A Living Sacrifice To God
Part 2
Scriptures: Romans 12:3-8; 15:1-3; 1 Corinthians 3:1-7
This is part two of my series “A Living Sacrifice to God.” If you recall from last week, we focused on verses one and two from Romans chapter twelve. In those verses Paul urges the Christians in Rome to present their physical bodies as a living sacrifice to God. This request was not being made as a symbolic gesture but was purposeful based on the lifestyles of many who lived in Rome. All manner of sin and depravity was being practiced in Rome during this time and Paul was encouraging the people to stop participating in the sin. He asked them to present their physical bodies as living sacrifices to God. In other words, dedicate their physical bodies to God and thereafter not allow their bodies to be used as instruments of sin. This could only be done by the renewing of their minds supernaturally through the power of the Holy Spirit which would ultimately lead to their being able to prove what the will of God is in this world. Our lives are to be the proof of the truth of God’s Word! This morning we will continue with verses three through eight.
Before we get into these verses I was to set the foundation for what we will learn this morning. In 1996, I had been working for my company for four years. In December of that year I received a promotion to become a hospital representative requiring me to call on large teaching institutions in Arkansas and Oklahoma. I am not being prideful when I say that I was very good at my job. I converted 90% of my accounts to my product exclusively. In December of 1997, based on my previous performance, I was promoted to district manager. This promotion required my family to move from Arkansas to St. Louis, MO. As a new manager of ten representatives I assumed that I had to have all of the answers. I came into the position expecting my representatives to be as successful as I was based on how I did things. I struggled the first six months because it appeared to me that my team was not as driven as I had been and they did not seem to care as much about being successful. Have you ever worked for someone where it was their way or the highway? They had all the right answers and while your suggestions were good, they did not get implemented because they did not totally line up with what they wanted to do? This is the road I was headed down as a new manager. I was becoming that manager that I never wanted to work for. After about six months I had a meeting with my director/supervisor. He looked me in the eye and told me that I was being too hard on my team. He said that everyone would not sell like me or spend time in a library searching current medical articles to maintain their product knowledge as I did as a representative. Then he told me something that has helped me become a successful team leader. He told me to get to know my reps and how they learn. He told me to build on their individual strengths versus trying to make my strength theirs. This totally changed how I managed my team.
This understanding of building on individual strengths versus trying to re-create myself in others was also one of the foundational principles for the start of this Church. Most of us have been involved in Churches where everything revolved around the pastor. All decisions had to flow through the pastor. All teachings had to be approved by the pastor as the pastor had to determine what should or should not be taught. While I understand this model, that was not what God had directed me to set up. Under that system people are sometimes not expected to grow independently and understand what God desires from them. God directed me to start this Church and allow people, from the youngest to the oldest, to be free to grow independently with Him and worship Him freely. And, not to be overlooked, use those experiences to help change the world around you one person at a time. This meant that every voice mattered and ego’s (especially mine) had to be set aside so that people could grow. It also meant that if you stepped up to be a leader the expectation was that you would run with it as God led you depending on the ministry you were leading. Not everyone can function with that level of freedom because many wait to the pastor to provide them the directions of how they are to do their jobs. God desires to have a personal relationship with each person individually and your relationship with Him is uniquely different from my relationship with Him. In the development of our individual relationships, God begins to align us in such a way that each individual is able to fulfill the calling on their life while working simultaneously to fulfill the mission of the Church, here at New Light and all of the other Churches established in His name. Captured in the verses we will read this morning you will see that Paul reminds us that we need one another working together to fulfill God’s work in this place. Please turn with me to Romans chapter twelve and let us read what he says.
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it in simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:3-8)
When I became a new leader in 1997 I mistakenly assumed that being a leader meant that I had to know it all. I had to have all the answers for the questions my team brought to me. I had to appear as the expert at everything which put a lot of unnecessary pressure and stress on me. You see, when a leader keeps everything in their hands and doesn’t allow anyone else to do anything this leads to frustration for the team members working with him. Why? Because if a leader feels that they must do everything then they are saying one or two things: either no one else is qualified to do something; or, the leader does not trust those around him. Regardless of the answer, it sends a message that the leader may not understand is being sent. No one has all the answers and the smartest leaders in the world are those who realize both their individual gifts and their limitations. Leaders exercise wisdom when they recognize their need for gifted, talented, willing-minded people who are willing and able to work with them (versus against them) and effectively help them do what they are called to do. No one person or Church can do it alone. I believe that God has graciously surrounded me with the very people I need to fulfill the work in this place and for that I am blessed. This is what Paul was expressing to the Christians in Rome in the verses we just read. Now let’s focus on what He said in verse three.
