“14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last."
Many of us who are actively involved in the life and ministry of the church of Jesus Christ and who have learned what the scriptures teach, understand five basic truths pertaining to the subject of serving God:
1. Serving God is the greatest, most urgent and most rewarding of all the tasks of life. What we do for God and in God’s name is the only key to living a fulfilling life here on earth, and to experiencing ultimate joy in the life to come.
2. Serving God, if it is to be done right, must be rooted in a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and in a genuine commitment to his teachings and the ministry of his church.
3. Serving God is the privilege and the responsibility of anyone who has made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Those of us, who believe that ministry belongs only to talented or skilled individuals, have not understood the teachings of Jesus and his disciples.
4. Serving God is the scriptures’ command to all who believe. Some Christians assume that when it comes to getting involved in the work of the church, in serving and loving others, and in witnessing for Jesus Christ that the matter is optional or up to them. No. The word of God is clear about this. In Acts 1 Jesus reminds his disciples, you and me included, that once the Holy Spirit indwells with power, we instantly become witnesses for him. “You shall be my witnesses” is not a suggestion; it is the natural result of Holy Spirit indwelling.
5. Serving God is a calling which God himself initiates. This is very helpful. The scriptures are very clear about how we are saved: We are saved by grace through faith. God in his mercy came to us as one of us to save us from sin, death, and hell. Not only that but everyone whom God has saved is God’s personal choice of becoming an ambassador for of his kingdom.
It is this fifth aspect of serving God that is my focus with you this morning. The subject of how and why God has chosen us to serve him is worth every minute of our attention this morning and later in your private time with the Lord.
The following is a brief guideline on this business of God’s choice of us.
1. GOD CHOOSES US AND NOT WE HIM. Every follower of Jesus is his follower by divine choice. This is extremely incomprehensible and remarkably astonishing. To know that we are part of Christ’s ministry, not by choice of our own but by God’s own choice and free will, is beyond human logic and understanding. Our text reminds us of how it all began. It began with Jesus walking on the shores of Galilee, calling people to follow him, people to whom he said later, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.”
There was a time, a long period of time, in church history, when the church taught otherwise (that the ministry was the work of only ordained priests) until of course the Reformation exposed that misconception and proclaimed that all who follow Jesus are part of the “priesthood of all believers”. Almost every biblical record of ministry brings to our attention that when it was time to give birth to his church, God chose average men and women.
Peter, the chief of the disciples understood that concept and proclaimed in his letter to the church of his time and ours: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood”, 1 Peter 2:9.
2. GOD CHOOSES US NOT TO MOLD US IN ONE MECHANICAL DIRECTION OF MINISTRY (causing us to serve as robots), but to use our diversity so we can take his ministry on waves in different and new directions.
It is obvious that when the scriptures speak of unity, they don’t mean unity of style, but unity of purpose and mission.
The apostle Paul, on several occasions, brings this concept to life as he speaks of the unity within the human body. Each member in the body has a different gift, and therefore a different method—but you find all the members united in serving the whole body—with the head in charge. Jesus Christ is the head.
We must not then fear diversity. Diversity is not a bad word. Conflict is. Diverstiy speaks of a variety of gifts. Conflict speaks of opposition.
Diversity is good because it is what we are—we can not be what we are not, or do the things for which we are not equipped to do.
Recently, I found an illustration that is not only cute but makes the point.
“Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something maningful to meet the problems of modern day life. They organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying.
To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the same courses.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered frustration in flying classes because his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of from the tree top down. He developed knee problems due to over exertion, and so he got only a ‘C’ in climbing and a ‘D’ in running.
The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact, better than her instructor. But she made only passing grades in running, and she was very poor in climbing. She had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running and climbing. This caused her webbed feet to be badly worn, so that she became only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable. so nobody worried about that except the duck.
The rabbit was initially at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming.
The eagle was a problem-child and was severely disciplined for not following the rules. In climbing classses he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there.
The obvious moral of that story is a simple one. Each living being has his or her own set of capabilities in which they will naturally excel.
a duck is a duck. It is built to swim, not to run or climb.
A squirrel is a squirrel and only that. To move it out of its forte of climbing and then expect it to swim or fly will drive a squirrel “nuts”.
Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not running on the ground.
The rabbit will win the foot race every time, unless of course, the eagle gets hungry.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit”. The word of God tells us “there are different kinds of service but the same Lord. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given. To one, there is given the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, to another miraculous powers, to another preaching, etc. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines.”
3. GOD CHOOSES US NOT IN LIGHT OF WHO AND WHAT WE ARE, BUT IN LIGHT OF WHAT SHALL BECOME OF US AS HE CONTINUES TO USE US.
What can God possibly see in any of us that can be useful for him? And yet, much of the kingdom of God depends on us. When the disciples asked Jesus, “Will you at this time restore the Kingdom,” part of the answer he gave showed that the restoration of the kingdom was dependent on their witness. Never underestimate what you, one person can do. Also never assume that you have no talents to bring and no special skills to make the difference.
Tim Hansel, in his book “The Hidden Adventure” shares:
“I am beginning to believe that ‘astonishment’ is Yahweh’s middle name. For example, isn’t it mysteriously surprising that:
-In the opening pages of scripture, amidst the stupendous development of creation, we are told that the crown of all God’s artistic ecstasy is that he created man—in his image, no less! Out of the dust of the ground; a moral agent was formed out of mud!
