“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. 12. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.”
We are told in verse 11 to fervently serve the Lord. In verse 12, we are reminded that fervency alone will not result in effective service. This verse will give some direction to our fervent service. “Rejoicing in hope” – Let’s just say that we are to be hopefully joyful. The word for hope here does not mean that there is any doubt as we serve the Lord. We can serve joyfully, because we know that the Lord will be with us in our service, and that He will help us serve effectively. The Greek word for hope, “elpidis” carries the meaning of expectancy. We can serve the Lord in a spirit of joyful anticipation, because we know that the Lord will be with us in what He has called us to do. That is why that I say when I preach that the Lord is going to use His word to touch somebody’s life. That doesn’t mean that I will have to know about it, but I can anticipate God’s word “will not return to Him void.” (As promised in Isaiah 55:11.). Does this describe your attitude in your service? “Patient in tribulation” – The word that is translated “patient” here means to be willing to wait. When we serve the Lord, the world being as it is, we are bound to encounter trouble along the way. Jesus never promised us that our service for Him would be trouble free. We cannot let the troubles that we might encounter cause us to grow discouraged and give up. This happens all too often in churches. We can begin to see things moving in the right direction and Satan will throw all kinds of troubles in the way. If we give up, he wins a victory, and keeps the work from going forward. That is why we are told to have patience, and trust in the Lord’s timing. His timing is perfect, ours is not perfect. “Continuing instant in prayer” – This can be translated, “stay faithful in prayer.” Another translation that I like is to be “constant in prayer.” Nothing is ever accomplished in our service to the Lord without prayer. It is constant, faithful prayer that causes us to rejoice in hope and to be patient in trouble. Dwight L. Moody wrote that “every great movement of God began by a man on his knees.” Too often we try to bring revival to our churches by a program. Programs work well only when they are bathed with the faithful prayers of God’s people. Think about your own service for the Lord. Are these three qualities involved in your service? It is at least worth thought isn’t it! Bro. Joe
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For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
I want to focus our thoughts on this text on the words, “but by love serve one another.” We have been called to serve the Lord. But how do we serve the Lord? The paradox is that God does not need for us to serve Him, but we need to serve Him. There is nothing that we can do that will add or take away from God. He is totally secure within Himself. But God knows that we need to serve Him. Our service to God/Jesus will ultimately make a difference in our lives and in the lives of other people. God does not need us, but He has made us so that we need Him. After all, we were created in His image to have fellowship with Him and to worship and serve Him. What should this service entail? Paul wrote, “but by love serve one another.” Serving God is rooted in our love for all people, and It is especially rooted in our love for fellow Christians. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” We are in fellowship with each other, and this fellowship is crowned with the love that we have for each other. We should not primarily serve out of a sense of duty, but we should serve out of a sense of love. This is how Jesus served, and it made a difference in the lives of the people that He touched. It is our duty to serve, but it is also our pleasure to serve and it is our privilege to be used of God to serve others. This does not mean that we will always be subservient to others, but that we will serve them as Jesus did. Whatever service we render to our fellow Christians or to anyone else, should be done in love. We should not only serve out of a sense of love, but we should enjoy the service that God leads us to do for others. At this point, you might be asking, “but what is this service that I am to render?” It is whatever God leads you to do at a particular time. This service might be to just say a kind word to a lonely person. It might mean visiting a lonely elderly person in a nursing home. It might mean going on a mission trip to another state or another country. In other words, there is no limit to the forms that our service can take. Whenever we serve we need to keep the admonition of Psalm 100:2a in mind: “Serve the Lord with gladness…” We are not to serve the Lord grudgingly. We should be glad that God is willing to use us in His service. I have said and written this over and over again: We are not doing the Lord a favor by serving Him. He is doing us a favor by letting us serve Him. If we take the attitude that serving God is a privilege granted to us by Him, we will be more likely to serve Him gladly, whatever form that service may take. One thing that we need to remember is that, ultimately, serving God means to serve and minister to people. No matter what form your service might take, it will benefit other people. I joyfully remember this when I preach. All we need to do is to look at the ministry of Jesus in the four gospels. His teachings and His miracles benefitted people. Indeed, the sacrificial death of Jesus was for the benefit of people. This is why Jesus calls us to serve Him by ministering to others in His name. In John 13, Jesus did something that totally surprised His disciples. He washed their feet. The Creator and Savior of the world washed the dirty feet of His disciples. If Jesus, the Son of God, can stoop to wash people’s feet, we can stoop to do whatever we need to do serve Him – and do it lovingly and gladly. Bro. Joe “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him: and He shall bring it to pass.”