In the third verse Paul spoke about our need for others in our lives. He said, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Now if you know Paul’s story, Paul is the one person who could have easily thought highly of himself. He had accomplished a lot in his life. He had been a wealthy lawyer, politician, and a Pharisee. But he forsook it all to fulfill the ultimate calling on his life, doing the will of God. Paul had seen Jesus and had been taught directly by Him and yet with all this, with everything he had accomplished and with everything he was doing in ministry, he admonished them not to think too highly of themselves. He said that we should view ourselves “soberly.” The word “soberly” is the Greek word sophroneo and it means “to be of sound mind; to be reasonable; to be balanced and levelheaded in the way one thinks; to maintain a proper appraisal, measurement, or value; to think clearly about one’s limitations.” One Greek scholar says that the word means “to recognize your limits and respect them.” In other words, we are not to pretend to be more than we are!
Although Paul stood in a class by himself, he recognized his need for other members to be a part of his team. This is why he leaned so heavily on Timothy, Titus, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, and others. Paul’s understanding of his own limitations was the reason he could rejoice that others were on his team. Can you imagine what this feels like? You are tasked with a job to do and there are many aspects of the job that needs to be done all at the same time. You are ultimately the one responsible, but you recognize that you cannot get it done by yourself and you need help. When you have people that can be depended on to get their part of the task completed, that is a blessing! Paul had no sense of being threatened by someone else’s gift as we find when he had to address an issue that arose within the Church at Corinth. All of you know how people are. People love to align themselves with whomever they think is “the best.” I remember a Church we were one members of before we moved here where one of the associate ministers was viewed as being more qualified than the pastor to lead the Church. So he asked the Pastor if they could have an early service that he could lead. The pastor was not threatened and gave him the opportunity. Well that did not last long. After a while those members who attended the early service began to call the associate their pastor and that they were their own separate Church. As you can imagine, this caused a problem so the pastor stepped in and shut it down. This happened because of the carnal nature of people. While the pastor needed the associate, the people and ultimately the associate yielded to their flesh and messed it up. Let me show you.
Turn to First Corinthians chapter three and we will begin reading at verse one. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with solid food: for until now you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able. For you are yet carnal: for while there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men? For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-7) In this story people were aligning themselves to either Paul or Apollos and in doing so causing a division within the ministry. Paul said that this was an example of the natural man acting in contrast to the spiritual man. In Paul’s response to the issue he was not threatened by Apollos. Paul actually appreciated Apollos’ work as Apollos’ work was different from his. Apollos’ work was additive to Paul, not competing with it. Paul said “I have planted, Apollos watered..…” Apollos apparently contributed a part to the project that Paul could not have brought into it and for that Paul was grateful. Paul said that neither he nor Apollos was anything but it was all about God. All of us are servants of one God and regardless of our role in the ministry, it is God who brings it all together and brings the increase. We are nothing but vessels at His disposal.
God intends for us to work as a team and to do so He wants us to develop our individual gifts and use our talents to become the best that we can be. It is important for any leader that when they approach the edge of their limitations to recognize it and ask for help. Instead of being prideful and thinking too highly of ourselves and attempting to do it alone, we need to set our pride aside and reach out. And, most importantly, when someone asks for our help, this is not the time for us to look upon them as being weak and unable so it’s our time to come in and take over everything. It’s not the time to come in and demonstrate why our gifts are better than someone else because this is of the flesh. No, when we are asked to help, we come in and do the best we can in the area where we are working, always being willing to use our gifts for God. Always ensuring that we are not focused on ourselves but on the God who empowered us to do what we do. Now notices what he says in the remaining verses.
