Kingdom, is measured by the people we serve— ”…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” There’s intentionality of leadership there! God intends to change the world by raising up Christ-like servant-leaders who serve those they’re working with in order to disciple them.

-Sending Out Servants!

God intends to send out servants into the world of business, education, law, politics, medicine & whatever your occupation might be, to serve those around you like Jesus did! So, that you might make disciples just like Jesus did! He sends us out into our neighborhoods & our kid’s activities to do the same thing! To make ourselves servants to others so that they might see Jesus, in us, and be won over to Him! Only as we yield ourselves to Jesus will He help us to prefer the hidden places of service over the public places of being noticed! Would you pray over that? Will you ask God’s Spirit to fill you & empower you with the ability to surrender yourself to His way of leadership? You’ll never be able to do it in your human strength!

 

Praying About Temptations!

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-How Did Jesus Teach Us To Pray?

Let me challenge you to take a good, long look at your prayers! Are your prayers consumed with requests? Little more than sending God a grocery list of items you want Him to do for you! If so, you need to spend some time meditating on Jesus’ response, to His disciples, when they approached Him:  “Lord, teach us to pray!” (Matthew 6:5-13)  They found a deficiency, in their prayer life; so, they sought Jesus’ counsel to improve it! One of the last things He teaches them, to pray over, is “temptation”—  “And do not bring us into temptation.”

-A Warning About Being In The World!

Up until this point, in Jesus’ counsel about prayer, His focus had been on praying over our relationships with God & the people around us. Now, He teaches us to pray about going out into the world, where He’s called us to make disciples; but, there’s like a bit of a warning! We need to pray— “Lord, as we go into the world to advance Your kingdom, we need your strength to help us to be IN the world & not OF it!” We will face some spiritual warfare as we advance against Satan’s kingdom! There is an evil one who wants to take us down! We need to pray for the Spirit’s strength to withstand him; so, we pray for the Father’s guidance.

-A Prime Motivation For Prayer!

Overcoming sin & evil should be a prime motivation in our prayers! Are your prayers motivated by a desire to walk deliberately with your God? To love Him with a desire to keep His commandments? Test yourself! Are your prayers centered on the STUFF you want; or, on Holy Spirit help to beat sin? Finally, Jesus adds these words, in His counsel to His disciples, about prayer:  “…deliver us from the evil one…” (v.13) Earlier, in His ministry, Jesus had taught them that “…the evil one comes only to steal and to kill…” (John 10:10).  He wants to steal your joy in the Lord & your love for God & others! He wants to kill your effectiveness as a disciple! And, we don’t have the strength, in ourselves, to stand against him! We’re no match for Satan. So, Jesus is teaching us— as His disciples— to humble ourselves by praying for the Father’s protection from evil! To pray that He would deliver us from Satan! And, from falling back into sin! To stand firm & finish strong despite persecution, if we should face that kind of resistance.

-Don’t Try To Counsel God!

As I bring this series of posts, on Jesus’ “model” prayer, to a close, let me remind you never to pray like you’re trying to be Gods counselor! Never pray like you’re trying to convince God that YOU know the best way to run His kingdom! Clearly, Jesus leaves no room, in His counsel on prayer, for us to make prayer about what we think God should do. He’s far too wise! We’re far too ignorant of the details of His work in the world. He is an omniscient God— in other words, He knows EVERYTHING! That means He’s already considered anything you might try to convince Him to do! He may answer in the affirmative! Or, He may answer negatively! And, if He does, it’s because He knows the “end from the beginning”; and, has the best reasons to make the wisest decision! Let us learn to pray with humility! Trusting God’s answers always!

Is Your God Too Small?

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-Are You Too Big?

40 some years ago, J.B. Phillips wrote, what turned into a Christian classic, Your God Is Too Small. It’s a great book! I highly recommend it! Phillips does a great job of capturing the struggle, that we humans have, of seeing how big God really is! We tend to see God as much smaller & less awesome than He is; and, we see ourselves as much bigger & more significant than we really are!

-Superman Don’t Need No Airplane!

I love the story about former heavy weight boxing champ, Muhammad Ali, who loved to boast, in jest, about being the greatest! It was part of his shtick & show! Once, while flying on a commercial flight, the stewardess told him to fasten his seatbelt just before takeoff. “Superman don’t need no seatbelt,” Ali replied; and, the stewardess shot back, “Superman don’t need no airplane, either.” That pretty much epitomizes the attitude the “health, wealth & prosperity FALSE gospel” has spawned here in the western church! The image of God has been distorted!

-He’s No “Genie In A Bottle”!

Much, of the Church, has turned God into a wimpy “Genie in the bottle” kind of God who grants OUR wishes; and, somehow NEEDS us to feel significant! Rather, than the self-sufficient, self-sustaining Sovereign God, that He is, who needs nothing & is the KING of kings & LORD of lords! I love how Paul addresses this subject in his letter to the Roman believers:  “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.  Amen” Romans 11:33-36.

-Glory In God’s Wisdom!

That’s another one of those rich texts, of Scripture, that magnifies & lifts up our Awesome God! Paul is like caught up in the wonder & the mystery of who He is! He seems to be promoting the underlying thought that good or bad, big or small, whatever comes our way, let us give God Glory for everything that happens in life! Notice, he challenges the church to give God Glory for His “…wisdom and knowledge…” Whatever comes, give God Glory because of His wisdom & knowledge. He knows what He’s doing!

