40 Days of Purpose Week 5 YOU WERE SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD 23 May 04
“You were created to serve God.” The author references Eph 2:10, so
his statements here and what follows applies to them. What should be said is “Christians,
by the Holy Spirit in the New Birth, were given salvation to serve God.” The
author’s references to Jeremiah and his application to Christians are not
proper. God has chosen
“You were saved to serve God.” The author’s selected translation again
misrepresents the scripture. (2 Tim 1:9 RSV) "who
saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in
virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages
ago," “Not because we deserved it” is not what Paul told Timothy. Paul
said Christians were given tasks, not based on what they develop on their own,
but in compliance with the Plan of Salvation the Trinity preplanned before the
creation of the Cosmos. And we are not saved by works but by repentance and
faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Eph 2:8-9. We are to serve God because we
loved God and want to do anything and everything to please him.
The
author is quite correct book pages 228-229 “God says every member of his family
is a minister. In the Bible, the words servant,
and minister are synonyms, are service and ministry.” ” (Rev 1:6 RSV) "and made us a kingdom, priests to
his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
Book page 229 “He leaves us here to fulfill his purposes… God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world.”
“You are called to serve God.” The word “called” is grossly abused
word. All Christians are called to be witnesses and to live lives of
righteousness. Book page 229 “Regardless of your job or career, you are called
to full-time Christian service.”
Remember, Paul made tents to make a living. (1 Cor
“You are commanded to serve God.” Again Eph 2:10. It is a spiritual
and moral necessity. And Jesus is the Lord
Jesus. Matt 28:19-20.
Book page
231 “The last thing many believers
need today is to go to another Bible study.” That depends if they just went and
did not try to learn. Sitting in Bible studies, be they Sunday School, small groups, etc. is of little maturing values.
What we need are Christians who want to learn what the Bible really says and
then intend to put it into a life of growth. Many Christians need to get into learning Bible studies. This takes
personal action. An instructor cannot do it for you.
(Rom
Serving God is not an option any
more than making Jesus Lord is an option. To make Jesus Lord is to commit to
serve God.
“UNWRAPPING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS”
The use of the word “gifts” has
entirely the wrong meaning and inference concerning what 1 Cor
12 really says. And not every verse that is translated with “gifts” should be
done that way. Concerning 1 Cor
“LISTENING TO YOUR HEART”
We are to shape our hearts by doing Eph 4:22-24. The heart is the mind. This is best done by
going through the Growth Process of Peter in 2 Pet 1:5-7.
There
is no “good life” outside of serving Jesus as our Lord.
“APPLYING YOUR ABILITIES”
Book page 241 “Your abilities are
the natural talents you were born with.” Book page 242 “Today, God still
bestows these abilities and thousands of others, so people can serve him.” The
author refers to Exo 31:3-5. Bezalel
was a special case when got had the Holy Spirit indwell him for a specific time
so he could be the design architect and supervisor for the Tabernacle. This is a
unique case. The rest of the workers were the ones who had the secular skills,
which were channeled by Bezalel to do the work. God
enhanced these abilities for this specific unique effort. (Exo
31:6 RSV) "And behold, I have
appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given to all
able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you:" It is
not right to say God does this as standard procedure based on this one-time
situation.
“All of our abilities come from God.” Now the author calls the
“gifts” from Day 30 as “abilities.” Rom 12:6 is being misused. It addresses the
tasks assigned within a church
fellowship that needs to be done. Most of the time we have to train to be able
to carryout the tasks we are assigned. Pastors go the colleges and seminaries.
Just because we are assigned a task does not mean we can immediately begin to
do them well. Our natural talents come from the genes of our parents. Once we become
adopted children of God, the Holy Spirit finds tasks we are to do, in part based on these natural abilities.
“Every ability can be used for God’s glory.” This is
one of the aspects of living a righteous life.
“What I’m able to do, God wants me to do.” Naturally only you
can work yourself just as only you can learn. The Holy Spirit assigns us tasks
we either can do in short order or have the capability to train ourselves to
do. (1 Pet
“USING YOUR PERSONALITY”
You have a personality that is
yours alone. It can be changed and enhanced. The Holy Spirit takes that into
account, along with other facts, in assigning tasks.
“EMPLOYING YOUR EXPERIENCES”
Life experiences have created who
we are at any moment in time. Both god and bad experiences can move us into
areas that can strengthen who we are and hold we can handle situations in life
as they appear. Sharing these experiences with others may or may not be the
best thing for us. Paul did so because he was a teacher. Some experiences are
best left private. Which your share and which you don’t share depends on many
aspects of the situation and the people involved. Listen to the Holy Spirit so
he can guide you in these mazes of life.
“Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities.” The author advises us
to do self-assessment of who we are and what others
think of us. As we have seen, the author usually uses “gifts and abilities” to refer
to the tasks the Holy Spirit assigns us. Here he means self-abilities. Certainly
we should learn all about what is involved in each task so we can assess our
current capability to do them. This will then set up a plan before us
concerning what else we need to do to successfully accomplish these tasks. Doing
or trying to do is a necessary part of learning to do the assigned tasks. The
author does make an important point. The tasks we are assigned are not always,
and maybe even, clear at the time they are assigned. This is often true because
we are not ready to do them with any skill and insight. Just as a child must
practice how to walk before he/she can run the New York Marathon, so it is with
the spiritual tasks we are assigned. We may, and probably will, need to go
through steps of learning before we can do the task. It is similar to learning
to fly an airplane.
“Consider your heart and your personality.” (Gal 6:4 RSV) "But
let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor." Again the meaning
from the translation the author uses is not what Paul said. “Test
his own work” means to assess how the task is being performed in an honest way.
The context is about bearing and sharing the burdens of others in the church. (Gal
6:1-3 RSV) "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are
spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest
you too be tempted. {2} Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ. {3} For if any one thinks he is
something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Therefore look
carefully and honestly at yourself and the product to see if there is reason
for you to think what you do.
“Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you have learned.”
We must learn from our successes and mistakes for meaningful correction and
improvement to happen.
The author continues to talk about
“shape” as being hand-done by God. This is wrong and is the wrong reason why
God wants us to enjoy what we are, if we are in Jesus. We have individual tasks
and the author is correct that we should not compare ourselves with others. God
judges us by what we do, not by what we are compared to anyone else.
Book page 254
“Jesus’ parable of the talents illustrates that God expects us to make the most
of what he gives us.” And of what he
assigns us as tasks. (Eccl 2:24-25 RSV) "There is nothing better for a man
than that he should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I
saw, is from the hand of God; {25} for apart from him who can eat or who can
have enjoyment?" (Eccl
“Real servants make themselves available to serve.” Book pages 258-259 “Servants don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability…. Real servants do what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient.” Time-management is important in doing the tasks of God. But they are not to the exclusion of being a husband or wife or other First Purpose parts of life. Paul talked much about proper personal family life. The Father expects a balanced life between the Two Purpose of being a Christian: 1) Freewill life in God’s righteousness and 2) Fellowship with our Abba Father. Doing the tasks assigned us by the Holy Spirit and the general mandate of Matt 28:19-20 crosses into both purposes. It takes time-management.
“Real servants pay attention to needy.” Book page 259 “Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others.” Paul said we need to do well to the lost and the saved. If there is a priority between the lost and the saved, then the saved are to get the preference. As noted above, “serving others” is complex as to time and action. We must be aware of situation before we can begin to help. Simple rules will prove inadequate. Help is also a learning experience.
“Real servants do their best with what they have.” That means action is to be taken as best it can be known and accomplished. It also means changes and adjusts will often be necessary, even to the extent of trying something else. The service actions may. In human term be major or minor things to do. Since God sees no Christian task as an elite task, then any task might be done by anyone as the situation requires. Jesus worked at all levels of human endeavor. We should be willing to do whatever is necessary as the Holy Spirit guides.
“Real servants are faithful to their ministry.” Book page 261 “They are trustworthy and dependable.” A major aspect of being this way is to know what is involved in doing the tasks. The better trained you are, the better able we are to do the tasks. This produces confidence and fosters the environment to act in a consistent and dependable way. The church is one of the prime ways Christians are to receive proper task training.
“Real servants maintain a low profile.” Generally this is true concerning seeking rewards from the low church for the work. But some tasks need advertising and promotion. But again, God sees all Christians as equal in worth and task assignment. Our pay is knowing we ourselves are serving God, even if no one else recognized the effort. Any action and effort done to serve God in his will of whatever is good, acceptable, and complete will received rewards.
“Servants think more about others
than about themselves.” That is the right statement. We
“Servants think like stewards, not owners.” Adam and Eve were given dominion of the earth. God had created it. God gave them the responsibility of controlling and managing it. They did not get the deed to the earth. We inherit the same grand task of dominion over the earth. Christians have the task as sons and daughters of the parent who owns it. So our stewardship is far more than that of a hired servant. Again we must use the proper terms in discussing our responsibilities to our Abba Father.
A major
element of proper management in both the secular and church worlds is money.
