Today I’d like to start with a question before answering it. Who owns what, what can we give to God? The answer is this and it may come as a bit of a surprise, God owns everything, it all belongs to Him, including our skills and our capabilities. As Christians people saved by the grace of God, we are to use them to bring glory to Him. I would like to acknowledge Dr Harry Wendt’s contribution to this message.
This material is to be used in conjunction with Dr Harry Wendt’s material “In Heavens Name, Why on Earth.”
The 1970’s Bob Dylan on his Slow Train Coming Album, sang a song entitled. “Gotta Serve Somebody”
The song chorus goes like this:
You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
In the album Bob sings about his belief in Jesus and how he sees Jesus at work in the world. While there are a few who doubt Bob’s sincerity he is a believer. In a 2009 interview with Bill Flanagan promoting his Christmas LP, ‘Christmas in the Heart’, Flanagan commented on the, quote, "heroic performance Dylan gave of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and that Dylan "delivered the song like a true believer". Dylan replied: "Well, I am a true believer." [Wikipedia].
Now after last week when I started teaching on the Lifestyle of Generosity incidentally how are you doing with the devotional, there is still time, I still have spare copies if you didn’t receive one. Thanks to those of you who gave me feedback last week. Speaking about those areas of what God has given us can be a bit hard to address sometimes, because we get into God giving us our time, talents and treasures. It took me a wee while to sort out the third of those three in my own life. I understood that God had given me my time and he could have it when required, Sunday Morning 10.00-11.30am, Bible study and reading, Bible Class, mowing someone's lawn or visiting the elderly, I was alright with all those things, even a few evening meetings. Talents, well as a young fella, I was a bit devoid of useful church friendly talents. I’ve mentioned the lawn mowing, also did that on a roster at Church, read the scripture a bit at the Methodist service in Stoke but not often, was a Bible Class leader and helped in a few other areas. As an officer, God gets the lion's share of my time and talents these days. I am hopeful that I will have used them to make a difference for God’ Kingdom in what time I’ve got left. That is my prayer.
But and it’s a reasonably big but, but the treasures were a bit of an issue. I got a bit like Gollum with the one ring, with MY treasures; “My Precious” or like the seagulls in Finding Nemo. MINE, mine, mine mine.
The theme I’m looking at today is along the lines of “Worship God alone you are His people” (SBI). That worship is how we live in response with our whole beings and the use of our time, talents and treasures.
Originally back at creation God had a plan; where all humans would live in harmony worshiping Him, for what He has done in for us, our ancestors blew it and sin entered the word, we also know that God is not lost, we are or were lost and God came or comes looking for us! Some don’t want to be found. Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son, he was off doing his own thing, he spent all his inheritance, and he was living with the pigs, and came to his senses, then returned to his Father, who on seeing him, ran to meet him. This is a picture of God running to us when we come to our sense's and realise that we are losing our current and eternal inheritance. God owns everything and we are provided with what we need to live. God provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him through Jesus the Servant King. As believers and because of Jesus actions we are to Worship God alone as His people
I’m unsure about the rest of you but there have been times in my life when I have wondered, looking at the mortgage, the car, books and the other possessions “How does my relationship with Jesus fit into all this?” or “How do I fit Christianity into all these other things?”
Really the question should be “How does all this stuff fit into my relationship with Christ?”
The guts of the matter, a good Olde English word that “guts” meaning a few things, oh yes, I did say guts. In this case it means “the inner parts or essence of something.” Google it; the guts, of the matter is that Christianity is not just an important part of life, for us Christians, “Jesus is to be Lord of all life, not just part of it.” As believers and because of Jesus actions we are to Worship God alone as His people.
Now with that in mind, our Mission Statement here at the Corps is, “The Salvation Army Tawa exists to pursue God and His Kingdom, to see His reality become ours.”
In pursuing God are we serving God, are seeing his reality become ours?
Once we have figured out our relationship with God, once the Holy Spirit resides with us as our counsellor, comforter, helper and friend (John 14 &16) life becomes more rational and once we develop or are given by God, the Fruit of The Holy Spirit, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” (ref Galatians 5:22-23) our lives become easier relationally, with God and people. All of these things are relational. For that fruit to grow we have to be deeply rooted into Christ. (ref Colossians 2:7-9) No tree bears good fruit without a good root system. The truth is we require connection with God the Holy Spirit to truly develop these characteristics completely.
Paul points this out in Romans 8:12-14;
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Then as we individuals we join into a body of believers, we become part of the wider body that is the Worldwide Church; the body of Christ, made up of every believer of every Christian denomination.
Dr Harry points out that, we are to look at what we do in life; you may be a painter, a labourer, a student, an engineer, a doctor, a home executive or some other role, but whatever you do, you are to look at it as being God’s calling on our life. If you feel uneasy or out of place in what you are doing in life it could be that God is calling, you to be doing something else for the sake of building His kingdom here on Earth. Remember we all have a calling. Do we all listen for the call?
Dr Harry Wendt points out that is wrong and dangerous to look at life as spiritual and secular. There is no secular realm, all things are spiritual, 1 John 3:8 tells us this:
“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
Matthew 6:24.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Steve Farrand has spoken on this in the last six months.
We are to put on spiritual armour, originally battle armour was worn to protect individual human bodies. The Human Body: The church is compared by Paul in his writings to a human body. “And God placed all things under his [his meaning Jesus] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:22-23
Dr Harry points out that no member of the body, that’s the human body can operate alone; that the body as a whole lives together, with all individual parts serving the rest,
As the Church we are like a body, to take part in caring for and being part of the rest of the Body. It was never part of God’s plan for humanity or in his rescue plan for any of us to be or remain isolated.
Where are you at? If you have not been part of that community the body of Christ is this a step you want to take or have like some, have you given up meeting with other Christians, there is a danger in this as a single coal won’t often continue to burn if it’s removed from the fire. We are designed to be in communities of encouragement.
But back to that subject of treasures, and incidentally-what and how you give is between you and God, it’s just my role to bring Biblical teaching on the matter and other matters. Paul addresses the church at Corinth about the subject this way. 2 Corinthians 8:7-8 says this “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love, we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
And this from the next chapter verses 6-13,
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
The end result of ‘giving’ in this passage, is not about personal prosperity in my understanding, it is about others coming to ‘many expressions of thanks, to God.’ Others praising God because of the givers giving, people coming to know Jesus and praising him. Is it because they, like the kids we sponsor in the islands have schoolbooks and a few pens and pencils a pencil sharpener and a school bag, or the women and children in the Family Care Centres those places of safety in Fiji get food and training and are safe away from danger. In these things, in the serving through our Community Ministries and children and youth ministry here in Tawa that others see God’s hand at work through His people or something else? Then they give thanks to God, come into relationship with God.
These deeds of giving bring hope to many, I’ve seen lives changed by what we here would consider very little.
There is something that occurs in our lives and the spiritual lives of others when we acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all aspects of our lives, our living and thinking alters as we respond to him, others living and thinking alters as we respond to God and them. This week we still have the mercy seat open, if you would like to come to God in prayer for anything someone from our prayer team will come and pray with you. You may be worried about something, carrying a burden that can be left with God. The other thing I would like to suggest again, is to pray-fully work through and consider the devotional material. The devotional material is also an opportunity to join together with someone else in the Corps to study it, if that is another way that would work for some of you.
Music Team, response.