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“And the things you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardships), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4. No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him that has chosen him to be a soldier.”
Paul gave Timothy examples of the types of people who would be faithful in their service and who were able to teach others. He gave three examples: a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. I want to use the “good soldier” as an example of the type of life that we should live as Christians. What makes a good soldier will also make us more effective servants of Jesus. First, he mentioned the soldier’s endurance. To endure means to “keep on keeping on” in spite of whatever hardships that might be encountered. If one thinks that he, or she, can serve Christ without some hardship, he, or she, is in for a rude awakening. The fact that churches are comprised of human beings ensures that there will be hardships. Also, the temptations of Satan have to be dealt with. Once we commit to serve Christ, Satan picks up his activity. Just like a good soldier, we will encounter hardships that will limit our service if we are not committed to endure in spite of any obstacles that we might encounter. Do you endure hardships or do you give in to them. Second, he mentioned the soldier’s disentanglement from the affairs of the world. In His parable of the soils, Jesus mentioned the thorny ground, where the thorns entangled the person in things that made them unfruitful. This doesn’t mean that we can’t any interests outside of the church. It does mean that we do not let everything in the world keep us from serving Christ, whether in the church or in daily life. Satan is effective in entangling us in things that will hinder our service and witness in the kingdom of God. Think of some of the things that you are involved in, are they keeping you from serving Christ as effectively as possible. If you want to be a good soldier. Third, he mentioned the earnestness of the solider in pleasing Christ is in His, or her, service. This means that the good soldier is not only interested in being a soldier, but is willing to obey orders and to prepare for whatever his involvement might be. Soldiers do not just go about their work in any way they want. They always serve under orders, and with a plan. How earnest are you in your service. For example, how much time do you spend in Bible study and prayer. Do you take advantage of the education offered by your church or denomination that will enable you to be a more effective servant of Christ? Above are the three things that will make you a good solider of Jesus Christ. Well, based on these things are you a good soldier? Bro. Joe “And now, Lord, behold their threatening; and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word. 30. By stretching forth your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child Jesus. 31. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Peter and John healed the lame man at the “Beautiful Gate” of the temple. This caused trouble and led to a confrontation with authorities, who told the disciples to stop preaching about Jesus. What we have in this answer are the qualities of effective Christian fellowship. The first thing they did was to take it to the Lord in prayer. They did not try to figure out what to do in response to the authorities, and then pray about it. We do not need to help God do His work on our behalf, we need Him period. In verse 30 they asked God to do a great work in the midst of the trouble. It’s interesting that they did not pray for God to deliver them from the trouble, but they asked Him to a great work through them in the trouble. Their concern was not on their safety but on their witness to the world. Someone once said: “When all else fails, pray…” The rejoinder to that was: “Before all else fails, pray.” Dwight L. Moody wrote: “All great Christian movements begin with a kneeling figure.” They prayed for boldness. They did not try to get around witnessing for Jesus; they asked Him to give them more boldness. This is one quality of Christian fellowship that we see throughout Acts. Stephen was bold enough to die for his faith in Jesus. Peter stood and boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. Saul of Tarsus was saved on the Damascus Road and boldly the gospel all the way to imprisonment in Rome. Where, by the way, he boldly witnessed for Jesus. We do not need to be afraid of the unbelieving world; rather, we should be bold witnesses of our faith in Jesus Christ. The text ends by relating that they “spoke the word of God with boldness.” They continued to speak for Jesus being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” He is the One who gives us the boldness that we need to witness for Jesus. He is One who empowers us to speak the name of Jesus. If we are not “filled with the Holy Spirit” we might make a holy noise but we will not be effective in our witness. They prayed together in unity because they were held together by the Holy Spirit, and they work in unity with each other under the power of the Holy Spirit. We should take note of this text when we are planning to be effective witnesses. Bro. Joe "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into to the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.”
