Serve Him

Ministry is giving when you feel like keeping, praying for others when you need to be prayed for, feeding others when your own soul is hungry, living truth before people even when you can’t see the results, hurting with other people even when your own hurt can’t be spoken, keeping your word even when it is not convenient, it is being faithful when your flesh wants to run away.”

  There aren’t many Sundays when I have mixed emotions on where I’m at and what I’m doing. Today though is one of them. Last week we began our study: Luke – Finding Jesus. I’m really pumped about this new series.  But then I had an offer that I “just couldn’t refuse.” You see, today is Dave Bratlie’s Installation Service at Crossroads Church in Pittsville, Wisconsin.

  A few weeks ago, Dave called and asked if I would preach the “Charge to the Pastor” at this service. I was both humbled and honored. Yet, I struggled with my responsibility to our church, so I asked our Deacons and they gave their blessing. This morning I have the great privilege of speaking at Dave’s church as part of this special service as he begins this new ministry.

  Dave’s life and entry into ministry has been an exciting one. After he and Shawna came to Christ, they became involved in their church. The door later opened for Dave to leading a Bible study. He developed a passion for ministry and went on to seminary…the rest is history. Did you know that that’s normal Christianity? People trust Christ and God lays His hand on some of them, giving them a passion for vocational ministry. They then invest their lives in full time Christian service.

  Somehow we’ve lost that in the church today. It’s very rare today for someone to even consider vocational ministry. I’m not sure why that has become the exception. It’s certainly not because of lack of need or that God’s plan has changed.

  Obviously, not everyone is called to full time Christian service, though everyone is called to be a full time Christian. God’s will, too, is for every believer to be involved in service. That’s a purpose of our salvation and it’s the only way that we find fulfillment and meaning in our spiritual walk. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). You’ll often find that some of the most miserable Christians you meet are those who are uninvolved in serving the Lord, giving or evangelism. That’s because we are saved to serve. It’s part of our spiritual DNA. To be uninvolved is to violate our new nature. And that’s why at Grace we diligently seek to help believers find places to serve, areas of ministry, that fit their gifts and how God has designed them. To be candid, oftentimes it’d be easier to hire staff than to seek to enlist and equip volunteers BUT it would be biblically wrong. Often, it’d be easier to just do it yourself. Many times you feel like a parent trying to motivate a teenager. It’d be easy to give up and just do it yourself, but it’s not in the best interest of your teenager.

  Most churches are overflowing with ministries, yet as we examine Scripture, most of those are not necessarily biblical ones. They help a church accomplish its purpose and mission but they’re not necessarily found in Scripture. For example, the Bible doesn’t say anything about a nursery or having a children’s ministry or even small groups for adults. Those are good ministries but they are not necessarily biblical. They give Christians though opportunities to serve.

  The truth is though that most of us can come up with scores of reasons to never serve. Obviously, we’re too busy. We’re either working a lot. Our kids have a lot going on. We’re in school. We’re burnt out. We did it in the past. We don’t feel qualified. I’m sure that you could probably come up with some different ones, even some unique ones.

  But when we fail to serve, it violates how God has designed us. Remember what Jesus did in His last meeting with the disciples in the upper room. He put on a towel, picked up a basin of water and began to wash their feet. Remember, what He said to them: “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:12-15). The bottom line is that if you love Jesus, you want to serve. And that’s what happened to Dave Bratlie. When Dave got saved, he fell in love, he fell in love with Jesus. And that’s why he’s in vocational ministry today.

  It’s also why at Grace, we work at finding opportunities to serve for every believer. And we start young with things like assisting in Children’s Church. We want young people to have the opportunity to serve the Lord in our worship team, AV ministry, and Sunday Morning Live. We see that as an investment in their spiritual future. Who knows who God will touch and call into another part of His harvest field? Interestingly, the Lord doesn’t call those who are sitting on the bench. He usually begins with a low commitment ministry and then increases their responsibility.

  Most of us came to Christ because of someone serving the Lord full time in vocational ministry. Either they led us to the Lord or they were instrumental in the life of the one who brought us to Jesus.

  The need of a lost world has not decreased since you came to Christ. Our world desperately needs the Gospel. Let’s pray together that the Lord would call more out of our midst to serve Him. Maybe the Lord will call someone to a second career after retirement into ministry. Maybe He’ll touch a young person’s heart. Perhaps, it will be someone, like Dave, who has a family and a career but serving the Lord begins burning in his heart.  

  The person the Lord calls to serve Him might be that young person that you’re teaching in Children’s Church or a child from one of our midweek ministries. They see the love for Jesus and the commitment of the leaders, and the Lord uses it to touch their heart.

  I can guarantee this though. If you’re not involved in serving the Lord, you’re not going to touch anyone’s life. Sadly, your own soul will begin to shrivel because you’re violating God’s design. We are saved to serve. Do you have a ministry? Are you serving the Lord?