“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it in simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:4-8)
Paul in these verses compares the body of Christ to a human body. There are many parts of a body and not every body part has the same function. (Paul went into more detail on this in First Corinthians 12:12-28.) Paul refers to our spiritual gifts being given and to be exercised according to the grace of God and the measure of faith. In other words, while God has given us gifts we have to have faith in order to operate in those gifts and our ability to do so is not separated from our faith. Our gifts will not exceed our faith! Now here is the thing to remember, the gifts listed here and in First Corinthians chapter twelve is for the edification of the body of Christ, not for our own personal edification. In whatever area of ministry we work in, our focus is on doing what God has commanded us to do so that the body can grow and mature. Paul said that although we are many, there is only one body in Christ and therefore we are individually members of one another. In Christ we are all part of one body and part of each other. My gifts are to be used to edify you and the others in the body. Your gifts are to edify me and the others in the body. If we are all doing what we are supposed to be doing then the needs of each member will be met because we are all part of the one body of Christ. God knows what the needs are in His Church and He sends those with the gifts and talents to meet the need. The problem is that sometimes those who He sends do not have the faith to exercise their gifts so a need goes unmet. When all of us start walking in our gifts, all of the needs expressed for what is needed here can be met – we just have to focus beyond ourselves.
This morning I want you to see something before I close. We grow and mature naturally at different rates. Girls are sometimes taller than boys in grade school but the boys hit their growth spurts in middle school and surpasses them. The same happens spiritually. We do not all learn, grow and mature at the same pace. That is why the body of Christs needs everyone. Some will be stronger when others are weaker, but the needs are being met. In verse three of Romans chapter twelve, Paul said, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Now notice what he said in Romans 15:1-3. He said, “We then that are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, ‘The reproaches of them that reproached you fell on me.”
When you look at these two verses together you see the main point of this message. We are not to have such a high and mighty image of ourselves and our gifts that we look down on others who are weaker. As a matter of fact, the word says that we should bear the weaknesses of those who are weaker, not in pleasing ourselves but pleasing others. In other words, there are times when we make sacrifices for those who are weaker while they are yet still growing. And to do this we are not in a position to determine where they should be in their spiritual growth. We do not turn our backs on them, but bear them up. Someone may ask, for how long? And I would tell you as long as it takes. Jesus never turned His back on any of us. He never forsook us even when we ignored His guidance. If He never turned His back on us, why are we so easy to do it to one another? Just because I am spiritually strong, why do I think I can look down upon you because you are still struggling? The strong and enlightened ones must tolerate and bear with those who are weaker and less enlightened until they too become strong in faith and knowledge. We need one another so I am never in a position to walk away from you!
We have all known individuals who have wrestled with a problem or personal challenge, and we witnessed them struggle and inwardly fight for survival. In fact, you may know someone right now in this situation. What kind of support can we give someone to help them make it through? According to what Paul wrote in Romans 15:1, those who are stronger need to reach out to those who are weaker. That word “ought” in the Greek is the word “opheilo” and it means “to be morally obligated or to do something as an obligation.” In other words, we are obligated to bear up those who are weaker until they become stronger. Think about it, after all of the ways people have helped us in our time of need, we are spiritually and morally obligated to do the same for others. So the question becomes, who are we obligated to do this for?
The word “weaknesses” in this comes from the Greek word “asthenema” which describes those who are “weak, powerless, or struggling in some way, whether physically or emotionally.” The word “weak” in this verse comes from a Greek word that depicts those who are “depleted of power due to something they have experienced or gone through that has rendered them weak.” Paul told the Romans not to please themselves. In other words, when it comes to helping those who are spiritually weaker, it’s not about the inconvenience it may cause us, but about the benefit for the person. Yes I may have told them the same thing over and over, but one of those times it’s going to click and that person life will change if I do not give up on them.
This morning I encourage each of us to look beyond ourselves and see what we can do for someone else. If you’ll look to the Holy Spirit, He will show you how to be a source of power and strength to those who are in need. And please understand this, He is faithful to strengthen the weak and give power to the lowly and you, my friends, may very well be chosen as the vehicle that He uses to reach them with His love.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