-Is God Foolish?

There’s another great verse that Paul included, in his letter, to the Church of Corinth: “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” 1 Cor 1:25. Don’t you just love that? Mind you, Paul is NOT saying that God has a foolish side to Him. On the contrary, He’s pointing out how foolish we are when we think we’re really wise & smart. IF God had a foolish side—and, He DOESN’T—He would still be wiser than you and me! He’s “omniscient.” That means He knows everything! Anything that’s knowable, He already knows it; and, He’s known it for all eternity! He knows everything you & I have forgotten; but, He still knows it! And, He knows everything that you & I will never know! Only God knows why He allows the wickedness, in the world, to enjoy temporary victories! Trust His wisdom!

 

God’s Glory In Our Salvation!

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-We’re Rendered Speechless!

Music is a powerful medium! Especially, in a worship service! Just combine a deeply moving message—about grace, mercy, love, the cross & salvation—with an appropriate musical score and it locks up my vocal chords! I’m just rendered speechless! I can’t sing! All I can do is praise Jesus—in my heart—as I listen to the congregation sing! That’s the kind of picture I get, in my mind, when I read about the worship service that will one day take place in heaven— “And I beheld, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,  AND GLORY, and blessing.” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, “Blessing and honor AND GLORY and power be unto him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever” Rev. 5:11-13

-Jesus, The Lamb, Is Worthy!

Why? Why will there be such a scene in heaven? Because Jesus, the Lamb, is worthy! Jesus is worthy of blessing, honor & GLORY! He willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s plan! He was the Lamb of God, who shed His blood—on our behalf—so, that we might be saved! And, every believer since creation will sing their praises to Jesus because our salvation was the result of Jesus’ work, on the Cross, ALONE! Our salvation is God’s work alone! So, He gets all the Glory alone! There is no one else to praise!

-Because Of His Great Love!

We can take no glory for our own salvation! We were DEAD in our trespasses & sins— “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages (That’s the scene described earlier in Rev. 5) He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” Eph. 2:4-9.

-Nothing To Boast About!

We have nothing to boast about in ourselves! We boast in Jesus & the cross! Our greatest preoccupation must be with God’s Glory! It’s for that purpose that we exist! Jesus is the HERO of our story, NOT us! Our salvation didn’t require a little bit of our effort & a lot of Jesus’ work! All that we contributed was our total depravity & brokenness! His coming, to save us, was nothing short of a “rescue mission”! And, Scripture teaches clearly that He is to be offered praise for the entirety of our salvation! So, that, from the beginning of our faith, in this life, to the completion of our faith, in heaven, He gets ALL the Glory! It’s appropriate that we remain committed to giving God Glory for our salvation every opportunity we can!

Our Gifts Aren’t For Us!

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-Not About Personal Gain & Advancement!

Its our default setting to use all gifts, talents, and abilities for personal gain and advancement in this world! But, God didn’t gift us for our own personal benefit! Your gifts, your talents, your personality & charm, and, your intellect was given to you, BY GOD, to manage or steward over in a way that brings Him the greater glory! Are you leveraging all those things for the glory of God? Here’s what the Apostle Peter said about it:  “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever” 1 Peter 4:10-11.

-So That God May Be Glorified!

Did you notice the end of v.11? The purpose for your giftedness is, “…so that SO THAT GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED through Jesus Christ IN EVERYTHING. To HIM BELONG THE GLORY…” Don’t compartmentalize your life—this is CHURCH; that’s God’s part; But, this is my WORK, that’s ABOUT ME! We can compartmentalize God right out of our life! No! God has gifted us to bring Himself glory IN EVERYTHING! In ALL of life! There is no area of your life where God does not intend to bring Himself glory! So, what motivates you? Are you motivated to live your life for God’s glory; or, for your own?

-Gifts Used Under Holy Spirit Power!

God’s method is to empower our gifts by His Spirit, so, that He receives all the glory! This is how the exercising of your gifts & talents & intellect bring glory to God! The only way we bring Him glory, in all of life’s activities, is when we exercise them under the power & control of God’s Holy Spirit! When our dependence—in the doing & the living of life—is NOT in ourselves or our giftedness; but, on God’s Spirit! If you’re “speaking” (v.11) or “serving”— “…it should be from the strength that GOD PROVIDES…” Don’t miss this crucial point to exercising your gifts in a way that brings God glory! You can NOT depend on your giftedness when you speak; or, when you serve—OR, God is NOT GLORIFIED!

-When We Fail To Bring Him Glory!

You can be a gifted speaker, even speak “on God’s behalf”; but, if it’s not “…from the words God provides…” than God is neither blessed or glorified by them!  They are words—even “good words”—but, they are spoken in the power of the flesh! You can serve—teach Sunday School; sing or play on the Worship Team; help kids learn Scripture in AWANA—but, if your service is not done by “…the strength that God provides…” than God is neither blessed or glorified by your service! They are deeds—even, “good deeds”—but, they are done in the flesh! I still believe that the Holy Spirit remains the greatest untapped power of the Church! It’s a power untapped because we so rarely lean on God’s Holy Spirit! We lean on our gifts more than we do the Creator & the Giver of those gifts! This has to change, Church!