Temple Maintenance

 “Never order food in excess of your body weight.” Erma Bombeck

  Do you have food paranoia? If you don’t, you probably know someone who does. They’re all around us. They’re those individuals who rigorously police what they put into their mouths like customs inspectors with a drug-sniffing dog. They make the TSA look like Paul Bart Mall Cop. With incredible vigilance they scan the horizon for fattening junk food, heart-mugging fats, allergens, carcinogens, engineered genes, and esoteric chemicals – things you can hardly pronounce without a PhD.

  Why do we do this? Why do we so thoroughly police our food intake? Because we want to stay healthy. In other words, we want to avoid death. Good Health = Life; Bad Health = the opposite of life…or Death.

  Can I ask though? Why is it we’re nearly obsessed with what we put into our mouths, yet pay little attention to what we put into our minds? Which one really is more important? Which one has greater ramifications? Most of all, which one is God most concerned about? So which one should we be the most concerned about?

  Please understand what I’m saying. We need to be concerned about what we eat and taking care of our bodies…“temple maintenance.” Yet, in our food, physical body obsessed culture, we’d do well to heed the words of the Apostle Paul, “while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).  So how can “train ourselves in godliness”?

  First, you have to eat right. Please understand that what our Heavenly Father wants most of all desires to have with us is a relationship, not some legalistic ritual. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. It has all the instructions that we need to live a successful life.

  Most of us have received a few love letters. When Jane and I were dating, and she’d write me a letter. I’d read, re-read and re-read that letter. I have nearly every letter that Jane wrote when we were dating. When we love someone we want to hear what they have to say. We hang on every word. That’s how we need to approach God’s Word. We need to hang on every word and let it bathe our souls with God’s love and goodness. 

  Sadly, most of us are like me when it comes to instructions, particularly on how to put something together. I absolutely hate reading instructions. When we buy a shelf or desk that needs to be put together, I just want to jump in. It’s only because of marital confidentiality some dingbat messes I’ve made over the years will never be told. Fortunately, I out-married myself and Jane actually takes the time to read and comprehend the instructions. But if I’ll take the time and read the instructions, and comprehend them, even a two left handed twit like me can put most things together.

  Do you know that I meet Christians all the time who fail to simply read God’s instructions? Then, they wonder why they don’t have inner peace or are depressed or bored or dissatisfied with their life. They won’t take the time to read the instructions. Can I get real radical? Most Christians would have much more fulfilling marriages, family lives, work, leisure, and church life – if they’d just read God’s Instruction Book on a regular basis. Instead, some of them pay a therapist to tell them (though the therapist may not even know it) what God’s Word says about how to have a fulfilled life.

  Second, you have to communicate. Does your Heavenly Father know what you need? Absolutely! Do you know what’s amazing? He wants to hear from us. God wants to hear from me and you, peons as far as this world is concerned, as much as He wants to hear from presidents, kings, queens, celebs and stars of this world. There’s no special line on God’s prayer chain. And do you know the two words that God loves to hear, more than any other, “Thank You!” Recently, I’ve been focusing on more ways to praise God. I’m ashamed to admit that I find it easer to pray (make my requests) than I do to praise.

  Third, you have to exercise. The most miserable individuals in nearly every church have one common trait – they’re good sitters. You’ll find that they can tell you all the things wrong in their lives and often everything wrong in everyone else’s and even everything wrong in the church. They’re not ministers; they’re missionaries of misery. Do you want to grow in your faith? Serve the Lord and serve Him by serving others.

  There’s a reason our world is so unhappy. It’s so self-absorbed. The most common pronouns in miserable people’s vocabularies are: I, me, my and mine. Joy, fulfillment and meaning are spelled with “you” and “them.”

  Fourth, you must have relationships. God designed us for community. A healthy church, a healthy Christian is one who has meaningful relationships with other believers. God never intended for church to be “our one hour” and we scoot. It’s as we interact, pray with one another, serve one another, that we grow. Now that’s not usually comfortable. You’re going to find people in a small group who will drive you crazy…just like, (I know this will come as a shock) you drive them crazy. But that’s how God designed for us to grow.

  Most of us, particularly when we’re in middle age, have settled out in our marriage and relationships with our children. We usually are no longer challenged and are no longer growing. Our spouse or children have taken a que sera, sera attitude with us (what will be, will be). In a smaller group, they haven’t bought our song and dance. They’ll challenge us and we in turn will challenge them, and then something wonderful and profoundly spiritual happens. Even old geezer Chistians find that they are still “training themselves in godliness” and keep growing. But the older we are in our faith (not necessarily mature), the more tempted we are to settled in our Christian walk. That’s not God’s goal for us and it’s spiritually devastating for us. God, in His love, is not satisfied until you and I are conformed to the likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

  In 2014, change your eating and exercise routines, but remember that will only help for this life. So focus on doing something that will really make a difference both for now and eternity. Commit to “training yourself in godliness.”