The question that our title asks came to me the other day and I thought about what the Bible reveals to us to answer the question. There are three things that stand out in scripture that answers what God wants for you. First, He wants to save you from sin. Sin is the big problem in the world that began with Adam and Eve. Romans 3:23 tells us that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Our text tells us that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” Christ Jesus has either saved you from sin, or He desires to save you from sin. The big decision that people need to make is what have they done about Jesus? What is their answer to God’s act of love of sending His Son into the world, to die on the cross and rise from the grave to save them from sin? What is your answer? The main thing that the Lord wants for you is that you accept His Son, Jesus Christ, into your life to save you for all eternity. Second, the Lord wants to sustain you. This means that He wants to send the Holy Spirit into your life to sustain you daily. Jesus did not just come into your life to take you to heaven; He comes into your life to make your life better. He wants to give you His love and His leadership that will give you what Jesus called “abundant life.” The Lord doesn’t want to take anything from you; rather, He wants to give all of the blessings that He has in store for you through His Holy Spirit. He gave you His church to give you the joy of sharing the abundant life with others who have received, or need to receive, the “abundant life.” He inspired His word, the Bible, to offer leadership and guidance in your life. The Lord wants to give you the quality of life that only He can give. Third, the Lord wants you to serve Him. In John 20:21 Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be unto you: as My Father has sent Me, even so send I you.” The Lord saves and sustains you in order for you share what He has given you through His love. Someone wrote: “The fruit of a Christian is another Christian.” This means that you take the “abundant life” that the Lord has given you into your daily. If Jesus has saved you, you are His servant and He wants to use you in His church and in the world to be His witness to the world. There are many other things that the Lord wants of you, but these are three of the most important things that He wants for you. Has He saved you? Is He sustaining you? Are you serving Him? The answer to these questions has eternal significance in your life. Bro. Joe “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord to deliver thee.”
The Lord called Jeremiah to prophesy to the people of Judah just before they were went into captivity in Babylon. There are some things that we need to remember when the Lord calls us to serve Him in some capacity. The first thing that I noticed is the Jeremiah was warned that “they shall fight against thee.” If you have read the book of Jeremiah, you know that the Lord did not overstate. I recall that the same sort of promise was given to Paul when he was called to minister to the Gentiles. Here is what the Lord told Ananias: “But the Lord said unto (Ananias) Go your way for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15-16) I do not mean to discourage you, but if you haven’t found it out already, serving the Lord can get difficult at times. As with Jeremiah and Paul, the Lord would not call us to serve Him if He did not know that we could handle it. The second thing I noticed was that the Lord gave Jeremiah a word of encouragement that we can apply to our own calls to service: “but they shall not prevail against thee.” Jeremiah went about doing God’s will and saying to the people what the Lord gave him to say, and they did fight against him, but they did not stop him. We may not win every battle, but if we are doing God’s will in God’s way, we will prevail and negative people will not be able to stop us, or “prevail against” us. We can say the same about Paul. He did suffer in serving the Lord, but they did not stop him from doing what God called him to do. If you know that you are doing God’s will, keep on keeping on. The third thing that I noticed was a promise that the Lord gave Jeremiah: “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.” The Lord has promised to be with us in every encounter in our service. When we do the Lord’s will, we will never be alone because He will always be with us. He was with Jeremiah, he was with Paul, indeed, with all of His servants and there is no reason for us not to take this promise as our own. It was always a comfort to me that the Lord was with me when I was doing His will. I did not always win, but I never stopped. This is what we need to do. The going will not always be easy, and sometimes we might want to get discouraged, but the Lord has promised to be with us and we will not be stopped in what He has called us to do. Bro. Joe “And whosoever of you would be chiefest shall be servant of all. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus’ disciples had been arguing about which of them would be the greatest in the coming kingdom. Jesus gave them a message that also applies to us. Jesus used Himself as an example of servant hood: “For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” Paul gave an example of Jesus’ service in Philippians 2 when he described the mind of Christ: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…..(He) made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Verses 5 and 7) If the Son of God could refer to Himself as a servant, we should also consider that we have also been called to serve. The “mind of Christ” will not seek to rule but to serve. Think about this for your life. If we want to be effective servants of God, we must humble ourselves as Jesus did. 1 Peter 5:6 reminds us of this: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty of hand of God, that He might exalt you in due time.” When we surrender ourselves to His power and might, we are then ready to effectively serve Him. We do this when we surrender to, and depend upon, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to humbly seek His guidance and power in whatever form our service takes. The Lord not only called us to serve, He has given us gifts of the Holy Spirit to give direction and purpose to our service. You need to prayerfully seek the guidance on the Holy Spirit as to what your gifts for service are and go about doing them. Your gifts of service are not just for “church work” but for living daily for Christ. If you will just surrender your life to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, He will show you what your gifts are. For example, I knew that I was called to preach and teach God’s word, but as I looked back on my service, I realized that my chief gift was the gift of encouragement. My life experience with the Holy Spirit taught me what my chief gift of service was. It can be the same with you. Seek His leadership through prayer and Bible study on a daily basis. If you are a Christian, you are a servant of God. He wants to use you to witness for Him and to be a blessing to the people around you. If you really want to be a good leader, first be a good servant and obey the call of God to humbly serve Him. Bro. Joe “And whosever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the servant of all. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and give his life a ransom for many.”
There is much that could be written about this text, but I want us to notice that as Jesus came to serve, He has also called us to be servants. If you are a Christian, you are a servant of Christ. What are some of the qualities of Christian service? The first quality of Christian servant hood is obedience. All of the apostles, minus Judas, were obedient servants, and because of their obedience they were put in prison and were even killed for their faith. We should be aware of what Jesus wants us to do in our Christian service and when we understand it…do it! Our obedience is not likely to lead to death, yet, but it can lead to unpopularity. (We might even be considered to be "phobics" of some kind.) Do you think that you are presently being an obedient servant of Jesus Christ? No one knows that answer better than you! The second quality of Christian servant hood is loyalty. When Jesus told His disciples that He would be arrested, tried and crucified, Peter said, basically, that He would put a stop to Jesus’ arrest. You know what happened. He was not as loyal as he thought he would be when he found himself outnumbered and accused of being a follower of Jesus Christ. He claimed not to even know Jesus. Are you a loyal servant of Jesus when you find yourself outnumbered and being called a bigoted phobic? Well? But Peter ended up being a good example of Christian servant hood when He repented and proved his loyalty all the way to his death. We need to ask ourselves if we would really be loyal to Jesus when loyalty could lead to persecution…… The third quality of Christian servant hood is that he, or she, is well-informed. When we stand up for Jesus, we need to know what we are talking about. This is actually why we have Sunday School (or small groups if you prefer). This is why we need to systematically read the Bible on a daily basis. We need to spend some time prayerfully meditating on the four gospels. You will be amazed what a difference it will make in your life and in the quality of your Christian servant hood, when you spend time in the Bible. There are also a lot of good Christian books that we can read that can inform us. Think about your own Christian servant hood! Are you an obedient, loyal and well-informed servant of Christ. Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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