-He chooses a barren old couple named Abraham and Sarah to give birth to a nation that would change human history for all time.
-Then he decides to save his unique nation from captivity through an unemployed Egyptian-Israelite prince who tends sheep and stutters.
-He chooses a teenager who doesn’t even have his high school diploma yet to nail a nine foot enemy with a rock right between the eyes. The boy grows up to become “a man after God’s own heart” even though this same man pulls off one of the biggest blunders in the O.T.
-This pattern continues to be seen in the N.T. as Jesus took a trusting kid’s lunch and fed enough people to fill a stadium and still had enough left over for each of the disciples to have his own ‘take-home’ basket.
-He revealed who he really is to a Samaritan woman who had a number of husbands and lovers, rather than sharing the news with the proper authorities.
-He chose the number one persecutor of the church to become his top evangelist. He gave the key to the kingom to the disciple who failed him so badly that he denied him three times in one night.”
Yes, God chooses us not in light of who and what we are, but in light of who and what we shall become as he continues to use us.
Everyone here is qualified to serve. Everyone here is gifted to serve provided that we follow God’s lead.
Everyone here is chosen to serve. God makes no mistakes—though at times God’s choice of certain people will not be our choice of them.
The reason is simple: We choose through what we see—God chooses in light of inner characteristics. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7
We judge by the leaves of the tree, God judges by the roots. We judge by what is known, God judges in light of potential.
We see ourselves as human beings, God sees us as “human becomings”. God is not through with any of us—and he makes no mistakes!
So my dear friends, don’t believe for a moment that you don’t have anything to offer.
One wise minister said: “There are many reasons why God shouldn’t have called you. But don’t worry, those reasons are not good enough to keep God from using you:
Moses stuttered. David’s armor didn’t fit. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea’s wife was a prostitute. Amos’ only training ws in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich. Jesus was too poor. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lazarus was dead. John was self-righteous. Naomi was a widow.
Paul was murderer. So was Moses. Jonah ran from God. Miriam was a gossip. Gideon and Thomas both doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist did not dress stylishly. Martha was a worry-wart. Mary was lazy. Samson had long hair. Noah got drunk. Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, as well as Paul,… well lots of folks have that problem.
God doesn’t require a job interview. He doesn’t hire and fire like most bosses, because He’s more our Dad than our Boss. He doesn’t look at financial gain or loss. He’s not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.
As much as we try, God’s gifts are free. We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be …wonderful. Satan says “You’re not worthy.” Jesus says, “So what.” Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the cross. He doesn’t calculate what you did in ’78. It’s not even on the record.
Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn’t have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, then He’ll use in in spite of who we are, where we’ve been, or what we look like. I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make mince-meat of our limitations.”
4. GOD CHOOSES US NO TO DO HIS WORK, BUT TO PAVE THE WAY AND TO PREPARE THE OPPORTUNITEIS FOR HIM TO WORK THROUGH US.
From a worldly point of view, Christianity should have failed at its conception. Everyone knows that to succeed in business, in government, or in management you must begin with the best resources possible (material and human).
Likewise, for any movement to succeed, you have to choose capable (skilled and trained) powerful leaders. The type that demands presence and influences situations. But that was not the case with Christianity. The proof is clear that success in Christianity does not depend on us. In fact, church historians and scholars can not believe how the chuch survived the personalities that led her through the centuries. Ths secret is in the scriptures. It was Jesus who said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not defeat it.”
So my friends, if as a minister, I was told to come to Chapel by the Sea to do the Lord’s work, nothing would have been more impossible and more frightening. But if the task, which is ours together is to prepare the way so God can do His work, then there is no fear in ministry. In fact ministry becomes, in this case, an exciting and promising adventure.
God did not call us to be successful, but faithful.
He did not call us to change the dull water of routine into the exciting wine of His Spirit. He simply asks us to fill the jars with water. He alone changes the water into wine.
God did not choose us so we can raise people from their death in sin, He has chosen us to simply move the stone which in their way—He alone raises them from their deadly ways.
God does not choose us to feed the multitudes. No he wants us to bring the little bread that we have to Him. He alone is able to feed the multitudes.
God doesn’t expect us to give sight to the blind, he simply asks us to bring those who are blind to him.
If you think that the disciples are responsible for the survival of the church, please think again.
In conclusion, remember this: our God chooses us not inspite of our weaknesses and limitations but because of our weaknesses and limitations. The very thing that will cause leaders not to choose us is the very qualification God wants in His disciples. “I choose the weak, because My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Christ would say:
I choose the weak, because they are aware of their need for God.
I choose the simple, because only they can be made wise by the word of God.
I choose only those who admit they are like sheep, not the macho, the lions and the tigers, the snakes and the foxes. These do not see the need for a shepherd-- but the sheep do.
I choose the unpopular, because they have first hand knowledge and experience of their once despised and rejected Savior.
I choose the broken-hearted, the poor in spirit, the wounded, the scarred, because only they can help heal others.
I choose the selfless and the ego-less, those who in the light of God know that they are nothing. Only they can be filled with God’s Presence.
