Made To Serve Series

Why is this circumcision thing so important (stay with me), because in the book of Exodus it says that no male who is uncircumcised may eat of the Passover meal. Clearly after Christ came and died that rule no longer applies, but what is the condition for participating in the Lord’s supper today? A circumcision of the heart, a putting to death of the flesh which breeds disobedience, and putting on Christ, living to serve him and His children through faith.

Let me ask you, would you rather follow Jesus’ commands today and use the gift he has given you to serve him, or voluntarily get circumcised with a sharp rock, and whatever the equivalent would be for females? On that I rest my case.

Now pastor what does all this have to do with serving in the Kingdom, I thought we were talking about gifts? Well, when a country or kingdom goes to war everyone is involved in some way. So we need to ask, how are we individually involved in the war effort.

World war two is happening on the Waltons series that we’re watching at home, and you have people preparing food for the military folks, providing entertainment, encouragement, prayers, building roads, bridges, machinery, weapons, providing medical care, fighting, strategy and vision, financial support, visiting the wounded, writing letters to lonely soldiers, everyone is on rations so the military can have what it needs. You get it? When a country goes to war every one takes part whether they are on the front lines or not, and many different skills are needed.

What is the goal, what has always been the goal? Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. The promise is that, and it comes more and more as we serve in the kingdom with the talents and skills God has given us.

Let’s take a look at another passage from Romans 12:3-8. In this passage we see some steps on the path of becoming the highest functioning member of the body that you can be. Think about it for minute, do you really want a body that’s falling apart? Would you like to have a good leg but lousy arms, or be able to hear really well but not be able to see? This is the body of Christ and it should be the greatest, highest functioning body on earth.

So we should strive to find our place in it and be the best we can be to glorify the beautiful body of Christ in the world, with the gift that God has granted to us through his grace. Everything about our church should be done with excellence, we are representing Christ.

What this verse about not thinking too highly of yourself means is not that we should make sure we are not excellent, but that we are to be realistic or sober about ourselves and our church. Thinking not too highly and not too lowly of ourselves. False humility is as bad as pridefulness. Just be honest when you evaluate yourself.

It also says in verse three that God has assigned each of us a measure of faith. That we should think about ourselves realistically in accordance with the faith that God has given us in this moment. I believe this faith refers to the actual individual faith that each person has, that influences their behaviour and how they “step out” in faith. It is different from saving faith that all believers have in equal measure.