Jesus made it clear that God’s children are to give the commands and tasks of
the Father priority over acquiring wealth. (Luke
And there are to be no family feuds. Family members who are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ will seek to achieve the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17:21-23. Note that God cannot force that unity, no matter the critical role it has toward witnessing to the lost. Christians must chose to do it. (Rom 14:4 RSV) "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand." This “judgment” means as a judge hands down a prison sentence. Judgment is up to the father. We are, however, supposed to discern problems and try to get sinning family members back into right relations with other family members and the Father. This discernment may take the form of reformative discipline.
Every Christian will suffer problems because of being a Christians. Depending upon the situation, a Christian may experience the extremes of not even noticing a problem to being physically tortured and killed, or anywhere in between.
“Servants base their identity in Christ.” The author means Christians. Christians have their identity from being children of the Father. God’s children have Eternal Security. There is no need to plead for salvation day after day. There is no need to fear losing one’s salvation. We are adopted once and for all of eternity. The Holy Spirit guarantees it! (Eph 1:13-14 RSV) "In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, {14} which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." It is not a matter of what others think of us. It is a matter of what the Father thinks of us. God’s may well smile at something we do when the world hates us for it.
“Servants think of
ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.” (1 John 5:2-3 RSV) "By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his
commandments. {3} For this is the love of God, that we
keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." The issue is childship
and not servantship. If we act like the heirs of the
Father that Christians are, we will be like the son in (Luke
On
his book page 273: “A weakness, or “thorn” as Paul called it…” First, to
assume such a definition by the author is pure speculation and proof-texting. But many people think is it was some kind of
weakness in Paul, either physical or mental. Looking at the verse (2 Cor 12:7 RSV) "And to keep me from being too elated by
the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of
Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated." Paul calls this
thorn in the flesh to be a messenger of Satan. So in fact it has nothing to do
with Paul! This was a human person who was a major advisory to Paul. What we
don’t know is who was this person and how did the person trouble Paul.
Paul
did say, in context with 2 Cor 12:7, (2 Cor
“Admit your weaknesses.” Unless you realize your weak areas, there
is very little likelihood you will do things to get rid of them. We must always
compare ourselves to the Standard Jesus set for us: (Mat
“Be content with your weaknesses.” WHAT A RIDICULOUS STATEMENT! We are to get rid of all weakness so we can
be as perfect as the Father. “Must” in Matt 5:49 is a
spiritual and moral necessity. Paul’s sue of weakness had nothing to do
with his or any Christian’s spiritual weakness. It had to do with what the
world though of the Gospel that Paul taught. The author continues to proof-text
is wrong concepts. Paul’s statement of 2 Cor 12:7b “to
keep me from being too elated” is not what the author states. Paul meant that
he still needed to recognize that he wasn’t the whole story. He still needed
God the deal with the things that he could not control. It was a benefit to him
to see this and not get an over-inflated ego. God would deal with this human
advisory allowing Paul to not take his time from spreading the Gospel to do so
himself. We are to get rid of all weaknesses! (2 Pet
Our
weaknesses hold us back. We need personal Bible study and applying Bible truths
to our two Life Purposes. But as we grow, we need to remember from where we
have come for new Christians are there. We must all help each other to be like
the Father. (Mat 28:20a RSV) "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you….""
“Honestly share your weaknesses.”
Only in the sense of letting others help you get rid of them. And in the sense
of encouraging people that we still have our problems in being like the Father,
so don’t be discouraged. But to blatantly reveal every weakness you have is not
what the Bible teaches.
Book
page 277 “Our strengths create competition, but our weaknesses create
community.” Another ridiculous statement. The author
makes it seem that to be strong will harm the church and evangelism. He presses
the idea that you should keep your weakness and bring other Christians down to
a lower common denominator of mutual weakness. WRONG! Paul said to (Rom 15:1
RSV) "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and
not to please ourselves;" Paul championed becoming strong and helping
other Christians remove their weaknesses so
“Glory in your weakness.” Wrong again! Paul’s weakness was what the
world thought about the Gospel. Paul said no matter what the world thinks of me
or the Gospel, I will preach the Gospel and it alone. Our weaknesses are not a
glory but an embarrassment. The Holy Spirits wants to help us to remove our
weaknesses. (Rom
Of
course I speak of proper spiritual strength. (Eph
Marvin Ganote, Hobbs Study Class
Adult Teacher, ganotemd@dma.org Lesson at: http://www.dma.org/~ganotemd/lesson.htm or http://homepages.udayton.edu/~ganotem/bible/lesson.htm